Help with barrel pond - waterlogged site

[Coronilla]

We recently dug a hole for a whisky barrel pond, but the hole filled up with water - three or four inches of it (London clay soil). The pond can't really go anywere else in my tiny garden, so I need to find a solution or abandon the project.

We were thinking of digging down a bit more then adding hardcore and sharp sand - would this do the trick or will the water just rise up through that? Any other ideas? Thanks!

Does the pond need to go in a hole OP? If you're on London clay (or any clay), you'll find drainage is an issue and if you just dump sand or grit into the hole, the water will still be there. I'm guessing you don't want it to freeze, which is why you want to put it in the ground, but a free-standing one might work better for you.

Thanks, I thought this might be the case. We wanted to sink it so that frogs, newts etc could get in to it. I know you can build steps using bricks, but would they climb up that high if we just put on the lawn? It's about 40cm tall.

Depends how desperate the frogs/newts are to get to the water, I suppose! You'll only get newts though if there are newts in the area and if you get newts and frogs and the frogs spawn, the newts will eat it and you won't get tadpoles ... I was delighted to have newts until I realised this.

I don't know how you feel about it, but you could sculpt the lawn into hugel culture hills surrounding it and grow primroses etc on slopes?

I am following with interest as I've just established two pot ponds standing on concrete and will need to build access points for wildlife (there are already things in the water to allow animals to get out if they get in, but only really to the lip of the container)

You could maybe have some satellite ponds or small container bog gardens around the central pond and build up access points between them. I'm thinking piles of cobblestone with small and medium terracotta pots dotted around it?

@deplorabelle

I don't know how you feel about it, but you could sculpt the lawn into hugel culture hills surrounding it and grow primroses etc on slopes?

I am following with interest as I've just established two pot ponds standing on concrete and will need to build access points for wildlife (there are already things in the water to allow animals to get out if they get in, but only really to the lip of the container)

You could maybe have some satellite ponds or small container bog gardens around the central pond and build up access points between them. I'm thinking piles of cobblestone with small and medium terracotta pots dotted around it?

These are both great ideas but sadly I don't think we have the space. I could maybe make a spiral pathway from earth, sort of snaking around the barrel... Or maybe just a selection of bricks, rocks and upturned teracotta pots. I'm desperate for frogs so want to make as easy as possible for them

I'm definitely going to soften the area around the pond with appropriate planting. Not sure what to get though as the ground around it isn't especially boggy.

GW had a small section on making a barrel pond last year, if you're interested: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09jbcl8

Could you line the hole with pond liner or plastic, making it a bit bigger then the barrel and having a bog garden surround? GW showed how to create one last night.

LIZS, that would be so lovely in a big garden, but I am seriously limited on space, and I already have mature plants really close to the pond that may not appreciate being bogged.

I think I need some combination of mounded soil, rocks and planters to allow access. I can't really picture it, but it must be possible to make it beautiful, right?!

Thanks for the link Coronilla. I think I'm going to try something similar to what you describe, building up bricks and pots around the pond as a kind of staircase up. Upturned terracotta pots is a great idea. I also wondered about finding some twisted driftwood or something. I'm miles from the sea though. Or maybe just grow something the right height and climbable alongside the pond - though that might cause problems with debris in the pond...

Driftwood is a lovely idea. I already have some interesting twisted branches, and some large flint stones which I could use too. Excited now!

Except we re-filled the hole with hardcore, sand and soil yesterday, and it's now a mess of sopping wet sludge. Not sure what we'll do if it doesn't dry out and firm up. Bit of a balls up really

I'd be tempted to dig it all out again, get a good pond liner and line the hole then put the barrel in in the liner - so protected from the water table but still sunk below the ground level.

Am I missing something?

@Coronilla plant a bog garden! You can garden along with Monty who is building one too.

Are you putting something over/in it to protect hedgehogs .
There's a huge risk of them drowning . In a big ond you can put 'steps' of brick but a barrell pond would be deeper and narrowe open areas .

Barrel pond does sound lovely though especially if you gets frogs

@DidymusAmbrosius

I'd be tempted to dig it all out again, get a good pond liner and line the hole then put the barrel in in the liner - so protected from the water table but still sunk below the ground level.

Am I missing something?

That's a brilliant idea! Can't think why I didn't think of it myself, as it's so obvious now you've said it. Thank you

@70isaLimitNotaTarget

Are you putting something over/in it to protect hedgehogs . There's a huge risk of them drowning . In a big ond you can put 'steps' of brick but a barrell pond would be deeper and narrowe open areas .

Barrel pond does sound lovely though especially if you gets frogs

I hadn't even thought of that, thanks for mentioning it. I'll try and arrange the bricks/steps inside the pond so it's hog-friendly.