Wildlife pond LIVE!

[GingerKitCat]

I just had to share the excitement, I'm finally planting up and filling my long-awaited wildlife pond (at 8:30pm!)

A lovely, knowledgeable gentleman on Freegle has set me up with a collection of starter plants and water beasties

This is our first spring with our nature pond and it's my favourite thing in our garden. We have tadpoles at the moment and water snails and our water hawthorn has flowered. Putting a pond in was one of the most rewarding things we have done, I spend ages sat next to it reading. When it's completed you will have to put a pic on

Thank you Your pond sounds lovely
I need to add a photo in daylight tomorrow!

I'm extremely pleased that my hose connected to the water butt else I'd have been out there all night filling it!

I need to sort out the surrounding area and plant up the perimeter to give some good cover for frogs and so on. Maybe in time I'll add a bog garden but for now I think I'll keep it ornamental ponders

I've created a brick/ pebble ramp as it's a steep-sided liner and added a couple of slender branches dipping in the water. Apparently this is a good thing!? I have various logs and broken teracotta pots I can add nearby

Do you have a photo of your pond?

ps I've googled water hawthorn. I still need a floating aquatic plant and was looking up miniature water lilies. I might investigate this instead (apologies if it's a type of water lily, I'm so tired!)

Here's my pond.

Subbing - love ponds!

Oh it's beautiful! What sort of planting do you have surrounding it? I think I need some reeds/ irises/ spikey things (technical)

The cat has spent 30mins gazing into it. I hope he's admiring his reflection and not plotting amphibian murder.

Shove build a wildlife pond!

Thanks, glad you like it 😊. The pond was neglected, when we arrived last summer. We cleared the sludge out over the winter and tidied the surround. In the pond is a small, invasive yellow water Lilly. We've cleared all but three roots of it and intend to get a small pink/ white one. The other plant in the pond is a huge Arum Lilly, it is rooted to the bottom and did not flower last summer. The newts, frogs and tadpoles love it so I'm trying to think of ways to contain it and get flowers.
Around the pond are large York stone boulders, it must have been lovely when it was first built. Over the winter I have removed the weeds and ivy. Already growing are a blue iris, some cranesbill geraniums, a huge pesicaria and something as yet unknown. I've started putting alpines and rock plants around the edge.

Ooh that's nice. I started a small one a few weeks ago but no frogs etc so far

Pond in progress:

Looks a great start. Watch out for the duck weed floating on top. It quickly multiplies and will completely cover the pond.

Thank you, the chap I got the plants from did apologise for that! Am I best to skim it off and dispose of to keep on top of it?

What are those plants? Mine keep toppling over

Yes use a net to skim it off, daily! It grows so fast.

Going to put in some more plants around the edge of the pond and some more rocks.

Your pond looks like it's going to be great Mumofazoo . Can I see fish already in it? Long frondy plants would look good with the buddahs peeking through.

Thank you JT05 that's what we are planning on doing Yes we put in a couple as it was going to be an ornamental pond but we decided we would get more enjoyment from a wildlife pond. However the fish are doing really well and haven't bothered with the frogspawn or tadpoles as I think the varying depths are protecting them.