A little wishful inspiration, from long-time mostly-lurker Paul B:
This is the story of a pond I had installed in my back yard a few years back. I’ve always wanted a water feature and I finally got the chance when I realized that I was going to have to dig up my back yard anyway, at least if I actually wanted a back yard that warranted more than a shudder and a groan. It had been horribly neglected by the prior owner and it was mostly weeds and bare dirt, along with a cracked and pitted brick patio that had likely been there for a few decades.
So I dug up the bricks and the weeds, smoothed out the dirt, and contracted with a pond company in Redmond (I live in Seattle) to install a pond with a small stream. Once that was in, I worked with another contractor to install a patio that meshed with the pond. Everything else I did, mostly just making it up as I went, with multiple trips to my local garden center.
Picture 1: The bare yard on day 1, just before the began work.
Picture 2: The end of day 2. The rectangular stone-ish thing in the foreground covers the hole where the pump is located. You can see a hint of the hose snaking around the pond leading to the small hill they built for me that contains the filter material and that will serve as the top of the stream, where the water will come out. The stream is roughly 10’ long and the pond is about 20’ x 10’.
Picture 3: The end of day 3. The pump is in, the pond filled, a footbridge installed, and a gravel and stone edge has been added. The three small contraptions on the left edge of the pond are motion-detector “scarecrows,” hooked to my water supply, with the idea that if a raccoon or heron wants to grab the fish that I will be adding to the pond, the motion will set off the scarecrow, which will respond with a blast of water. Sadly, they really didn’t work very well, and the pond basically became a larder, mostly for the neighborhood raccoons.
Picture 4: Another view. The dirt in the pond hasn’t settled yet. The various plants in the pond were installed by the contractor. A mixture of irises, cattails, water lilies (which haven’t surfaced yet and aren’t visible in the murky water), and others.
Picture 5: A couple of weeks later. The patio is in, more plants have been added, the lilies have reached the surface of the pond, more elements of the yard are taking shape, including a path flanked by marigolds.
Picture 6: Another view. To the right of the bench is a magnolia tree, up by the waterfall is a weeping golden cedar, the two trellises against the garage will be helping clematis reach new heights, there are calla lilies on either side of the pond, and another weeping shrub to the right whose name escapes me at the moment but which I call “Cousin Itt” because of the way it has grown.
Picture 7: A couple of months from the start of the project and it’s now pretty well set for the year. The plants have really settled in and I added tiki torches for atmospheric lighting in the evening. At the far left of the picture, you can see the edge of a propane heater for those chilly Seattle fall and spring evenings.
Picture 8: A little more detail of the rest of the yard. I installed a low decorative wall in the back, some solar lights, a branching path with stonecrops, dwarf rhododendrons, tricolor hebes, and other assorted shrubs.
Top photo: Yes, there are fish in the pond.
The change in the yard has been nothing short of miraculous. From a place I wanted to avoid at all costs to a refuge I want to return to over and over again, where I can read a book and listen to the plash of the water on the pond, where I can hang out with friends, sharing good times and quiet conversations, where I can just sit and let my mind drift away.
What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
?BillinGlendaleCA
I really wanted to put in a pond when we had the house in the hill country, never did. It looks nice.
OzarkHillbilly
I’m jealous. Mine will be going in in the next year or so. I hope.
Steeplejack (phone)
Excellent work, Paul B!
mb
Great looking pond.
I love water gardening — primarily because you never have to worry about watering the plants.
satby
Wow Paul B! What a wonderful place to just sit, relax, and enjoy all the beauty!
Keith P.
After my neighbor’s dog drowned in my spa, I decided to let it become a pond. First, the frogs came…lots of those green bubble egg things floating, followed by frogs sitting around the edge (until I show up). Last year, a friend of mine brought over 4 goldfish to eat the mosquito larvae. Now, they’ve BLOWN up. Four big goldfish and hundreds of gold, black, and gold w/ black stripes out there now.
What I really need are water plants. I have yet to find a place that sells them. A friend suggested I just go to the creek and take some, but I’m really unsure of whatever laws there may be around that. It seems innocent enough, but I could end up with Texas Wildlife Dept at my door for all I know.
Aleta
Really nice shape, looks great where it is.
@Keith P.: Sounds like fun. (The frogs and stripes, not Texas depts showing at your door.)
OzarkHillbilly
@Keith P.:
Heh, not likely. They barely inspect fertilizer plants in Texas, never mind ponds. ;-) That said, you are right to be careful. If you don’t know what plants you are taking you might easily grab a federally endangered species w/o knowing it. Best to know what you are taking and if it is suitable for your habitat before you dig.
