Wildlife pond ideas

[pondboy3000]

Hi all,
I've just dug what will hopefully be a wildlife pond in our garden in dundry next to bristol, uk (not sure how international this forum is). It's about 2m by 1m and 45cm deep in the middle, with a shallow shelf to one end and a few other shelf bits at other parts. We've got some irises and lilies in there and thinking of a shaded fern rockery somewhere and turning the very shallow part into a beach but not entirely sure how to do that effectively.Apart from that, coming up a bit blank now on what else to do. What are people's suggestions for creating the best wildlife pond possible i.e various plants for the pond and habitats to create around it. Thanks in advance

 

[Lisak1]

I don't know much about wildlife ponds. @bagsmom has built herself one and has shared some from Youtube as well. Hopefully she will hop in here!

One thing I do know is pond plants and I can tell you this - that iris will overtake your pond in a season. Not a great choice for a tiny pond like yours.

 

[Mgessert]

Have you seen the “Wild Your Garden” YouTube videos by Joel Ashton? He has some good ideas for wildlife ponds of all sizes.

 

[bagsmom]

I was just getting ready to suggest Joel Ashton!!!! I think you will LOVE him! Mark Wilson (AnyPond UK, I think) also has some earlier videos of small wildlife ponds.
I built mine for the wildlife in my area - but I think a proper "wildlife pond" means a small pond for smaller creatures without fish. I have fish in mine.

 

[j.w]

@pondboy3000
I know it's kinda late now but w/a bit more work on your part you can make a short shelf around that pond so that the liner (hopefully you have enough liner tucked in on that top edge to do this) does not show and raise it up w/a berm so runnoff will not create dirt from running into your pond and messing it all up. You can then put rocks on the shelf in the water and more rocks or driftwood etc. on the top berm edge and allow plants to crawl over and into your pond. The built up dirt berm hill around the pond w/the liner over it will be what stops the dirt from flowing into your pond.

Eventually plants will hide the rocks and look more natural.

 

[pondboy3000]

@j.w is it best not to have turf round the edge then? would prefer not to but would also not want to have nutrient imbalances​

 

[j.w]

@j.w is it best not to have turf round the edge then? would prefer not to but would also not want to have nutrient imbalances​

Turf grows on dirt and any rain will just wash that dirt right into your pond. Maybe someone here knows how to allow turf around the pond w/o the dirt running into the pond?

 

[pondboy3000]

Turf grows on dirt and any rain will just wash that dirt right into your pond. Maybe someone here knows how to allow turf around the pond w/o the dirt running into the pond?

was thinking to cut triangular runs of the dug up turf, with the grass on the top and wedge them along the liner/turf boundary so there's no exposed dirt showing and hope the grass prevents soil going into the pond. will experiment

 

[j.w]

was thinking to cut triangular runs of the dug up turf, with the grass on the top and wedge them along the liner/turf boundary so there's no exposed dirt showing and hope the grass prevents soil going into the pond. will experiment

You are allowed to try whatever you want to