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Preformed wildlife pond

gr.letleygr.letley Posts: 17
in Wildlife gardening
I have had to buy a new preformed pond for my wildlife, several frogs, 14 Newts, they eat the tadpoles and a number of other water life creatures, so I decided we needed a bigger home for everyone. We have tried ordinary liners, but the mice chewed through them, so we decided to use preformed and they have worked well. The new preformed liner is the 'Start 250', picked it up really cheap at a nursery who didn't know they even had it. I need some ideas please, I already have elodia in the pond now and it's surrounded by ferns, they will remain and I've purchased a shade tolerant water lily. The new one has the ridge where you can plant bog plants, but I would welcome any input from members. I don't intend to put the new pond in till the autumn.
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Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 4,605
    There is a good selection at Puddle Plants and the quality is good.
    Pond plants are generally available spring/summer, so I'm guessing you'll be planting it up in spring 2020?

    I have a similar preformed pond (about 6ft x 4ft) that I put in 3 years ago and is doing well.
    The most successful plant in my pond is Brooklime and spreads quite fast, but easy to pull clumps out - it's the plant top right spreading out of the pond onto the surrounding soil.
    I'm hoping in a few weeks the edge of the pond will finally disappear as the greek oregano smothers it. Creeping thyme Jekka is doing a great job of covering the edge on the other side of the pond.


    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,036
    Your pond is lovely Pete.8 The planting is so in keeping with the stones, it looks so natural.  I will ask the inevitable question - do you have a place for hedgehogs to climb out if they accidentally fall in?  We found a drowned hog in our preformed pond a few years ago, which was so upsetting and so added some logs and a floating duck for them!  It doesn't look great, but we feel satisfied that anything that falls in can now climb out unaided. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 4,605
    Thanks GD, sorry to hear about the hog in your pond, very sad, and a very valid point you make.
    The whole pond is exitable I'm pleased to say, there are several branches and old tree roots (mostly covered with plants now), the yorkstone rocks at either end go 6"+ into the pond and I attached 4 pots to each side of the pond where there were previously no direct escape routes.
    Hope your pond is maturing nicely too - I've got lots of huge pond snails now :)
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • lovegardening77lovegardening77 Berkshire Posts: 314
    Your pond looks great Pete. I love the creeping thyme and oregano idea.
  • lovegardening77lovegardening77 Berkshire Posts: 314
    I have some geums in my pond, they look really nice and some irises.
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,036
    You have obviously made the pond as safe as possible for the hogs Pete, and it is surprising how many pond owners don't take this issue into account. Our pond is doing fairly well, but we have a few problems - some pond plants just can't cope with the higher than recommended PH which we are still hoping will drop over time, the pond pump/filter has had to be modified as newts and other pond life was being sucked into it, and were not surviving their journey through the system. I saw two snails today (the type that were purchased), but I can't say we have lots, again probably due to the water PH.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 4,605
    The pH in my pond is around 8.5-9 which is about what I'd expect.
    If you have problems, it's probably not the pH, but the hardness (KH) of your water
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • gr.letleygr.letley Posts: 17
    I've had ponds for quite a few years now, goldfish and Koi, plus a wildlife pond, but I have never worried about pH or KH and every pond I've had so far has been success, the fish and wildlife breeding very well, although both ponds have been kept seperate. I never use any form of pump or filter with the wildlife pond, just allow it to balance itself, as it would in the wild. The Newts have become prolific, sadly to the detriment of the tadpoles, which is why yesterday, we collected the new pond and hope both species, will be as productive and successful as in previous years. I love your pond Pete and will order some Brooklime later this evening off Ebay.
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,036
    I must admit I had never given pH a thought when we had just the smaller pond where plants and insects thrived and grew successfully.  The fact that the majority of the plants died in our new pond within a month  of them being added was enough for me to question why?  pH was suggested which then read at well over 9 going on towards 10, it is now (2 years later) upper 8's is acceptable.  I guess the water just took time to settle as was suggested here.  We need a pond pump to feed the stream, a circular route, it works well.  The birds love bathing in the stream and it helps to keep the water circulating, although we do turn it off from time to time. Pete's pond and surrounds are beautifully laid out.
  • guttiesgutties N. IrelandPosts: 206
    @Pete.8 What are the little pink flowers on the left of the picture?
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