Hello from Toronto

[cityponder]

We have a large backyard pond with waterfall and river in the city. It is our "Muskoka retreat". There is nothing more relaxing after fighting the traffic home from work than to sit at the side of the pond with a drink and watch the fish come to the edge begging for food (which we rarely feed them).
We dug it out by hand and laid all of the stone ourselves. Lots of work but well worth it. I have posted a couple of early pictures and will post some more recent pictures at another time.

 

[sissy]

welcome and really nice pond and yep ponds are relaxing .I love the log idea and the petunias growing there .How big and how deep is it and how many fish and what kind of fish

 

[addy1]

to our group. Very pretty, love all you have done

 

[cityponder]

Thank you. The pond is multiple depths with four feet at the center to allow the goldfish to winter over. As to how many fish, we started with four and had been given the misinformation that they would not breed. Well the first time we actually thought they were fighting..... Apparently not, there are now at least 30 of veriying sizes and we have given as many away.

 

[addy1]

lol not breed...........yeah right! I started out with 4 added a few, now have a few hundred. Don't feed them a lot, they will snack on the eggs they lay as fast as they drop them. When mine are spawning they get minimal food from me.

 

[sissy]

oh dear would not breed and geeze thought they were fighting ,thats good one made my day .It is really fun to watch the new babies as they grow up and get personalities .

 

[cityponder]

Well, we were definitely pond newbies! Have learned quite a bit these last couple of years. We seldom give the fish any food even when they are not breeding and they do not seem to be hurting at all, some are getting quite large. What I love is all the birds, damselflies and dragonflies that come in regularly. We have squirrels and rabbits as well, though the squirrels like to eat my tomatos and the rabbits ate all my strawberry plants!!!
We put in a river last year and my hubby built a cute little bridge to walk over into the back of the yard.

 

[sissy]

oww you have to take more pics now .I think I may try your log idea there .I have a whole woods behind my house .hmmm lots of trees back there that fell down .Hollow log planted would be neat .I love bridges .I built 4 of them on my property .Have to rebuild the trellis on top of this one .I just love new ideas .Do you have more new things I can get ideas from .

 

[cityponder]

Love your pictures and your bridges as well! We are trying for a cottage like setting in a ciy backyard which is only 40' x about 80' and your area is obviously much larger. One thing I tried to do is to have hidden areas so that you can't see everything at once. Behind the waterfall is a little garden area with old iron that my husband got from an old victorian house that was being taken down. The ornate iron work was from a widow's watch from the top of the house. The garden area also holds an old bench that is too weak to sit on but I am trying to grow ivy around it and the two pine trees that flank it. I like the look which is sort of abandoned garden.
I think my favorite thing is the hot tub on the deck which overlooks the pond, even in winter with the snow coming down it is beautiful.

 

[addy1]

We hang out in our hot tub all of the time staring down at the pond. Is that a bubbling rock (first picture) We have one in our deck pond.

 

[cityponder]

Yes, the rock is in the garden. We actually rolled that rock down the street on a dolly from a construction site! Had someone drill a hole in the middle, my hubby dug a large hole and put in an old tub added a pump, a shower drain and some river rock. We get a lot of comments on it and it is fun to watch the birds bath and drink from it.
Happy tubbing!

 

[j.w]

cityponder
Love your pond,pretty flowers in bloom and that bubbling rock is cool! Glad you found us :razz:

 

[sissy]

I cut holes in an old bench sturdied it up and put pots of flowers in it .I had an old chair the same way but it got broken up in a bad storm here .Fun to find things you can use in other ways .Every time I go to the dump to take my garbage I find a treasure to bring home .I think we all love it .Meant to ask on here where is colleen have not seen her on and last time she was in the bathtub ,you think she may need rescued :razz: wrinkly colleen

 

[j.w]

Colleen's prolly outside somewhere basking in her warm Canada breezes,maybe she's parking the dogs down by the river w/ her Honey Man :luxlove:

 

[shinksma]

Hey cityponder, I like the idea of "re-purposing" the old log into a plant pot. I've just asked my better half whether she would like to do something similar, since we have a freshly fallen but completely dead tree at the rear of the property, already broken into workable-sized lengths.

Ah, Muskoka...I miss that area. Great for camping & canoeing. You've done a nice job getting that "feel" with your pond. Please post more pics!

shinksma