New wildlife pond - edging/planting questions

[-kev]

Hello, brief introduction...

Had a tiny mud puddle of a pond in the garden since we moved in - been quite good for duckweed, frogs, and for the dog to wade in but not much else afaics.

So I recently installed a 1000 litre preformed liner. And was instantly filled with disappointment (especially after I saw some of the wonderful pictures on this forum, wish I'd found it earlier!). It just didn't feel like the sort of thing you'd want to laze beside in summer, mainly I think because there were no nice expanses of shallow water to peer into.

So another week of spine-mangling labour and I now have a roughly circular 3 meter diameter butyl-lined pond which already fills me with glee.

Ok, questions!

The shallowest side of the pond edges onto a large, nicely overgrown bed. Because of the slope of the garden, I had to bank up the soil there a couple of inches to be able to get the water up to the level I wanted. So there's this silly long foot-wide ridge that the liner folds over, and I don't know how to go about hiding it, and making it a more solid permanent edge. I can't really make it any wider, as the established shrubs start just beyond it.

Secondly, I'd obviously like to get planting. This forum is great for helping to choose native species - I long for bogbean, frogbit, hornwort, milfoil etc...
But I'm not sure if I should quickly order some plants and stick them in baskets...Or is it too late in the season now?
I'm also considering putting a couple of inches of soil in the pond and leaving it until spring - presumably six months of rainfall would give me nice low-nutrient water by then? And then I could plant straight into the soil - the idea of baskets dotted around seems a bit odd to me...? If I did that, would a line of small rocks along the edge of each shelf be good for containing the soil?

(Incidentally, I checked my local garden centre for oxygenators - to my irritation, all they have is parrot's feather, elodea, water hyacinth and water lettuce )

ok, thanks for reading...your ideas would be welcome!
kev.

[JackintheGreen]

Hi Kev, the pond sounds great. I doubt it's too late to put new plants in but I don't know when suppliers decide the season is over. There are loads of good plants but try to avoid the thugs. Yellow flag is a great plant but its too big and vigorous for most garden ponds. For those types of plants, I'd definately use baskets. That way it's easier to haul them out and manage them. The smaller, more sociable plants can be planted directly in the soil.

The problem with putting soil in the pond is the nutrient level, as you say. The result will be vigorous plant growth which can be removed util a level is reached. Personally, I'd probably not do that, but if you do, use subsoil rather than top soil.

If you've got a boggy or damp area at the margins, two of my favourites are ragged robin and cuckoo flower.

Cheers,

Steve

[Tursiops2]

Hi kev, welcome to WAB

Originally Posted by -kev

The shallowest side of the pond edges onto a large, nicely overgrown bed. Because of the slope of the garden, I had to bank up the soil there a couple of inches to be able to get the water up to the level I wanted. So there's this silly long foot-wide ridge that the liner folds over, and I don't know how to go about hiding it, and making it a more solid permanent edge. I can't really make it any wider, as the established shrubs start just beyond it.

Yes, that's the trouble with embanking , you're on a slight slope, yes? Options to cover the liner would be: paving/decking for access; turf (any left over from your excavation?); logs/rocks to create hiding places for amphibs; ground cover plants e.g. Ivy, Lesser Periwinkle, which will spread across; or a combination of all those.

Originally Posted by -kev

Secondly, I'd obviously like to get planting. This forum is great for helping to choose native species - I long for bogbean, frogbit, hornwort, milfoil etc...
But I'm not sure if I should quickly order some plants and stick them in baskets...Or is it too late in the season now?

Probably no harm in putting some oxygenators in now, but I'd be inclined to wait until next spring before planting anything else, the growing season is just about over

Originally Posted by -kev

I'm also considering putting a couple of inches of soil in the pond and leaving it until spring - presumably six months of rainfall would give me nice low-nutrient water by then?

Any nutrients in the soil/water will still be there in six months time, rain or no rain. As jackinthegreen says, use subsoil if you must, but clean sand or pea gravel would be better.

Originally Posted by -kev

And then I could plant straight into the soil - the idea of baskets dotted around seems a bit odd to me...? If I did that, would a line of small rocks along the edge of each shelf be good for containing the soil?

Yes, creating "planting pockets" like that is better than baskets.

Originally Posted by -kev

(Incidentally, I checked my local garden centre for oxygenators - to my irritation, all they have is parrot's feather, elodea, water hyacinth and water lettuce )

Yes, leave your garden centre out of it - even if they have native species, these are often contaminated with bits of nasties . There are plenty of online suppliers of natives. If you haven't done it already, download NE27 from Natural England NE27 - Garden ponds and boggy areas: havens for wildlife for a comprehensive list of native plants suitable for various sized ponds.

It sounds like a nice project, have you got any photos?
T2

[-kev]

Thanks for the comments guys, they've been useful.
I finally sorted out a photo.



Top left area is grass, where I plan to sit. Bit messy atm because I had to dig all the turf up and raise it a few inches (bye bye surplus soil!), to get a nice slope down to the water. I plan to leave a couple of square metres uncut.

The eagle eyed may spot the laburnum - d'oh! Just read the new thread on those...finally had the excuse to rip it out, it wasn't doing at all well anyway.

Around the right side I'm edging with some stones, the tops match the surrounding ground's level and will hopefully contain the soil as I've mortared along the back of them.