OzarkHillbilly
‘Oh my God, it is Obama’: Alaska mom, baby meet ex-president
rikyrah
Good Morning,Everyone ???
rikyrah
The pictures are beautiful?
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
JPL
Enjoy your patio. What a beautiful place to relax.
@Keith P.: My local home depot carries a small selection of water plants.
Laura
@rikyrah: good morning.
That’s a lovely transformation from bare to beautiful.
satby
@rikyrah: Good morning!
Raven
We have friends who have a tilapia pond and it fertilizes their hydroponic veggies.
satby
It’s delightfully cool here in South Bend this morning, right now 58° and I have the door open to cool down the house. Have to work today after a lackluster day at the market (for most of us vendors, there was a fair on). It was gorgeous yesterday, but I get home too tired to do much more than just relax. Today will be slightly warmer, but I hope to get yard work done after work with my helper coming to mow while I weed and pull down more dead ivy off the house. I found poison ivy on the fence mixed in with the regular ivy and wild grape vines, so now that section is getting total chemical warfare. I don’t even touch areas where I see poison ivy.
Gvg
@Keith P.: as I recall, Texas A&M has a pretty good home gardener agriculture extension service. They breed plants and evaluate them for gardens and publish a lot of free info. I would recommend you check their website for links and info.
Also check out LilyPons for online water plants. Look for local water gardening clubs. They’ll tell you what works in your area and may also be a source of cheap plants. Club members donate plants for auction or raffles to fund themselves in almost all plant societies I have been in. You can get really good stuff that way.
Avoid plants considered invasive in your area because aquatic plants hitch lifts on the feet of water birds and if you have frogs, birds will show up. This means that your spa is not separate enough from the local wild and you need to be cautious.
Aleta
I feel like that just seeing a picture of him. Decency is beautiful. (He taught that I think.)
satby
@Gvg: and another thing people should remember is that even with flowing water, plants will create pockets of still enough water for mosquitoes to breed in. The MI DNR guy told me cattails are a favorite hangout for larvae when I contacted them about what fish to introduce into the pond/wetland next to my old house. So I always used mosquito dunks tossed into the pond. The bacteria in them specifically targets only mosquito larvae and doesn’t hurt any other wildlife. I figured between the frogs, tadpoles, and other larvae predators and the dunks we kept the population of mosquitoes manageable; the last year I didn’t use the dunks there were swarms of mosquitoes even though it was a bumper year for frogs and tadpoles too.
MomSense
I love seeing the transformation from the bare yard to the gorgeous pond.
Dog Mom
Sorry this is on the book of faces, but I think this is really Cole’s cat
debbie
@OzarkHillbilly:
Nice!
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie: That is just our former president, he really is a nice guy.
Aleta
Still strawberries here, so that’s good. Last year the season was short and tragic (only lasted about a week).
Speaking of invasives and cattails. Last week on a drive, taking a 95 year old to see redwing blackbirds in marshes near Ipswich Ma, we saw that the grassy water plant that is replacing the cattails is not strong enough for the birds to perch or land on. An effect that never occurred to me. (And later I read that in the northeast, much of the cattail we have now was an invasive type that over the years replaced many native cattails.)
ThresherK
@Aleta: Crane Beach! Whoohoo!
I’m somewhat south and west of you; the strawberries are gone. I saw a redwinged blackbird yesterday, and now I will keep watch for changes in the marsh plants.
Aleta
@OzarkHillbilly: He always made a point of taking time out to enjoy children, no matter all the urgent serious stuff. I loved that about him. And how he was leading by example there too.
Wapiti
@Keith P.: I use this company to get my water plants by mail, after the local store went away. But I only buy a little bit of stuff for a 2′ x2′ pedestal water feature. And the goldfish eat half of it.
I get feeder goldfish from an aquarium supply store to keep down mosquitoes. They cost about 25 cents each, and if the raccoons get them, ah well. I had one that survived 2 years, even through a cold winter with 4″ of ice above.
Jeff
A pond is a lovely idea in theory but far too much work for me at this point. My water feature is the larger plastic saucer for a big pot that I use as a bird bath. Easy to move and clean. The birds are happy with it.
It continues to rain fairly regularly in Philadelphia PA to date. The yard is happy. If it continues it will be a very good growing year in the area.
