My new goldfish pond build

[CometKeith]

Nathan. That's a cool picture of your brother. The suburb we used to live in gave out free mulch but it wan't the same quality you get from a store. Also they would drop off a large pile and it was way more than we needed.
Here are a few pics of how we are thinking of laying out the yard.

Now my wife is back to wanting mostly pavers. For some reason she likes flagstone but I want to check out bluestone too and check out the price difference. Anyway it looks like there is no room for sod and I need to cancel my order. The pavers will go inside the temporary brick border we made to get a feel for the layout. The table will end up about where it is. The layout with the path and seating area was pretty much Nathan's suggestion. Thank Nathan! It puts the path between the table area and the pond. We want some nice shrubs and plantings. A few compromises I'm looking at: Not putting the waterfall on the left corner where it is raised. Instead doing some shrubs and plantings there. Maybe a rose sharon or something like that with a lot of flowers and some lower shrubs too and leave that area elevated. Also maybe not putting in the big blue chairs we had from our last yard because there is no good place for them. It looks like I'll have to do a smaller waterfall in the right corner instead of the bigger one I imagined in the left corner. I guess it will be less work so that will be good. My wife is concerned there is not a lot of room behind the pond next to the garage. We will have to find some things to plant there. She was thinking maybe a clematis vine between each window on a trellis. We like rhododendron and so we will probably plant several of those to the right and left. We are thinking of hiring professional to do the pavers so it comes out better and faster. Still a lot of decisions.....

 

[Tula]

I love looking at my back yard from upstairs....it's how I designed the shape of our pond and flagstone patio beside it! We have lots of Sweet Autumn Clematis, it's beautiful and fragrant when it blooms in Sept., but it's a little invasive .

 

[addy1]

It will look nice no matter what you do. Some people put in flagstone with spaces between them, in those spaces put some of the low growing plants like thyme, etc. Softens the look and can look really nice.

 

[CometKeith]

I haven't really done much lately. I planted a few perennials and have been saving up some limestone rocks from construction sites I'm working at. I'm trying to build a small retaining wall under my porch to hold the rocks I have under it, but my wife doesn't think it's straight and wants me to redo it. I did add one Butterfly Koi to the pond. I think that will be it but you never know. It's really pretty and is platinum color. The last picture is my fish begging for food!

 

[Tula]

Sure can spot the koi ! One of the wonderful things about our ponds and gardens, is we have all winter to dream of what we'll do, next season

 

[addy1]

Great looking fish! And the white one sure shows up!

 

[j.w]

Look at all those pretty fish and their gaping pie holes............reminds me of feeding time for my piggies. Sometimes it looks like they are going to slide ride up and outta the pond to grab the food outta my hands
Love your pretty new butterfly!

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks Tula, I agree but I'm trying to make it nice now if I can. We have tenants downstairs. They bought a table and chairs for the back porch and I have not seen them sit there even once. I would like to clean up the backyard and make it presentable before the summer is over. Well I worked pretty late tonight. I graded the dirt, put down some black mulch for the walkway as an accent to the brown mulch, and worked on my small retaining wall that holds the small rocks under our porch. I'll see how it looks in the morning! The Koi is doing well. I bought it using a gift card one of our daughters and her husband gave me for Father's Day. I still have enough left to buy one more fish....
Thanks Addy. as you know I have been particular to goldfish but I have been really enjoying watching the Koi. It's so energetic and is always doing something interesting. I think I have around 2500 gallons. I don't think one or two small butterflys will affect the pond a lot..... but I do enjoy the low maintenance of goldfish. decisions... decisions...
Thanks JW. It's funny that sometimes when I feed them he doesn't even show up because he is so busy eating algae from the bottom. Today when I fed them I thought some animal stole him and then he finally showed up. So far he has gotten along really well with the goldfish. If you subtract the fins and tail some of my goldfish are larger than he is so he is not a bully so far.

 

[addy1]

The problem I see in the future......koi - gf mutts. Lots of them. Maybe butterfly ones don't spawn as much.

 

[Lisak1]

Our koi and goldfish have never crossed. In fact, our koi have never successfully bred - which is fine wth me. The goldfish do more than their share!

 

[j.w]

Oh but thinking of how the long tails would look on the mutt's. Wonder if they ever turn out pretty w/the cross breeding?

 

[Tula]

My koi, cross bred with my comets and shubunkins ( I think they're considered gold fish - yes ?), resulting in lots of hybrids. They had beautiful long flowing tails, but were olive in color, very hard to see in the pond.

I understand the hybrids are sterile. @Lisak1 ,lucky you, your koi haven't spawned. I wish mine would knock it off! ha ha

 

[Lisak1]

your koi haven't spawned

Oh, they've spawned. They're just terrible parents!

 

[Tula]

Oh, they've spawned. They're just terrible parents!

Ha ha ha.......I could hope!! Mine eat a ton of eggs, but 10-20 always survive each year, guess they hide out in the plants.

 

[IPA]

I have enjoyed reading this thread @CometKeith . You have done an amazing job on the pond, landscaping, and from what I have seen the house too.