Progress so far.. and a couple of questions

[Mike Burton Phillipson]

Hi All,

back again and been busy!!.. it's now the beginning of October and i'm just about to lay the coping stones on the finished pond.. latest pics at the bottom of this message..

Now I have (more) questions:

1. This is a wildlife pond, so no fish, the water has had approx 2-3 weeks to settle and neutralise .. and it's seeing as it's now October so i was thinking about putting some plants in just to sit dormant over the winter, specifically oxygenaters to get the pond 'working' or 'wildlife ready'... specifically Hornwort.. is this a good idea now, or leave it completely free of plants and then plant up in the spring?

2. Also the bottom of the pond is simply bare liner, for the sake of potentailly new micro-organisms etc should i put anything in the bottom?.. i.e. layer of smooth pebbles and/or aquatic soil.. just a little, in order to provide them with some sort of habitat?

as ever any advice greatly appreciated..

Regards

Mike

Shortly after filling the pond


Excess liner initial trim to make corner folding easier


Liner secured and rock in.. layered so should give good habitat for all sorts of pond life


Close up of the pond beach/ledge.. still awaiting rockery/soil access ramp on the other side.. Note - the coping stones will not cover the pond wall where the rock ledge is.. as this will be covered in pebbles/gravel etc to provide a smooth transition from garden to pond:

 

[MoonShadows]

@Mike Burton Phillipson , I can't advise you as to plants and bottom layer, but I wanted to say you have done a fine job with your pond. It look fabulous. Please post a pic after you lay the coping stones.

 

[MitchM]

2 to 3 inches of garden soil with a 1 inch thick 7 mm gravel cap would be a good substrate for plants, but that needs to be put in before you fill with water.
Nice looking pond.

 

[addy1]

Very nice job! The critters will love it

 

[Mike Burton Phillipson]

wow.. thanks for the nice comments.. been a bit of a solo project, and learnt a lot from browsing this and other pond forums, including much needed inspiration to get out there and keep going with it which i'm sure we all need from time to time..

and thanks for the advice.. once the caping (coping?) stones are on and i'l built up the access ramp for wildlife i'll post up a start to finish set of photo's.. including any tips i've learnt along the way.. the main one being to hire a professional bricklayer, my rate of 4 bricks an hour was not good

Thanks again

 

[MoonShadows]

Yes, create a showcase of your pond.
https://www.gardenpondforum.com/showcase/

 

[Mike Burton Phillipson]

ahh thanks for the link.. i will definitely do it

 

[qclabrat]

nice masonry work Mike, what is your climate in the UK? I started my plants late this summer and some have had reasonable growth. Not sure if its too late without knowing your climate.

 

[Gemma]

Looks great already, good job!
Looking forward to that showcase!

 

[CometKeith]

Very nice pond! I think if you are thinking frogs might come than definitely you want some sort of organic matter in the pond so they have a place to dig into for the winter. Most oxygenators will die off in the winter it it gets cold, but little pieces will start new growth in the spring. My sedges do the best in the winter and stay green all the way through it. You may want to set up a planting box for some sedges now, It's always nice to see water irises bloom in the spring so that could be good too. hmmm....no fish? Well I think you might be tempted to throw in just a few small goldfish at some point.They will eat algae and mosquitoes!

 

[CeeJayH]

Mike,
first of all, good looking pond.

Here in the UK our winters are far milder than some of those the other side of the pond, especially the northern US states and Canada.

I would put some plants in now, they'll get established and be ready to grow in the spring. Also some on-line retailers are reducing stocks before winter so I've picked up a few bargains over the last couple of weeks.

It doesn't make sense to me to disturb plants by transplanting them in the spring, disturbing their roots when they're trying to grow quickly.

My pond also has a bare liner, and I didn't bother with adding soil or stones to the pond bottom.

 

[Mike Burton Phillipson]

Thanks for all the advice.. defo get some plants in now then i think..

I'm just about to upload a video to the showcase as the main build is all but completed (just need to build up the wildlife ramp with a little more soil..

Thanks again for all the replies.. i really do appreciate it..

Regards,

Mike

 

[j.w]

Looks wonderful and so do the cute pups!