The 2500 lbs of stone turned out to be about twice as much as we needed, which is OK because now I can use the leftovers for other projects (I'm thinking bed borders, garden path...). Here is what 2500 lbs looks like:
Katherine came over earlier in the week and helped me sort the rocks into stacks by size (S-XL). That turned out to be very helpful. This is most of it:
Saturday, Pamela and her sister Melanie Jane came over and we edged the pond. It took a couple of layers under the lip of the liner (it's raised about six inches due to drainage issues in that area of the yard):
Here we are a short while (really!) later:
I don't have a picture of the yard two and half weeks ago before Scott and Katherine's boyfriend Matt dug the hole for the liner, but just imagine this scene without the liner in the ground. It was.... desolate:
Add sod, rocks and a couple of plants, and look at it now!!!
That is a beautyberry planted to the right. Louisiana irises from my mom's lake are potted on the shelf for marginals. I have a feeling getting the pond plants right (i.e. not killing them) is going to take some practice. We plan to add a pump and small bubbler at some point, and probably some goldfish. In the meantime, we have a cute frog swimming around to entertain us, and a "mosquito dunk" in the water so the pond doesn't become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. If any of you have fish ponds, I would love your advice about plants and/or fish. This pond is 100 gallons.
Hope y'all had a good weekend!
10 comments:
Ginger- Your pond turned out awesomely! Probably not a real word but I love it and think you all did a great job! That part of your yard looks perfect now~
It looks great! I love the edging, it looks so natural. It's great when you have friends that will help. The plants are the fun part. Depending on your zone Cardinal flower is a great one that hummingbirds love, small water lilies, mini cattails, and lots of floating plants are great too. Goldfish are really are easy, they aren't too picky and you can get them fairly cheap.
I just bought a Beautyberry today and am planning to plant it behind my pond.
Ginger what great friends you have to help with such a great project. Your pond looks great. Is that a Callicarpa americana? If so, it will get really big...mine is about 8-10 feet across and about 5 ft. tall. The mockingbirds and catbirds love these berries. I have no pond plant info... check out Pam Penick's site- http://www.penick.net/digging- she just did a big one.
Oh it looks wonderful Ginger. Isn't it great to have extra help on projects like this?
It looks great. Can't wait to see some lily pads and flowers. I know you are proud of it.
LOVE IT! I will bring you some cardinal flower. Hummers do love it! What else would you like? Butterfly Ginger? Make a list and let me know
I hate to be Debbie Downer, but I think that pond is too small for fish. :( They need 3-4' (potentially more) of depth to hide from birds that like to eat them. On a radio station here, a woman was talking about how she was looking outside on her yard one day and saw a beautiful crane at her pond, and she was so captivated and charmed. Later that day she noticed that all her fish were gone and wasn't so charmed. Fish ponds scare me. My advice is to join a pond gardening club or some sort of gardening club with pond aficionados.
Even though fish ponds scare me, I really want one cos I like fish. They just require more care than what anyone would think. It's actually surprising. I read up on Beta Fish care, and I was astounded at how much care they require to get them happy and beautiful. To make it scarier is that fish can feel pain, so to treat them badly is painful for them. When I think back to all the childhood aquariums I had, I cringe... All those poor fish...
ANYWAY! I think you have a totally adorable pond! A little bubbler or a little fountain would definitely be the finishing touch. Super sweet. I'm also a big fan of beautyberry. I planted one just this past spring, and it's got the beautiful purple berries on it now. I'm waiting for the birds to show up and munch on it.
Heather - Thanks! BTW, I use "awesomely" too, and totally don't care if it's not a real word!
Catherine - Thank you for the tips!
Janet - Yes, that's it. Hmm... I didn't realize it would get quite that wide! We'll see how it works out in that spot. I'm excited to hear the birds really love it.
Susie - I couldn't have done it without friends - what's frustrating to do alone is fun with friends!
Becca - Thanks! Lily pads will be my next purchase unless I can find someone with a pond around here who will give me some!
DP - Your grandmother's cardinal flower is going to be so nice in there! Thanks again :)
NSARH - Hmm.... yeah that would be upsetting if a bird came and ate all the fish!! I was thinking of just 2-3 small species goldfish for the pond to give them enough space. I'll have to think long and hard about the bird issue before making a decision. Thanks for the information. Maybe the 90 pound crazy dog would scare the birds away??
Trust me, you can never have too much rock! The pond looks great.
Ginger, your pond looks AWESOME! Y'all did a great job with the rock. It definitely makes the whole thing look great.
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