Below are images of the pond that I created at our previous home during Covid. One of my greatest successes, even though I say so myself. If it flew, walked, slithered, crawled or hopped, it was seen here.
Sadly I do not have the space available here to replicate such a pond. But any pond/ water feature is better than no pond/water feature.
Our new pond is finished and clearly is our Premier League contender.
But what of our former effort, well that one has been relegated to the Championship League.
Naturally we couldn’t allow it to go to waste and so I emptied it before removing the old 200mm deep tray and giving it a clean.
I then levelled the ground to make a stable base for the pond. Not easy on a compound sloping site.
Once satisfied that it was as level as it was going to be, I slowly filled it with water, again keeping a watchful eye on the level’s bubble.
All good. Phew!
Meanwhile Mrs S re-potted the old plants together with the ones she had recently ordered.
I placed them in the pond.
The water is murky due to aquatic soil leaking from the plant baskets, but that will soon clear.
I will need to fill in some crevices with soil because I had disturbed some of the rocks, then I’ll add plants where necessary.
Job done. What shall I do now?🤔
💡Maybe a blog.….‘Third a pond in time’?
No just kidding, I’m not that cruel.😈
I have the tee shirt, badge and hat, so what should my job title be?
Pond builder
Pond manager
Pond technician
Aqua landscape manager
Or
Aquanut (sic)🥥
Below is my guest list naming those I expect to attend this venue.
Insects
I turn my back for five minutes to pressure wash the drive and when I return I find that Mrs S has strategically placed some potted plants (It’ll add a splash of colour, she says) But! The curtains are a bit over the top don’t you think?
I expect some of you might wonder why we have decided not to install a fountain or waterfall, even as the location lends itself. Also you might be asking why are we not stocking the pond with fish.
The sound of moving water is such a pleasant and relaxing influence (but not if you haven’t got up yet😱) The pond is basically too small to entertain the notion. Also frogs and certain pond plants, such as water lilies, don’t like moving water.
However I pondered on the prospect for a long time before coming to a decision.
I am not averse to fish and have seen many attractive fish ponds. Watching such colourful creatures idly mooching around just beneath the surface is calming too.
So! A wildlife pond it is then.
The pea gravel has now been laid across the bottom of the pond and the shelves, the logs are now in situ around the pond perimeter and all the plants are now in situ.
The construction and planting of the pond is now complete.
And so today is the official grand opening of the pond.
From now on we observe nature’s comings and goings.
I converted the two air feeds from the pump into one. And to further protect the pump I added a check valve, so that water cannot back flow due to siphoning effects, into the pump thus causing damage.
The sequence is as follows: Pump > 2 x short lengths of hose > Y connector > short length of hose > check valve > hose to pond, weighted down with lead > air diffuser.
I connected the pump to the power supply and… well nothing. The pump was working but there were no bubbles. Even though I knew that I had connected everything correctly, I checked again, especially on the direction of flow through the check valve. Everything was correct. I researched online and confirmed that I had connected everything properly.
I checked that were no kinks in the hose. I swapped out the check valves four times. I confirmed that the Y connector was unobstructed. Still no bubbles.
Either the pump couldn’t cope (unlikely, as it was rated for ponds ten times bigger than mine) or the check valves were faulty (unlikely, all four of them) Either outlet will provide sufficient air flow and both outlets will provide enough air flow for each air line simultaneously, but both outlets don’t appear to be able to provide sufficient air flow to just one hose. It beats me as to why for the moment.
So I researched some more and learned that if the air pump is located higher than the pond then check valves were not needed, as gravity would prevent siphoning. My air pump was indeed two feet above the water level.
I removed everything and reverted to my original set up, but fitted a smaller air stone to one of the hoses.
I will order and fit a flow valve to each line to reduce the flow rates.
Luckily very little was expended on the adaptation described, we’re talking a matter of pennies.
The postman brought the Frogbit and Water Soldiers today.
Upon hearing this and knowing full well that there was a likelihood of an opening ceremony in the offing, a local celebrity Chief Chukkerinna asked whether she could add said plants to the pond.
The Water Soldiers look drunk at the moment, leaning on their sides but they’ll soon stand to attention.
The pump is too strong for the size of pond. There are two air outlets connecting the hoses to the air diffusers.
I intend to use only one outlet from now on.
If I remove one airline, I risk the pump being noisier and if I block one outlet I risk damaging one of the pump diaphragms.
I acquired a Y piece splitter and will feed one air hose from both outlets. I’ll also add a check valve to save water back siphoning into and damaging the pump.
The check valves arrived from Pondkeeper in this mornings post. They are such an excellent company that focuses on customer service, quality, keen prices and communication.
If you are inspired to make your own pond then I heartily recommend them.
You can check out their site Here
A few more plants from our outstanding orders came this morning, which I quickly added to the pond. Just the Frogbit and Water Soldiers to come. Oh! And the snails.
There have been no deliveries today and so we wait on for the outstanding pond plants. It’s still too early to expect wide stocks and prompt deliveries. June onwards will be much better.
All that was left for me to do was adorn the pond perimeter with a fallen silver birch branch.
