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Setting up a new pond

WildliferWildlifer Posts: 52
in Wildlife gardening
I’ve read countless articles, forums, websites, most with countering advice, however I wanted to ask a couple of specific questions about setting up my mew wildlife pond!

I have a preformed pond with beaches and will be setting this into the ground. Do I need to line the hole with anything like sand or just dig and pop it in?

im not going to add any substrate to allow for the natural silt to build over time, and I will be filling with rainwater from one of my water butts. I will be using large pebbles or cobbles to create a proper beach, and I have dead wood to create a bridge. 

I read that you should survey the local water source (a stream just runs down in the valley below our house) and try to plant not just natively but locally, and I’ve identified watercress (nasturtium officinale), hoary willowherb (epilobium parviflorum), water dropwort (oenanthe crocata), cuckoo pint (arum maculatum) and cow parsley (anthriscus sylvestris) along the water edge, and the watercress was submerged to

are there any of these I shouldn’t introduce into my garden? Any others that are a must have for a native pond? And any other advice gratefully received! 

Thankyou in advance 

Posts

  • garyd52garyd52 Posts: 51
    Be careful of Cow Parsley as it can be invasive , one or two other other plants to consider would be Marsh Marigold Hemp Agrimony and Meadowsweet .
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Size matters. You have an awful lot of plants there. How big will your pond be? And will it be in sun or shade? How deep?
  • WildliferWildlifer Posts: 52
    Posy said:
    Size matters. You have an awful lot of plants there. How big will your pond be? And will it be in sun or shade? How deep?
    The only plant I’ve actually got in the pond currently is a single water hawthorn, it’s a 55l pond, 84cm x 64cm x 30cm.

    ive filled it with water from my water butt, and currently have a large dead wood branch coming out of it also. 

    I was thinking maybe one oxygenating plant? Perhaps starwort?  It’s in full sun 80% of the day I’d say :)
  • MissMMissM Posts: 36
    I know it's not a very big pond but with so much sun I'd have a couple (at least) of oxygenating plants. Hornwort and water crowfoot will cover all the seasons
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Are you considering a tiny water lily to provide shade?
  • WildliferWildlifer Posts: 52
    I’ve ordered hornwort, crowfoot, a further water hawthorn (native lily essentially) and some frogbit. I will be planting marginally to provide some additional shade to :)
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