Hornwort/starwort/milfoil are in, currently in baskets in the deep section. Couldn't resist getting a few other plants such as the frogbit. The irises are yellow ones salvaged from the old pond and repotted (they took up over half the area of the old one!) Btw, does frogbit take root, or otherwise need anchoring in position?

Baby and adult frogs have been checking it out already. Some beautiful dragonflies have had a buzz round. A pond skater appeared this morning to my surprise - are they likely be permanent residents of a smallish pond like this?
Also, bizarrely, a single wasp has been coming back repeatedly ever since I started filling with water. It turns up every 5 minutes or so, goes to the exact same spot on the edge, appears to be drinking, then flies off again...what is that about?

cheers,
kev.

[Tursiops2]

That's excellent kev, a first class job .

Some finishing touches I'd like to suggest:
1. I'd like to see a larger area of water-logged ground around the edge, as you have in the left foreground. Extend this around the pond in front of the bench to cover the exposed liner, create a sloping natural edge to the pond, and provide a substrate for plants like Marsh Marigold etc.
2. When you've finished the rock edging (which looks good btw) paint the rocks with well diluted yogurt - this will encourage the growth of algae, moss and lichens; plant Hart's Tongue and Maidenhair ferns into some of the gaps; and plant Ivy to grow over the rocks - use one of the smaller-leaved cultivated varieties as they are less rampant and more decorative than the wild plant. All this will "soften" the hard edges, giving it a more natural look, and create cover for wildlife.
3. Is the bench set straight onto the ground? It would be good idea to have some surfacing in front of it if it's going to be well-used - regular traffic will wear away the grass and create an unsightly bare patch where you put your feet. Bark chip or gravel over membrane will suffice.

That's going to look lovely this time next year - be sure and post pics
T2

[RobertH]

Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) is free floating but will drop long roots into the water column. In the winter it will disappear, dropping resting buds to the pond floor ready to re-appear in the spring.

[JenBee]

Hello all. I'm a new member and when I stumbled across Kev's thread I thought I was in heaven because we are in exactly the same position so all this fab advice has come just at the right time for us.

Kev, hope you won't mind if I borrow your thread to ask a couple of questions of my own?

Firstly, we are also in the situation where we think we are going to have to just leave a pond full of nothing but water until spring, we obviously didn't pick the best time of year to do a pond. Someone posted that it might be a good idea to put some oxygenators in now though, so they can go on doing their stuff through the winter I guess. Please can you recommend good varieties to buy, and is it safe to buy online do you think - looking on ebay there seem to be some very good pond plant sellers, but I'd hate to get it wrong at this stage!

Secondly, we are not sure whether to introduce some ramshorn snails to help with the algae when it starts to build up - are they more trouble than they are worth, and if they are a good idea is it ok to add them so late in the year?

We have worked so hard over the last week or two and it's quite disappointing to be told by the garden centre that we can't do anything until spring, so I'm really hoping to get the answer I want - but I will be guided by the wisdom of the forum.

Many thanks (and thanks for the loan of the thread Kev!)

[-kev]

Hello, welcome, make yourself at home in my thread Perhaps we can compare progress next year...

I got my few plants online from Mimmack's - someone on the forum suggested them. Happy with my purchase - not expensive, and secure payment through paypal. As for eBay, it depends on the seller, all you can do is be guided by other users' feedback.

As has been pointed out, the growing season is nearly over and anything that goes in now won't be growing and getting established. I understand it's different to planting regular non-aquatic plants, for which now is ideal as the weather should keep them moist and happy while they settle in.

My oxygenators, currently in baskets seem ok. (Good fun wading in to put the baskets in the deep bit of the pond!) Although I can't imagine that lots of oxygenators are vital at present, especially considering how little is actually living in there.
The brooklime (marginal) is the one thing that seems to be settling in really well. Other plants just seem to be getting covered in algae or going a bit brown.

In retrospect, I think I should've been patient and not bothered planting at this time. The one upside is that if any plants survive the winter, they should get growing ASAP next year, probably before I come out of hibernation, so will get a bit of a head start there...

As for varieties, I guess it's down to how big your pond is, and your own personal taste. Someone already posted the "NE27" link in this thread which has a good list of uk natives, there's also plenty of posts here about the evil plants to avoid. Online sites like Mimmack's and Puddle Plants have nice selections to browse.

kev.

[JenBee]

Thanks for letting me share Kev!

From the look of your picture you are a bit ahead of us - here is ours:



Not very good at techie stuff so I do hope it works, if not I'll try some other way.

Having looked at all the biggest sites for plants it seems that no-one would recommend planting now so we've decided to leave it until the spring. As you say, there won't be much going on in there until then. I just wish we had dug it a bit earlier, even a month would have made a difference. We have so many frogs living in our garden we had hoped to give them somewhere for the winter, but I'm sure they will survive anyway.

It would be lovely to compare progress next year - do you live in the north or south of the UK? I ask because we live in the south west so I imagine ours will be up and running relatively early, and I'm hoping you live further south so you are ahead of us and we can follow your lead! (Can you tell we are complete numpties at this?)

Thanks again.

JB

[Malcolm Banks]

[quote=JenBee;546844]
Secondly, we are not sure whether to introduce some ramshorn snails to help with the algae when it starts to build up - are they more trouble than they are worth, and if they are a good idea is it ok to add them so late in the year?

QUOTE]

Hi Kev, I wouldn't worry about introducing snails, they will be there, grinning at you, when you resume planting next spring
M