Not what I had in mind, but it will do till I find the right one.
Something like this would be ideal me thinks.
So much for an easy day yesterday. I’m paying for it now. I was barely capable of the work involved.
The postman delivered part of our plant order today. I managed to carry the box from the front to the back patio, where I sought out Mrs S in order to obtain the appropriate level of adult supervision.
She kindly took it upon herself to open the box, seeing that I was still recovering from the strain and exertion.
🥵
Inside were three polythene bags containing Hornwort.
Whoosh! Into the pond they went.
I hope it’ll be easier tomorrow 😉
Mrs S and I have both been out most of today. Why? Because it’s ‘Tiffin Tuesday’. Let me explain. Every Tuesday we meet up with family when we enjoy good company, a few laughs and a lovely meal. We take it in turns to host. So today it was an away day.
When we returned home there was a parcel waiting for me.
I knew what it was, so there were no surprises when I opened it.
My air pump had been promptly delivered.
I attached a 13amp plug, attached the air stones to the hoses, before attaching the other ends to the pump.
Next I sited the pump, dropped the hoses in the pond at either end and plugged in.
Voila! Bubbles galore.
I am very pleased with the quality and performance of the pump, especially at the price. It was reduced by 50%, which again was nice.
How much time has it taken me to finish this task? All in all 15hrs spread over 9 days, but for three of those days I had taken time off for a trip, child care or other tasks.
It wasn’t so very long ago when it would have taken me just a day.
Ain’t aging a drag?
This morning Mrs S and I journeyed to our favourite nursery at Longcombe, on the Paignton to Totnes road, to buy some more Creeping Jenny. (five in all) The trip out was enhanced all the more by the consumption of a bacon bap and coffee.😋
Upon our return home I dug up some Ragged Robin from the upper patio pots. I planted them halfway around the pond intermingled with the Creeping Jenny. I then gave them all a good drink. The blogging paparazzi soon appeared😂 Snap! Snap! Snap! So in I went for my drink.
Whilst chilling, I mused over the consideration for pumps and filters, lighting and maybe a waterfall.
I already have an aeration pump on order.
I quickly dismissed the waterfall idea as frogs and lilies don’t like moving water.
We chatted about what native plants we had still to acquire as well as that of an aged and gnarly log (for aesthetics) Surprisingly water plants are in high demand currently.
We have already planted a yellow Marsh Marigold,Pickerel, Water Forget-me-not, Bull Rush, Water Violet and a White Marsh Marigold.
Our aim is only to plant native species and so our next order will comprise; Frogbit, Hornwort, Water Soldiers and of course some snails.
The decks having been cleared, as well as the mud and gravel re-located, I put away the tools that were no longer needed, I stowed them back in their rightful place.
Now, there was no more time for procrastination.
Time now to focus on levelling the liner.
Sunday morning a bright and sunny, but more importantly a dry day. Still a little chilly though.
At 10:00 I started to bale out the pond, before removing the liner. I proceeded to level the bottom of the hole yet again. I got it level across the width at my first attempt but levelling along its length was more tricky as it flexed and distorted at the slightest touch at the shallow end.
I filled it slowly with water from the hose, keeping a wary eye on the spirit level bubble as I went.
The pond was soon filled to the correct level, well near enough for government work.
Next I back filled, then replaced all the small pebbles around the pond border. Then I placed large boulders/pebbles around its perimeter. This helped to hide some of the liner and added somewhat to its aesthetic.
Mrs Snippets and I then stopped for coffee on the patio before potting up the water plants she had previously ordered.
That having been done I placed them in the pond.
I had some medium sized pebbles left over, so we strew them around ad hoc.
Now it was time to install Toad and the Heron.
Things were going well.
I pressure washed the area and tidied away the remaining tools etc.
By now it was 14:00
So a quick photo shoot then in for a beer and footy.
We need a few more plants, such as Hornwort and Frogbit, which are free floating.
Now we wait and see how it matures and find out who will be the first to visit.
Last night I had a re-think.
I decided that I would tidy up the site before continuing levelling the pond.
It would give me more space and I’d be able to get closer to the house side of the pond.
I normally work in a tidy, orderly and safer manner but this time I think my enthusiasm got away from me.
Having picked up and disposed of all the rubbish, I then moved all the tools that I no longer needed.
With the aid of my trusty sack trucks I brought up the remaining bags of sand from the drive.
Next, I started to get rid of the discarded gravel by wheelbarrowing it to the top of the garden. I’ll spread it later and you wouldn’t know it was there.
Now for the dumpy bag of clay soil. I shovelled three wheelbarrows full and transported them to the top of the garden too.
After an hour my right shoulder, the one I’d dislocated a while back, started to ache.
Time for a coffee and catch up with Mrs Snippets me thinks.
☕️
I’d only worked for just over an hour and as the footy starts at 12:30 a timely break is in order.
⚽️
I feel so much happier now and will shift the mud after the match.
Tomorrow? Well! Full steam ahead. (Yeah right)
A week has passed, but luckily the weak hasn’t
It had rained overnight which hampered the start of today’s efforts.
The exposed cut, having got wet, showed that the bank was collapsing. I couldn’t walk around in the confined space without making matters worse.
