Pink waterlilies and damselfly

Pond Progress

Posted on by Ann Mackay

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If you’ve been reading this blog for a little while, you may have noticed the occasional mention of a pond that I’ve been building in the garden. It has taken me a very long time to get it built – chipping away at rock-hard soil in summer and digging a bit faster in the wetter end of the year.

Now though, the pond is full of water and the edging is mostly built. I’m in the process of building a sloping ‘beach’ of pebbles to allow any visiting wildlife to get in and out safely. This beach area runs along one of the long sides of the pond and was dug in a very gradual slope. (Most of the pond is fairly shallow.)

There are a few plants already in the pond. The waterlily above was a piece given to me from a friend’s pond. I think it must be Nymphaea marliacea ‘Carnea’, which has flowers that become closer to white as they age. (It also can flower white in the first year, as this piece did last year. Somehow it survived being in a big box of water for a long time.) Spot the damselfly!

Veronica beccabunga
Veronica beccabunga

The other plants are much less spectacular but will help to oxygenate the pond and give somewhere for wildlife to live. The Veronica beccabunga is starting to spread and looks like it will provide some good lurking-places for small wildlife.

Wild visitors have already started moving in and making themselves comfortable in the pond. Amongst the first visitors were a pair of mallards who briefly considered setting up home here until I made sure they saw one of my cats watching them.

Next a newt (or possibly two) arrived and apparently ate all the mosquito wrigglers – luckily! There’s a trio of frogs now, and sometimes I’ll find one watching me as I work on finishing the edging. Then there are the birds who enjoy a bath. That’s usually robins and blackbirds, but sometimes a woodpigeon. (A woodpigeon having a bath is an awkward and ungainly sight!) And there are all the tiny creatures in the water too. It’s getting quite busy in there. 🙂

Mallards check out the pond while I’m building it.

Published by Ann Mackay

Photographer, mixed-media art adventurer and completely daft about plants.......

21 thoughts on “Pond Progress”

    1. Thank you Liz! The waterlily seems to have settled in very well, despite its long wait in the tub of water while I built the pond. My friend will be pleased to see that it survived. And watching the damselflies is fun… 🙂

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    1. I’m enjoying it now that the hard work is over. I do still have a bit to do. I put a protective underlay below the pond liner and another above the liner to protect it from anything sharp that might get in the pond – also protecting against light that can damage the liner. But that protective layer tends to float, so I’m adding lots of pebbles to weigh it down. (Luckily we have an old gravel garden full of pebbles to re-use.) So – wellies on & fun!! 🙂

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  3. Wow, your pond must be huge if you’re attracting mallards. I don’t think mine will ever enjoy a similar visitor. Good to see you’re already attracting wildlife…”Build it and they will come”, as Kevin Costner almost said in Field of Dreams (apparently it’s a misquote!). Will you introduce any fish?

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    1. Hehe, not it really isn’t very big. It’s 12 x 8 ft. The mallards are around because we’re near the river – lots of swans too, but I don’t think they’ll be visiting! We won’t have fish because they’d eat too much of the rest of the life in the pond. (And the cats keep me busy enough, so not looking for more pets… 🙂 )

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      1. Ah, now I understand., being so close to the river means you’ll quickly find all sorts of wildlife moving into your pond. And if your cats are at all like those that visit my garden, you’ll find they will soon start stalking (and occasionally snacking on) the dragonflies!

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      2. I think my cats are too old to catch the dragonflies but I should imagine they’ll be most intrigued by them. (The cats still stake out mice and shrews but haven’t seen any catches for quite a while.)

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  5. First, I laughed and laughed at the name of your Veronica beccabunga. All I could think of was my childhood’s tv show — Howdy Doody — and the phrase it made famous: Cowabunga! Then I laughed at ‘beccabunga.’ That’s just funny. Finally, I had to sort out Veronica. There’s another genus called Vernonia — quite different flowers!

    The pond’s lovely, and I suspect it will do exactly what you’re hoping for: provide a refuge for every sort of creature. It is a good size, too. Anything will do in summer. I’ve had a couple of squirrels spending time in the water bowl I have out. It’s only about 16″ in diameter, but they seem to love just sitting in it!

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    1. That name makes me grin too! It’s growing like mad now and should provide a very good shelter for tiny beasties. 🙂 The squirrels are funny – must be a good way to cool down, hehe!

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    1. The pond is 12ft by 8ft, Jill, but not very deep. The mallards are attracted by the nearby river really, but thought they’d have a look. Yes – you found the damselfly! It’s a lovely blue. 🙂

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  8. Glad to see how well you pool is coming along – know you have been working on it for a long time. Always thought I would love to have one. Love the water lilies – so beautiful! Congrats on reaching your goal!

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    1. I’m glad you enjoyed your visit to my blog, Narayan! The pond has become a home to newts, frogs, damselflies and lots of tiny creatures. Birds like to drink and bathe there too. So it has been a very satisfying project! 🙂

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      1. Wow, one project that I have to, I must take up. Not just one but a few ponds and planting many a Indica Religiosa tree, and as soon as tomorrow. Thanks Ann for this guidance and inspiration 🙂

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