Side Entry Ponds

Can certainly see the potential … and hard work. Anxious to see rest of photos as work progresses …

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

it was our plan to put in a pond last year.. didn’t happen.

I like the bushy greenery around the pond.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Yes, please let us know how it does develop.
We are also putting in a small pond by the side deck this year and planning a much bigger one on the west side of the house.

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

They will look lovely.

I have found that the most difficult part of one pond draining into another, is that water always seems to find a way out so I was constantly having to fill my ponds. My FIL’s ponds are even worse then mine. It irked me that he added a few thousand gallons of water…..daily.

I took and cut some pond liner and glued it in, and made sure the water had ZERO chance of escaping.

Good luck

-- Central northish Ontario

Yes, I’m having a water loss issue in the top pond but I isolated the problem to the top pond and not the spill over. I have a pump running in both sections and they’re not connected to each other. Anyway, seems I’d developed a hole some where.

The top pond I actually got for free from my father in law. The bottom was a Wally*World special. I’m thinking of removing them in favor of one of the large ones from Lowes or such.

Patching the pin hole, where ever it may be, is an easy task. All I’ve got to do is find it, heat the section up with a torch and then melt some high heat glue stick material over the area, pressing with the stick to force the hole shut with glue.

Anyway, more on that later.. For now, just waiting for some warmth.. ;)

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

For the longest time I thought I had a pin hole too, and like you I drained the pond, used coloured dye and in vain tried to find the hole. I resolved myself to filling it up or topping it off. I did the same for the FIL’s.

A wise old friend showed up for a visit, complemented me on the ponds (which by the way, are almost exactly like yours in both shape and size) and the conversation came to the leak. he said it was likely in the area form where the higher pond drained into the lower pond. I said “impossible”..........which led to this advice from him.

Dissconnect all hoses, pumps etc to stop any syphning (?spelling) effect. Fill the ponds up and leave it alone, what can it hurt…............so I did and much to my disbelief, all ponds including the FILs maintained maximum volume for days…..................

It was loosing water at the “mini falls”. It is indeed possible for water to flow uphill. he also mentioned “How do you think water gets pumped to the top of a tree”

I am not saying that you dont indeed have a hole somewhere but you can be certain by folloing the above suggestion.

Ponds, what a picture perfect spot to tinker with rocks, wood, mosses, plants and on and on and on. I cant say that I dont enjoy the waterfront at the cottage more then my home here but of all the spots and gardens here, my absolute favorite place is right next to my two small ponds, just like yours. At a half a century in age, I am still like a boy with a frog….........very theraputic.

-- Central northish Ontario

Oh I don’t doubt that there’s water loss at the spillway when running connected. But I’ve isolated the top from the bottom, so I’m confirmed SOL and indeed have a hole.. I’ve even ruled out wicking, which I thought was happening when the daylilies that grew beside it wilted and had their leaves in the water.

I’ll find the hole, I’m sure.. Still leaning to doing one BIG pond in that area though.

Now, what the heck to do for edging.. Anyone have any budget (cheap or free) ideas? ;)

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

I had to put water in my pond almost every day last summer. I wonder (tongue in cheek) if it was because of our neighbour’s dog using it as his water dish and his swimming pool.
Our pond is about the size of your smallest (or smaller) and the dog is the size of a small horse!! And those big toenails of hers… yah. .. a whole lot of dog factors involved in our loss of water!!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Deb … what a “photo moment” that would be to find your lovable “hairy neighbor” swimming in your pond!! LOL!!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

haha yah.. if I wasn’t busy getting him OUT of the pond!! lol

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I used rocks to edge my pond…......all free. This photo was taken when the garden was still under construction and has changed yet again since this was taken. Last year I added another pond soooo

I took the first one and pushed it back and raised it up a foot, then put a 4’ diameter pond in front and under it. I live in the country and fortunately have access to lots of fieldstone. The stone that surrounds the actual pond comes from the cottage and it is all top cut glacial limestone. Adding both native mosses and Irish, Scottish and English mosses….....its starting to look very natural. The pond has one red water lilly and a few water gladioles ?....as well as several minature purple and yellow iris. This is one of only two areas that recieve enough shade for the ponds.

Frogs and toads always find their way here and I add a few gold fish to hide about the water lettuce and hyacinth?............one of each will cover the whole pond by fall.

