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Pond opportunity!

dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 339
in Wildlife gardening
I'm having landscaping done, removing concrete and replacing with planting. But wouldn't this hole make an amazing pond?! Do you have any advice on how to do it? I know that I can put down a membrane and make sure animals have an escape route. But what should I do at the edge on the rhs next to the concrete? How do I edge between a bark path and a pond? Pond plants on the left I assume :)
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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,353

    The main problem will be the site itself, as it looks very shady? It's not ideal for a pond, as they work best with a good open sunny site.
    However, you could easily make it a bog garden, which will have enough moisture to get plenty of pond wildlife. Liner put in, with holes in the bottom, a thick layer of gravel, then top soil  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 339
    Hi Fairygirl! Ah I didn't know that ponds like 🌞. Bog garden, very interesting! Will research
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,353
    It shouldn't be too difficult to do @dangermousie. Just a question of picking the right plants for the conditions too. Ideally, you don't wnat the liner edges showing [as with a pond]  but there's lots of ground covering planting that will do the job  :)
    You can have a pond in a shadier spot, but it becomes quite difficult to manage, and if you have lots of trees nearby, especially deciduous ones, there's also the problem of dropping foliage. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 339
    There are a lot of trees there and that area gets very dry. That's the spot with the burnt looking plants from my other post!
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 54,353
    I haven't seen the other posts, but if you want to do a bog garden, the liner is the important bit. That holds enough water, and the holes allow drainage, which is still needed. The gravel helps avoid the soil becoming stagnant.  :)

    Alternatively, just use plants that like dry shade for that area.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GwenrGwenr Posts: 150
    We have a wildlife pond at the end of the garden and it does get a lot of shade much of the year, but we have seen many ponds in woodlands, all in total shade and thriving with wildlife, also they don't have blanket weed.
    Our wildlife pond is a small preformed liner, due to the movement of the clay soil we have, the fabric liner moving.
    We have newts, frogs and the water is teaming with insects etc.
    We also have a small pond in the sunny part of the garden and I'm always having to deal with blanket weed.
    My advice is to read up as much as you can, the more info you have, the less mistakes you will make.
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,739
    I'm greedy, I'd have water on either side with the path seeming to float over it.
    Devon.
  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,458
    Hostafan1 said:
    I'm greedy, I'd have water on either side with the path seeming to float over it.
    That's a nice idea.
    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
  • dangermousiedangermousie Posts: 339
    Hostafan1 said:
    I'm greedy, I'd have water on either side with the path seeming to float over it.
    That was the plan at one point, but the "concrete" turned out to be a very sandy mix and would have needed to be completely dug out and reinforced. Might try it in a different spot next year, not so close to a tree :)
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,739
    dangermousie said:
    Hostafan1 said:
    I'm greedy, I'd have water on either side with the path seeming to float over it.
    That was the plan at one point, but the "concrete" turned out to be a very sandy mix and would have needed to be completely dug out and reinforced. Might try it in a different spot next year, not so close to a tree :)
    I meant 2 ponds,one either side,  just looking like one big one
    Devon.
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