wildlife haven in the shade?

[bonbon]

Hi t2 this is the path from the inside of the plot..if you know what i mean!
it does seem quite hefty but i haven't really had much of a go at it.
what do you think from the pic? i will take some of the broken bits too.
Yes it would be great if you were nearer but i am very grateful for the help you are able to give! what would you reccomend i do with the soil form the plot? Thanks

[bonbon]

more pics of depth of path and broken bits. Thanks t2

[Tursiops2]

Ouch! that looks rather more substantial than I was expecting , a pretty solid job in fact. I'm not sure this is going to work, you might need machinery to shift that.

Thinking on my feet here, but it might be worth looking at the path round the sides as well - as they would have been built just for access round the sides of the GH, they may be less substantial than the main path.

If you want to take the time, then dig down in the diagonally opposite corner to this one, and have a look at the path depth there. I'm not holding out a lot of hope though, that path doesn't look like a cowboy job. i think restricting the work to the "inner" plot is looking the most realistic option. Less space to work with, but still worthwhile.

I'll start doing some drawings now - got to go offline for this, I'll be back on this evening.

T2

[bonbon]

Thanks T2. substantial path + my woeful digging skill = probably best to leave it! I will check the other corners too. Just to make sure. I look forward to your next post! Thanks x

[bonbon]

just to say i mean leave the path - not the pond!

[Tursiops2]

Hi, been offline for a couple of days, had some technical problems, but all sorted now.
Yes, shame about the path, but I think discretion beats valour here.

OK, let’s look at what you can do with what you’ve got. Here’s a sketch plan of the existing plot, based on the dimensions you gave me:



I’ve given the path a uniform width of 37cm for convenience. Let me know if there are any obvious errors. The plants are purely symbolic.

Here is a possible layout for the plot (I’ve rotated the view by 90°):



What I’m proposing is a rectangular pond, 1.5m x 2.5m, with shallow sloping sides and a deeper central area, set roughly centrally within the ex-greenhouse. It includes a strip of paving along one side for easy access 9pond-dpping, maintenance etc.), and a gravel-filled soakaway to one side for any overflow.

By using the concrete blocks (salvaged from the corners of the plot) to construct a low retaining wall at the bottom of the slope, lining the pond, then backfilling behind this wall with a suitable low-nutrient substrate, a single broad, shallow, planting pocket is formed around three sides of the pool. By contouring the substrate so that it rises above water level around the perimeter, this should provide suitable conditions for a wide range of native water plants, and a wide range of wildlife.

The remaining ground around the pond can also be planted for wildlife.

It is, I have to admit, a slightly unorthodox approach to building a wildlife pond. It’s based on the assumption that the purpose of a “wildlife” pond is to attract and support as wide a range of wildlife as possible, particularly if it’s going to have an educational function; thus, as the greatest biodiversity occurs in water less than 10cm deep, it follows that the emphasis should be on creating areas of shallow water rather than deep. It should also require less digging than a “conventional” ornamental pond.

As it’s a bit of an experiment, I’d be interested in other people’s opinions on its feasibility.

Planting zones and section lines:



Dimensions:




Liner overlap and soakaway



Section WX:



Section WX with dimensions:



Section YZ:



I’m happy to discuss details and answer any questions, as best I can. One thing I would add: don’t be misled by the precise geometry of the drawings into thinking it has to be equally precise and hard-edged in practise. My software demands that sort of precision, but nature is much more forgiving (frogs don’t carry tape measures ).

T2

[bonbon]

Thanks T2 for all your effort! I am very impressed. I know this might sound a bit stupid but what should i do next? should i dig all the soil out? what should i do with it? I'm feeling inspired but slightly overwhelmed - will i really be able to do this? i hope so! speak soon!

[bonbon]

Hi Thanks again for all your advice. I have printed off plans and am off to dig!

[Tursiops2]

Originally Posted by bonbon

I know this might sound a bit stupid but what should i do next?

Not stupid at all, a very sensible question in fact.

There are a couple of small jobs that need doing in terms of preparation, but I’ll come back to them. I think the best the thing to do now is sit down with a pen and paper and start making some lists and calculating costs.

Tools
What tools do you have/can borrow?

Materials

You will need:
• Liner and underlay. I calculate that 5m x 3m will allow a generous overlap. You may also need some sand too.
• Substrate. Probably not enough subsoil for the job, buy some bags of Pea Shingle and mix together.
• Paving (+ cement). The dimension of the paving slabs will determine the distance of the pond from the main path. I’ve given the paving in the diagram a nominal dimension of 40cm x 40cm, but it comes in a range of sizes and prices. Decide which you want to use before you dig the pond.
• Recycled blocks. Please check the dimensions of the salvaged blocks – I’ve drawn them as 5cm x 10cm x 20cm, but I suspect this is too small.
• Water. Do you have a rainbutt? Ponds are best filled with rainwater; tap water is definitely second best. If you haven’t got a rainbutt installed already, see if it’s feasible to do so.
• Plants. It’s essential you use native species. Order online from specialist dealers, not local garden centre. More info on plants soon.
• Setting out equipment Nylon twine and a pack of 6” nails

Links
Posting links to commercial sites is frowned upon on WAB, so I’ll PM some to you shortly.

Books
Get some books. Dr Hessayon’s “Expert” series has already been recommended, and they’re an excellent starting point for the beginner – well-illustrated, comprehensive, and inexpensive. Get “The Garden Pond and Rockery Expert” and “The Garden DIY Expert” in particular.

Construction
Checking levels. You will need to check your levels as you dig, particularly when it comes to putting in the overflow channel and soakaway (the depth of the soakaway will dictate the water level). There is a technique for doing this using a length of clear plastic tubing, but I don’t remember it well enough to explain it. I’m pretty sure it’s illustrated in The Garden DIY Expert however.

Paving construction. Unfortunately, I’m not a DIYer, so I can’t instruct you on how to do this. It’s not the most complicated of jobs, I understand, but you should make sure you know what’s required before you start.

What to do with the spoil? I’ll come back to this. While you’re excavating, just stack it somewhere accessible..

To do now
Clear all non-organic rubbish and debris from the site.

Dig up the remaining blocks from the corners – the best way to do this is spade out a shallow trench along their inner face and pry them into this.

I was going to suggest you set out the layout of the pond (using twine and nails) before you start digging, just to see if you’re happy with it, but if you've started without me, never mind.

T2