In The Beginning

 

My ponds started out as just a water feature on my deck! I began looking through magazines and soon a pond in the yard looked so much better and 2 ponds well that was the best!

 

 

We started building them in the spring of 1999. Our back yard was totally flat so we needed to bring in fill. We used 3 loads of fill to build up the flower beds and to make the top pond. The bottom pond was dug in the level ground. A load of rock was also needed to make the built up flower beds and for the dry streambed flower bed. The top pond is 3 feet deep in the center. Both of the ponds have ledges on which plants can be placed. The bottom pond has one end which is 4 feet deep. Here is where the fish will live for the winter!

 

 

A pump moves the water from the top pond to the bottom pond. We looked at many kinds of liners and choose a more expensive one because it was ok to use with fish and we wanted something to last. Two large sections of liner were used for the two ponds with a piece to form the waterfall. The waterfall was quite a challenge! We had a problem with it leaking and had to use several cans of foam to finally get it tight. Getting the water sound was a source of many headaches! Too little water and you could not hear it from the deck too much and the neighbours would be knocking at our door!!

We used the biggest rocks to form the bottom of the walls and up the walkway. The smaller ones were used in the walls and around other flower beds in the yard. Several of the bigger ones were rolled in place in the drystream bed garden. I love the look of rock and have used it in most of the flowerbeds.

Slowly over the spring things began to take shape. Once the ponds were made and the water in we bought 36 fish. We lost about 12 of them in the first few weeks. By summers end we had about 24 fish and they wintered over in the deep end of the bottom pond. This spring we were so happy to see that they had made it through the winter. They had also had babies which I guess makes me a grandma!!

The work then began on the walkway . Gravel had to be laid to form the base for the brick pavers. Both the walkway and the 2 seating areas will have these pavers. We have run electricity under the flower beds to the seating area. 10 moon lights are used on a timer which is set to come on at dusk. We plan to add more lightening as we go along.We also had to replace the lawn . Most of it was covered with weeds of every kind and after the trucks going over it and a big pile of rocks setting on it nothing short of replacing it would look right. For some reason it did not grow in the way we planned!! We still have the weeds only they are much healthier.

I know a gardener should have a lot of patience but I had none when it came to wanting the flowers to grow in those flower beds. Thanks heavens for annuals. I used a lot of them to fill in the space. I had several kinds of ground cover growing in other beds ready to be put in their new homes.The mulch was one of the last things to go on and it looked so bare out there!! I now have many perennials filling in and it is starting to look like I had hoped. I'm beginning to be able to go by a store selling plants without having to buy something!!

 

The first summer we had no coverage at all so we used pieces of floating stryofoam to help give shade to the plants. We have used hornwort and elondea as oxygenators. The floating plants we used are parrot's feather, water hyacinths and floating moss. Other plants are potted and sit on the ledges of the ponds. We have many iris and cat tails. I also have flowering rush, arrowhead, bog arum and a water plantain. These potted plants are sunk to the bottom of the pond in the winter and then I repot them in the spring and add fertilizer. This summer we did have more plants but the fish sure did like to eat them. Anything floating was fair game to them.The cat tails grew so fast they grew roots out of the sides of the pots. It sure looks funny to watch the fish go after them. On a calm day those tall plants are really shaking. The water hyacinths become soccer balls as they push them all over the water. Next year I plan to put all of the floating plants in the top pond without any fish to get them growing and then move them at different times to the botto

 

The fish have become very tame and sure know when it's feeding time. Of course they will follow you around the pond when you are weeding just in case you might have some food with you!!

I have learned that the ugly algae we have makes good fertilizer for the plants. At least it's good for something!!! To try to get rid of the terrible brown color we have added a product called deep water shade which colors the water a dark blue. Next year we are going to purchase a UV light which we hope will solve our algae problem. I sure do envy all those people with ponds that seem to be so clear

The back of the property has a field with many different kinds of wild grasses. The other side of the lot has a hedge which makes a wonderful backdrop for the ponds and also shelters many of my plants.

To anyone thinking of adding a pond to their yards, go for it!!! The hard work in getting it done is well worth it. Nothing beats the sound of the water and seeing all the wildlife that it will attract!!

 

 

 

In the spring of 2001 we wanted to have a type of bog garden. The waterfall was too wide so we made it in there! It was cleaned out and a piece of pipe was put in the bottom to get the water to the plants. The sides were created using rock and foam. We then filled it with sand and then pea gravel. The plants were planted in the gravel. They are doing great. Planted in there are iris, bog arum, sweet flag, marsh marigold, ligularia, cannas, watercress and cardinal flower.

In 2003 we added a UV filter. The water was clear in just 2 days!! We are now finding that we have string algae :-) get rid of one, get another kind. Oh well, at least now we can see the little guys. What a joy they are. They like to come over and give kisses especially when they know you have food!

 

 

 

This was how the pond looked the first 3 years with the dome in the pond giving air to the fish. After we lost 10 of the big fish, my favorite koi:-( we now put a tarp completely over the bottom pond so no snow gets in and it does not totally freeze over. We did have a major cracking of the line this winter(2005) with a major loss of water and I fear some of the fish have died.

 

 

 

These are pictures of the rockwall gardens around the pond during the first few years. 6 years later the flowerbeds are filling in and it's time to do some repairs. The liner in the bottom pond needs to be replaced. this means catching all the fish and putting them in the top pond while that job is being done. Good luck with that:-)

 

I love the way the rockgardens around the pond have grown. They too have created a planting challenge. the 2 maple trees take a lot of water from the soil and it's hard to get plants to grow. I have been moving and trying different plants in these beds.

 

 

 

 

 

My big rockgarden has really filled in the way I had planned. It's hard to see the big rock that started this bed by summer's end:-)

 

 

 

 

So that's how things looked at the end of the year for 2005. Spring is almost here so new things will be popping up all over this little piece of heaven:-)