Ponds in Canada

[callingcolleen1]

I took the click fit off and hooked pump and filters direct, somehow it fit.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Tons of choke cherry buds falling in ponds. Windy and dry so I Had to get creative..

 

[michey1st]

Colleen, I adore the oasis you have created, and your koi are absolutely gorgeous!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Thanks Michey1st! I been going extra hard this year, took over some new land I siege from Hubby, cause it was old weathered garden fence and old built up garden box's that were falling apart, took it all down and built new fence section and another new upper pond. I have changed things so much, I have to dig out old before photo later... out side after midnight, having glass of wine and burning old trees we cut down last week. I feel like I am camping tonight in my back yard!

 

[callingcolleen1]

The caterpillar dung is back!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Birds were singing up a storm by the ponds! My nephew was hanging out today....

 

[callingcolleen1]

Good grief I have been very busy so sorry if I have not been on here too much right now; just so busy with life, work and the garden these days. Trying to make a piece of paradise here on earth takes time!

Yellow flag is blooming and so are the rest of my irises that grow on land too.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Been so busy but Time for update on ponds. The Horn wort is not growing very well this year. There is not much left so I will have to take some hornwort from the fish tanks in house to get it growing in ponds again. I don't no for sure why it all dissappeared, but some of the koi are now really getting big and fat and they may have eaten lots. Plus since I added the new top pond, it changed the flow of water, and then the caterpillars were really really bad this year and water was darkened as a result of large amounts of caterpillar dung falling in pond. The dark water may have blocked out too much sun and slowed the Horn wort growth too much, allowing the koi to eat more than what was growing. This happens every year to some extent, but not usually this bad. I am confident now that water has cleared, the Horn wort should regrow again. Caterpillars are almost history and should not be a problem till next year....

Well now that I have the new upper pond, the koi are really growing fast it seems. The water is also cooler than before I added the new 5 foot deep upper pond. Larger bodies of water take longer to heat up, not like smaller shallower waters.

Well things are coming nicely with all the koi, and they seem to really love the deeper pond and they all seem to swim faster now as well. The whole yard has changed so much in the last three years, cause I am always looking to improve the look and my grooming is getting better as well...

Before in 2012

Today

Before

Today

 

[cas]

I love both your before and after!

 

[callingcolleen1]

it takes 75 feet steps to walk all around the four connecting ponds now!
I am going outside to check on the flowers cause man is it hot! ! It's really like only 100 degrees. .

 

[callingcolleen1]

I love both your before and after!

I have really Really old before pictures somewhere in album. It has changed so much over the many years. The wood chips were nice but they needed constant replacement and got ugly when stuff fell from trees. The cobbled path is easy to sweep clean and one a year I add bag of fresh sand and sweep into cracks of cobble nice.

 

[cas]

Don't you just love it when you look back and see how much you have done. What a good feeling it is. I also love your cobbled path and have been taking some extra stone I am finding around the yard and doing something similar to an area that is a pain for me to keep mulched. I love how you have connected the ponds and made them look like one, and how you rocked and mossed the sides. How creative you are!
When I first found this forum and your thread earlier this year (when there was snow on the ground and I needed a pond fix) I loved seeing all the changes you were doing to your pond and yard. You have given me so many ideas. You have got me interested in succulents. I just started planting some at the side of the house this year.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Well so happy that I inspired you Cas! Thank you for your lovely comments. Working hard on yard and still I have so much to do. I am working on grooming and weeding today. Planted a few more plants I picked up cheap. I got these big red banana plants fairly cheap and they really were a good find. I know they won't come back next year but what the heck, I don't vacation elsewhere other than my yard, cause my yaRd needs me. Well off to work again...

 

[Lisak1]

Just beautiful Colleen! Your hard work is definitely paying off in infinite measure!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Thanks! I been so busy each day off, grooming yard, getting weeds out, watering, and generally just getting ready for our local garden tour on the 19th of July. I will never get everything done, cause there is no end to the stuff I want to get accomplished, maybe in a few years but by then I will have dreamed up new ideas...