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Post by alexis on Nov 5, 2017 15:43:49 GMT
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Post by alexis on Nov 5, 2017 15:47:46 GMT
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Post by alexis on Nov 5, 2017 15:49:27 GMT
Hmm I can't seem to post the photo directly
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Post by rowanberry on Nov 5, 2017 19:40:13 GMT
Alexis- it's a matter of copying and pasting the right code... I find the easiest way to do it is like this: When you click on one of your own images in a Flickr album, it will go to a page that looks like this.... then click on the white swoosh arrow at the bottom right.  Flower Example 01 by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr It will then show three codes, and the one you need for embedding images in your forum post is the BBCode...  Flower Example 02 by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr |
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Post by rowanberry on Nov 5, 2017 19:47:46 GMT
I went in and edited the link in your first post, just to make sure it would work and the photo is showing now... so that was the problem.  That is a very nice pond! How long ago did you put it in, and is that Brooklime over to the left-hand side of it? |
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 10:04:05 GMT
Thanks for that rowanberry, I'll have another go later. Yes thats brooklime, I have it in both of my ponds, its a great rafting water plant and is one of the few that stick around during winter. I think its a vital plant for the wildlife as it provides everything from food to cover from predators, frogs love it and the fish often hide under it, I believe newts are also very fond of it but I haven't seen any newts in our garden unfortunately. Water forget-me-not is another plant I have in my ponds.
This pond was built in June 2015 and was upgraded this summer as I wanted more depth and volume. It now has a series of shelves from left to right, the brooklime grows in the shallowest part, about 6 inches, but the deepest part is 32 inches. Other plants in here include sweet gallingale, pickerel weed, water iris, water mint, denver lily, marsh marigold, hornwort and frogbit. The elodea crispa and duckweed keep me busy during the summer months too!
I'll post some pics of my other pond later, that one is even more heavily planted.
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 10:39:14 GMT
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 10:52:35 GMT
This is my other pond, it has no pumps, filters or electricity, it is a dedicated wildlife pond which we built in June 2016. The frog spawned heavily in here last winter and the dragon fly and damsel fly are prolific, also bees and butterflies. Unfortunately whilst we were busy upgrading the ornamental pond this summer our fish were quarantined in a plastic paddling pool on the grass which emptied one night and we discovered them swimming frantically in about 6 inches of water. Thankfully I had placed the pump on a old brick so the pool didn't empty completely but I panicked and evacuated them to this wildlife pond so now we have 2 shubunkins and 2 shubunkin/common goldfish in here. They keep the mosquito larvae under control and happily co-exist with the other wildlife in there so its not a problem.  IMG_20170805_173721 by Alexis Williams, on Flickr  IMG_20170805_173647 by Alexis Williams, on Flickr  IMG_20170603_111946 by Alexis Williams, on Flickr |
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 11:02:05 GMT
We dug the wildlife pond alongside an existing concrete path at the bottom of the garden, it is semi-circular, 9 feet along the side edge and the curved side goes out to a length of 6 feet. The water volume is about 1500 litres and there is a lot of differing depths in this pond from a few inches down to 3 feet at its deepest. The curved side has a sloping shelf for easy access for amphibians etc, this side has a grass berm around it with buttercups and clover planted in it for extra protection. The brooklime is well established along with the same plants as the ornamental pond, water soldiers too. Here our Jackapoo terrier puppy stalking the fish, he hates getting his fur wet so the fish are quite safe!  IMG_20171020_124635 by Alexis Williams, on Flickr  IMG_20171020_124919 by Alexis Williams, on Flickr |
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Post by aeshna5 on Nov 6, 2017 18:06:33 GMT
The second pond looks good for wildlife.
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Post by accipiter on Nov 6, 2017 20:05:15 GMT
Beautifully laid out Alexis, one can see how much attention you put into the resulting scene.
Ps
I just love your dog.
Alan
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Post by rowanberry on Nov 6, 2017 20:39:47 GMT
Really lovely ponds- what a lot of work you've put into them! I am jealous of your hostas... I've never been able to keep them because the slugs won't leave them alone. I had two shubunkins for a little while, but gave them to a neighbour who has a large goldfish pond... one was a white with orange and black speckles like yours. I think the heron got it, unfortunately.  I like your dog, too. |
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 20:42:20 GMT
The second pond looks good for wildlife. The second pond has much more wildlife activity, I think its location at the bottom of the garden is much more secluded and the fact there is no electricity buzzing may be a factor too. Birds and bees etc are very attracted to this pond yet seem to stay away from the ornamental pond as if they know there is danger there. During the recent upgrade to the ornamental pond I managed to make it a little bit more wildlife friendly with differing depths (it was previously 2 feet deep all across with sheer side walls) and much better access and escape routes, I now have more plants in and around it too but the second pond is the preferred choice for visiting wildlife. |
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 20:55:00 GMT
Beautifully laid out Alexis, one can see how much attention you put into the resulting scene. Ps I just love your dog. Alan Thank you, I did learn a lot from the original pond build and tried to correct mistakes made with a view to making this one as wildlife friendly as possible. I probably have a few too many plants in there and it does keep me busy in the summer months especially but its a labour of love to be honest and compulsive viewing all year round, I even look at it from the upstairs window with binoculars! The dog is much loved and a great example of both breeds, I'm so glad he doesn't like getting wet though with having two easy-access sunken ponds! |
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Post by alexis on Nov 6, 2017 21:37:34 GMT
Really lovely ponds- what a lot of work you've put into them! I am jealous of your hostas... I've never been able to keep them because the slugs won't leave them alone. I had two shubunkins for a little while, but gave them to a neighbour who has a large goldfish pond... one was a white with orange and black speckles like yours. I think the heron got it, unfortunately. I like your dog, too. Thanks rb, the wildlife pond was all done in a week actually and within a month it was already a wildlife paradise with all the plants establishing swiftly but the weather was kind to us last year and without having to contemplate safe electrical outlets for pumps, filters etc it was a pleasure to plan and build. The ornamental pond upgrade was a really stressful time this summer as the weather was just awful throughout, we damaged an underground water pipe and had to call the water board out, the fish quarantine pool drained whilst we were out one night and it took 6 weeks to complete the job eventually. A worthwhile venture when I look at it now but oh my word that part of the garden was like a building site, it put years on me! I never plant hostas directly in the garden, I always keep them in pots and sprinkling a few broken egg shells on the ground around the pots seems to keep the slugs away. We also have a lot of frogs living in and around the ponds which keeps the slug population in check, I have 4 homemade frog hibernaculums dotted around the garden itself and they are all frequented by our amphibian friends . I've only seen a heron once since we had the ponds and immediately put a net over the ornamental one but didn't like the look anyway but removed it after having to rescue a frog stuck in it. The brooklime provides cover all year round and I also put a couple of garden kneeling pads to float on the water surface as extra cover during winter. Albert the Jackapoo is our head of garden security |
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IMG_20171011_171533 by Alexis Williams, on Flickr