-- Central northish Ontario

Having a supply of free stone near by helps.. This is where I’m kind of stuck as there’s not much around me. I guess I’m going to have to keep a keen eye out for some that I can legally scavenge. Not going to bust down anyones wall or anything.. ;)

Which, I hear is a problem in England.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

Farmers here remove field stone from their land every spring. The frost heaves them up and they put the stones along the fence lines. I give produce, eggs and trees to a nearby farmer and in return he piles the stones near the road for me.

maybe you could talk to a farmer. The one I use refused any kind of thank you but I drive up and leave a basket at his front door.

-- Central northish Ontario

hat a gorgeous garden area.
Ok I’m going have to get you to design my next garden area!!!! THis is beautiful

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Last year we had a HAIL storm, quick with golf ball size stones that pulveriszed so many plants.

If I could make a living doing gardening and landscaping I would quit my day job in a New York minute!

Some one once said that the best things in life are illegal, immoral and unhealthy…........my guess is that person never had a garden

-- Central northish Ontario

Thought I’d add a few pictures of what it looks like now. Granted, spring has just sprung, so it’s got some growing to do yet.

My toad stool wooden mushroom table. Made out of a stump and a slab cut from the Buckeye tree that grew beside my grandparents home. The slab is, oh, 20 years old? Hijacked it from my fathers wood pile recently. I want to sand the top with an RO later and oil it down with walnut oil or something to make sure it doesn’t crack.

Shhhhhhh… He’s hiding… In my obsession plant… Sedum.. Go get some! :)

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

love that mushroom.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Can certainly see all the hard work! I really like the “mushroom table” ... looking good Scott!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Great idea! Sure to be the talk of the backyard by all the little elves that I am sure are hidden in your gorgeous yard.

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Thought you might like to see some of the pond inhabitants.

Here’s my tame little frog. Can get almost up on top of him before he jumps back in.. He tends to lounge by the side, or float against the edge.

Here’s my fish. Small ponds, so just two fish. Though it can support more. I may add another later on. Pure white was there from last year and survived the pond hole issues.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

OH wow Scott … very, very cool!!! Great photos, by the way. Can almost imagine sitting right there by your pond watching all the “going ons” ... sipping that wine cooler … :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

how lovely!
I’m pretty sure I’m going to be buying a couple more “koi” type fish. Last year the 2 fish basically hid all the time and over winter they didn’t move much either. But now that they are in the “big” pond (ok not as big as some people’s) they are so active. It’s such a pleasure to watch them.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Pond Comets? Yeah.. That’s the one with the red dot on its noggen. They get as large as Koi, but aren’t quite as… messy..

Also Shubunkins, too. Those are more like the calico cat of fish.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

maybe that’s what I have .. a shubunkin. I know it was a 4 syllable name or something like that

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Shubunkin

Note the speckled look. They’re a mottled look with varying degrees of white, gold and black patches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shubunkin

Pond Comet

Are the sleaker sports car models of gildfish, having the sweeping tail and often longer fins. Their coloration can be any number of colors but is typically more packed into splotches on the body without speckles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_%28goldfish%29

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b

my guy has gold and black splotches but I don’t think there are speckles.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

beware “Goldfish” aka known as “The curse of the Chinese”.

I have a few in my pond, and mine is your size so easy to control but my FIL put them in his. 6 fish, in 3 years turned into tens of thousands of fish and as per the ignored advice I gave him…..........this winter, thousand died off from oxygen starvation, the stentch is unbelievable, the water is now rancid.

My preference are Koi’s, albeit one must protect the root system of plants with Koi’s…......but they become so tame, look like goldfish, grow in value without the “breeding” problems.

-- Central northish Ontario

Well.. That depends.. When Koi breed, which they can attempt in backyard ponds, they release so much sperm that it in itself can make the water rancid if they’re in tight living quarters.

But yes, goldfish will breed like rabbits. It’s rather absurd.

So are all his goldfish dead now? Guessing it was a large natural pond? Hoping it didn’t have a spillway into a natural ecosystem.. :’|

Can filter the water, just takes time, and a few 50 gallon trash bins full of material to act as bio media.

-- Planting Daylilies in Kentucky, zone 6b