RESTORING OUR POND - re-construction

ready for planting

NOW THE POND is completely emptied and clean we can put it back together again.  Have so been looking forward to doing this, especially while kneeling in the mud trying to ignore the numbers of worms and grubs, worrying that I would break fingernails (I didn't) while sawing through chunks of root matted earth.

a blank canvas

 We made a trip to BEDGEBURY PINETUM  one of our favourite places, and this time took the Ashford route instead of the Maidstone one this was a very lucky decision.
http://www.bedgeburypinetum.org.uk/ 

making the bags of earth for the pond

The Ashford route took us through Rolvenden http://www.worldofwater.com/
and past the gates of WORLD OF WATER.  An added bonus was that they had just had a delivery of plants.  If only we had known what a good price they were.

placing of earth bags and back filling

We are still using hints suggested by the late Geoff Hamilton, what a great person he was.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-UmPgaBa_g 

We filled old tights with earth to stop the banks of the pond all slipping into the bottom and then back filled behind the bags.  Working our way all round the pond - it is only when the pond was completely empty the size was plain to see. 

planted and being refilled

As soon as pond was ready we planted the margins.  We used eleven 35litre bags of top soil.  It was important to us not to have any of the old plants (some of which were very invasive) which is why we purchased top soil from our local garden centre
We had saved some of the old pond water and used it when
  we refilled the pond, we also had a water butt filled with rainwater.  We only had to use a small amount of tap water.  Then we put in the oxygenater plant





Now that there is clear water instead of a reed bed the trees are being reflected.  Hopefully dragonflies and damselflies will be attracted to it this summer, as well as pond skaters, water boatmen and other wildlife.

This has always been an area of the garden we have worked with wildlife in mind.  So the log pile has been moved to a better place and stacked.  We are going to use bark chippings to blend everything together.  Even though the pond is about done there is still work to do.


Plants used for the pond are  trollius golden queen,  primula denticulata, blue water iris, typha minima (a bullrush type plant), mimulus cardinalis, lysichiton americanus, caltha palustris,ranunculus flammula,mentha pulegium, caltha palustris plena, lobelia cardinalis.   
We have planted seeds to fill the gaps for this year - mimulus and a poppy that likes damp soil.  Plants for ponds and boggy areas tend to be quite vigorous.