I planted pumpkins as a weed suppressor for a large area of the yard. They are very happy so far. This morning I see they are starting to set fruit. They were titled sweet pumpkins. We’ll see.
debit
Paul B, what a beautiful back yard. The picture on top is lovely. Thank you for sharing and the inspiration.
MelissaM
That is an amazing transformation! Love it. I’d like a small pond and have a bit of a “hill” to make the stream. Just need the cash and Oomph to make it happen. Not this year, used up my gardening Oomph.
Oldgold
Growing leeks has interfered with me adding a water feature to West of Eden (F/K/A Rabbit Feeding Zone).
Wapiti
I have a small feature in my back yard, a pedestal about 2x2x2. I did have a visitor this morning, judging from the water around the place, the disarray of planting baskets, etc. I had 4 goldfish yesterday, and they have space to hide, so we’ll see how many survived. They’re expendable.
stinger
Paul B, that is an inspiring transformation–I wish you much peace as you sit and enjoy it. It’s great to have a backyard that is a destination rather than a chore.
I miss Obama. Every single day.
NorthLeft12
Brilliant. Is there a rubber liner in the pond? My wife and I installed one ourselves up here in Canada, and it has been a source of much peace and enjoyment over the years.
We have just agreed to have our existing wooden deck replaced [it is thirty years old and falling apart] with a smaller vinyl deck [for BBQing] and a large brick patio to allow us to enjoy the pond and garden more. Also to get us from our perch above all the neighbours. Our deck is about ten feet off the ground and is the highest point in the neighbourhood.
Barbara
I have a backyard pool so no pretty ponds for me, but your pond and stream look gorgeous. I do have a big urn that acts like a fountain and that is a much less complex alternative. Unfortunately, we have had a hard time getting the right kind of plants around it. Everything ends up being overgrown. I feel like Sisyphus when it comes to gardening.
reality-based (the original, not the troll)
I had a pond in my backyard in CA – when it was attacked nightly by Ma Barker Raccoon and her three hoodlum sons, i got pissed!
First, I replaced the 25$ koi with a dozen goldfish – cost $2.00, within two years they were koi-sized and beautiful. Next, i installed a rather decorative 2-foot electric fence – copper wire, bamboo poles around the pond. Kept the raccoons at bay very nicely! (of course, they just moved on and ate my tomatoes – u can’t REALLY defeat them….
mainmata
We have a long, sloping backyard and during heavy rain the water rushes over the grass and around the trees to pool at the bottom. So we decided to take advantage of that and installed a vernal pool. By their nature, these are meant to be ephemeral; appearing in the Spring (hence the name) and drying up by summer. However, because the location of the pool gets a lot of shade and because we get enough rain even in dry years, our vernal pool has never dried out in the seven years since we constructed it (or rather our landscaper did). By now, it is a regular stopping place for many birds, foxes, wood frogs in the Spring and other critters plus an assortment of water bugs, striders and the like. We didn’t expect this but are happy it has happened.
PaulB
@reality-based (the original, not the troll):
You hit on one of the big problems I’ve had: the pond has mostly been a larder for the local herons and raccoons, primarily the latter. And it’s even worse than that because the waterfall basin at the top of the stream has a quantity of filtration netting material in it. There’s a plastic mesh on top but the holes are just large enough for an enterprising raccoon to get a claw or two in it. And once they manage to hook a bit of the mesh, they don’t stop until it’s strewn all over the yard.
I thought about an electric fence but ultimately decided to go with your other approach, goldfish instead of koi. And every few weeks pushing the filter material back into the filter.
PaulB
@NorthLeft12:
Yes, there’s a rubber liner.
To the comment above about loving water gardening because you don’t need to water the plants, that’s true, but you do need to clean out the algae on a regular basis. There are always maintenance costs.
PaulB
@Barbara:
Barbara, I can sympathize. This has been my first real garden and I’ve made so many mistakes over the years. The biggest mistake overall has been that I pretty consistently underestimate just how large the plants will eventually grow, so everything looks great for a few years, after which I’m faced with some unpleasant choices. Sometimes I’ve been able to transplant and everything turned out okay. Other times, I just had to accept that it wasn’t going to work and I had to be ruthless.
PaulB
Thank you all for the good wishes. May your own gardens be as satisfying.
BeezusQ
To prevent sll fish from becoming racoon snacks, place/submerge terra cotta pots in the pond…refuge for the fish
PaulB
Hidden in the pond are little fish caves, one at each end, each one covered by a rock and dug into the side of the pond, so the fish would have a safe place to hang out. Unfortunately, both raccoons and herons are extremely patient. And fish are not noticeably intelligent.