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Pond updates June 2016(last pic)

36 comments


Some of you may remember the trouble we had trying to get the installer to return to deepen the pond as per spec. We gave up in the end as he hoped we would, but I only started planting the surround this spring

The little shrub at the bottom of thefirst pic is a Buddleja Blue Chip – never flowered well in a pot so hoping it will be better in the ground.


The tiny soft leaved dwarf mahonia at the bottom of the second pic has had to be moved to a more shady spot as it was scorching here.
The shrub on the left is Prunus Kojo no Mai.

Another view showing a lovely Drypoteris Atrata from BJS – it will get much bigger than this!

This one shows some Mimulus that has grown from a tiny little rooted piece.

Can’t remember what this one is – again, it was a very tiny cutting and its amazing that it grew! The little Ragged Robin just appeared from nowhere.

Really pleased by how this one’s growing!

I wasn’t going to have any fish, but there were some eggs on some of the pond weed and we were surprised to see baby carp swimming around. They have polished off all the tadpoles we were so pleased to get. As they are wild carp and live at the bottom the heron hasn’t noticed them yet. If they get too big they’ll have to find a new home as this poind isn’t really deep enough for them.

Did you spot the giant sunflowers? Part joke and part hopefully a bit of shading, but by the time they get tall enough it will probably be too late…

Hope you find all my efforts worthwhile – thanks for reading.

June 2016

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Comments

 

I think your pond looks really lovely, Stera. And no messy bits to be seen!

Seriously, it is very pretty. Aren't the water lilies beautiful?

4 Jun, 2015

 

I love your pond :) It will look pretty as the plants get established.
Nice that the Ragged Robin has appeared on its own. I hope it stays ...

4 Jun, 2015

 

Very natural,Stera, it's amazing what a year does to naturalise edges etc.

5 Jun, 2015

amy
Amy
 

Its coming on a treat ,well done :o)

5 Jun, 2015

 

I love the cobbles amongst the large stones.

5 Jun, 2015

 

Thank you everybody. The cobbles were the pond man's idea. It's surprising how the marginals will grow there with hardly any soil as the liner goes right under the cobbles.

5 Jun, 2015

 

Its doing well Stera, I love it and at the rate the lilies are growing you'll soon have plenty of shade covering the water so that will sort itself, I like the natural look, you must be really pleased with it, I have always thought that fish will only grow to the size of their surroundings, when you consider the sizes of acquariums and how long fish manage in them I don't think you need to worry yet a while...

5 Jun, 2015

 

Lovely that you have some fish in your pond Stera. It looks really lovely with all the plants around. Your water lily is flowering early. Nice lots of spaces too where the wildlife can get in and out of the water.

6 Jun, 2015

 

What's the name of the Lily you have in the pond?! And it all looks lovely!!

6 Jun, 2015

 

Thanks Sue - I'm sure you;re right about the ifsh. It willbe while before they get big anyway. The water is too green to see them at present - barley straw not had much effect so far.

Thank you Lindak. I went mad and bought two new ferns today, making five altogether. They are so lovely at this time of year!

Sorry Dan, it didn't have a name on it when we got it. But there are loads of beautiful pink ones. There is a much smaller dainty pale pink one at the other end of the pond but it hasn't got a bud yet. I think the one in the pic might be too vigorous for your pond.

6 Jun, 2015

 

All your efforts were definitely worthwhile Stera it all looks so natural and that pink lily with its bronze leaf is a beauty.

7 Jun, 2015

 

I remember Charlie Dimmock saying that a pond will clear naturally after its second Spring. I found that to be the case with my barrel, on the couple of occasions I had to refill it, so you might find your pond clears next year. Mine is crystal clear now.

7 Jun, 2015

 

Thanks Melchi - I'm sure it will clear but its hard waiting!
Stroller, thank you!

7 Jun, 2015

 

the pond will clear in about 4-8 weeks without any intervention. once the lilies start covering the surface and the plant growth uses the nutrients in the water.

7 Jun, 2015

 

Just a thought...I have a tub with two goldfish in and Gerry was looking out of the window to see a Magpie attacking one of the fish on the floor. Now whether the fish had jumped out of the water in fright, or the Magpie had got it out I don't know. It was damaged but still breathing so Gerry bought it indoors and we put it in a bowl of water to get the dirt off. When it had recovered a bit after about 5 minutes he placed it back into the tub and we placed a net over the top. Gerry put some special aquatic antiseptic cleaner into the water to try to help the fish. The fish is still alive this morning and swimming round with the other one.

8 Jun, 2015

 

p.s. I have just seen the Magpie with the same goldfish in it's beak, thrashing it about, trying to get if from under the netting!!! Gerry has been out there putting lots of high plants and shrubs all around the pond to try to stop this bird. MAGPIES DO CATCH FISH.

8 Jun, 2015

 

That's amazing!!! Perhaps you'll need to lower the water level a bit and use chicken wire or something instead of a net...I hope you beat the rascal.

8 Jun, 2015

 

I have a magpie problem too! It's fine when the plants are growing and covering the surface!

8 Jun, 2015

 

Well well - we live and learn. We often see a pair of magpies in the garden but if they can see any fish they are doing better than me...

8 Jun, 2015

 

I've never known this behaviour from Magpies before. Have they been watching the herons?????

9 Jun, 2015

 

it is something I remember from childhood. they would take sticklebacks from the brook near to where I lived.
easy pickings for them.

9 Jun, 2015

 

Well I've never heard that they could do that Seaburngirl. I've certainly learned something this week,
and the little devils are still trying to get to the rim of the pond even though we've made it a bit like fort Knox with the plants.

9 Jun, 2015

 

Oh dear now I'm wondering if the biddy magpies were to blame when my frogspawn went missing, if you remember even though they'd never done it before I blamed the dogs when it all went missing, the magpies are always attacking the nests in the hawthorn hedge at the bottom of our garden, I try to discourage them but they soon come back, there was right kerfuffle going on in the skies on Sunday, loads of birds having a battle but I could not make out what the bird was that was actually being chased away, a kite or sparrow hawk we think, it was driven high up into the clouds, a bit like a scene from the movie The Birds.....

9 Jun, 2015

 

Perhaps a buzzard? They escape mobbing by circling upwards as they don't seem to be able to fly fast enough to "run"away.

9 Jun, 2015

 

Hi Linsclass. We live high on a hill near to the countryside and we have Buzzards flying over and it's usually the crows that mob it.

10 Jun, 2015

 

Its rooks here, and we once saw ravens doing it too!

14 Jun, 2015

 

Pond looking good.. I've added this blog to GoYpedia. :o)

25 Jul, 2015

 

Oh wow, thank you! Never been in Goypedia before!

25 Jul, 2015

 

Ha ha .. and now you have this blog on two categories !
Rocks and Stones is a new page I asked Peter to make for me quite recently. :o)

25 Jul, 2015

 

Good gracious - it never rains but it pours! Rocks and stones sounds a bit like a pop festival!

26 Jul, 2015

 

Ha ha ... as long as there are no Lily Beatles ;o)

27 Jul, 2015

 

Lol, you get worse Terra...

27 Jul, 2015

 

:o)

27 Jul, 2015

 

Magpies are horrible! I had always thought that they only kill for food or when they've got young but not so, I've seen them kill a whole brood of young ducks by beheading them for no reason at all.

26 Sep, 2015

 

How's the pond doing this year? Did you get more tadpoles? Did the fish survive?

11 May, 2016

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