IN THE Pond life GARDEN
Make your garden come alive this summer. Dig a pond
No matter how many channels you have, there are always those evenings when there’s nothing on the telly. The solution is simple: build yourself a garden pond.
Nowadays, most folk seem to go for water features rather than a full-blown pond. It’s understandable – they are easy to install, attractive to look at and relatively easy to maintain.
But they don’t offer much in the way of sustenance to wildlife, but dig a pond and frogs will spawn there, birds will come to drink, dragonflies and damselflies will skim the surface and you can even introduce goldfish for a spot of exotic colour.
Even in a tiny pond, water boatmen and pond skaters will appear almost before it has been filled. The larger the pond the greater your scope – waterfowl will take up residence if space is available and nesting facilities provided.
As far as siting goes, make your pond in the open – not under trees where, at the first sign of autumn, it will fill with leaves. Make it as large as you can, and certainly no smaller than 6ft by 4ft, which is an absolute minimum.
As far as depth goes, you don’t need to go mad with the spade – 18in at the deepest point is fine for a small pond, and even on a massive one, 3ft is ample.
Around the edge, construct a step arrangement to act as a shelf for marginal aquatics that like to live in shallow water.
Once the hole is dug to the right depth you’ll need to stretch a pond liner underlay over it. Over this lay a butyl pond liner – the most durable type – which should last a good 20 years.
As the pond is filling, ease out the
Nothing on TV? A pond will provide first-rate viewing every day
creases in the liner and fold it neatly where necessary. Only when the pond is full should you attend to the edge.
You can mask it with turf or paving slabs and make sure that there is at least one sloping area to allow frogs, toads and hedgehogs that tumble in to get out.
Oxygenating plants need to be weighted with lead and dropped into the bottom of the pond – one small clump every two or three feet – since they are vital at helping to keep the water clear.
Marginal aquatics can be planted in special baskets and arranged around the edge, and you can try a water lily sunk into the centre. Add fish only when the plants are established.
The water will turn green at first, but if you have sufficient oxygenators it will eventually clear and you will have a first-rate programme of events to watch every evening.
Good luck!