Mrs Snippets had gone out with her daughter Helen for a couple of hours.
The weather forecast was predicting rain up till about 14:00 then warm and sunny thereafter.
I hoped that the area would dry out a bit by then, making the work a little easier.
I took the opportunity to repair a garden fork, the wooden handle of which had broken. I had ordered a replacement which arrived yesterday.
I drove out the rivet which attached the broken shaft to the fork head, then drilled out the broken shaft. I had spare rivets but they were a little larger than the original and so I drilled out the steel for a perfect fit. I measured the depth that the shaft had to be inserted into the head and sanded a taper for another perfect fit. Laying the head and the handle on the bench ensuring both parts were in the same plane, I then joined the two together, tapped the handle home. I then inserted the rivet, which I had to cut shorter and peened over the head.
Finding decent tool handles is becoming harder. Most offered for sale nowadays come from China, the woods used are hardwood and not suitable, but luckily I found a UK source.
Next I Fetched the sand from nearby Zigzag Quarry. Cheaper than all the other local supplier’s, which was nice.
I laid a 50mm layer of sand in the bottom of the prepared hole then tamped it down and checking for level.
I still couldn’t walk around the pond without collapsing the bank further.
It wasn’t easy to stretch to see the level bubble either.
The pond liner itself would warp and twist making it difficult to maintain level. I anchored one side with large pebbles and slowly filled the pond with water, checking that it remained level in both directions and proceeded to gently back fill.
All seemed to go well until it was almost full, then shallow end overflowed on the bank side, the opposite side nearest house was now 35mm too high. The liner had twisted, despite my best efforts, due to the weight of water (250lbs+)
By now it was 15:00 and I was whacked, so I’ll try again tomorrow.
I will have to drain it and try to undermine the high side to bring it back to level.
But for now, a little down but not out.
BEER!
Thursday, the day I always work the hardest.
No, not mowing, general gardening or landscaping. Not even beavering away in my workshop, nor attacking the DIY chores piling up around the house.
You see, Thursday is when ‘Captain Chaos’ pays us a visit. We look after him for the day. He is the most adept cake converter there is, yet he is only a month short of being four years old. I am referring to our grandson William of course. A dose of his presence makes good all that’s gone before. A delightful day in the presence of a delightful boys’ boy.
Rain is forecast for this afternoon and the sand won’t be ready for collection till tomorrow morning, so a break in construction is in order.
However, Mrs Snippets bade me plant various hostas on the shady bank adjacent to the pond site. So her command was my pleasure. I drilled out the holes, popped the plants in, back filled and spread grit around them to help protect them from any slugs. Young hostas are particularly vulnerable but are more slug resistant once matured.
I then planted another clematis under the obelisk elsewhere in the garden.
I mentioned above drilling out holes for the plants, yes drilling,
You see I have just acquired a 100mm auger for my cordless drill, specifically designed for the purpose. An excellent tool that I can readily recommend. There are slightly cheaper versions but at £22 delivered I consider it to be good value. It is an ideal tool for planting bulbs too.
You can check it out by clicking Here
Today at 11:00 I started digging out to the final depth. I had to take into account room for a sand filled base, to aid stable support for the liner and ease of levelling.
The work on the face of it although appearing simple was made all the harder by finding large jagged rocks at the crucial level. I dug them out with difficulty as the surrounding clay had a good hold on them. Once I had succeeded, I had to fill in the holes to maintain stability for the liner. They had to go as I was concerned that they may puncture the liner once filled with water
I had to lay the liner in the hole many times to check for fit and level. It was hard to see under the liner as the sun was very bright making dark shade, but I got there in the end.
By 14:00 I was done and so needed to take a breather. I went indoors, rested with a cuppa, then proceeded to search online for suppliers of sand at economic cost so that I can back fill.
Luckily Zigzag quarry is close by.
DPD didn’t deliver the liner till shy of midday, so I took Mrs Snippets to Bernaville Nurseries Garden Centre, Upton Pyne , Exeter. We both enjoyed a looksee as well as a sandwich and a coffee. It’s one of the best garden centres for miles. The weather helped too but a little windy.
The real upshot was that I was excused boots yet again. (Military term - ‘allowed to avoid mandatory tasks’)
I bought the pond liner online from Pondkeeper. The model being ‘Tench’. It was reduced from £99.99 to £49.99, which was nice. It measures 125cm x 85cm x 34cm.
You can check out their site by clicking the below link.
https://www.pondkeeper.co.uk/pondxpert-preformed-pond-tench/
I unpacked it and placed it in the prepared hole but it was sitting proud even after having dug down to their recommended depth, so I’ll have to dig down another 75mm. But luckily not all of the hole needs excavating as the pond tapers from the deep wide end towards the narrow shallower end.
I’ll need to line the hole first with sand in order to protect the liner from sharp stones and maybe back fill with sand too, as it will be easier than using the clay clods.
I wanted a bigger liner initially, the ‘Tench’ model, but as I was unsure of the ground makeup and wanted to avoid the bank edges collapsing in, I decided to play it safe.
The £50 price difference can go towards a pump or pond plants.