On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 11:26:47 -0500, "Carol"
wrote:

Here's my problem. I have a pond lined in butyl and the butyl liner comes out and over a low bank (about four inches wide and 2 inches high) round the pond. I want to cover the butyl so that it's invisible, but I cannot use any ground cover plants that spread by rooting stolons because if I do that they will eventually pierce the butyl below the water level and drain my pond. Any suggestions for ground cover plants I can use?

Carol


Your post title says polythene but in the message you say butyl. These
are two very different "fabrics". If the liner is butyl, and a good
quality butyl, then you have more of a planting choice as it's
relatively tough stuff and will tend to turn the soft roots as they
reach it. If it's polythene then it'll be easier for the roots to poke
through it, although polythene doesn't last and the liner as a whole
is probably going to need replacing before roots become a problem.

I take it that on the "land" side you've got the liner going up over a
bank that's 2 inches higher than the surrounding soil level. Is the
bank level on the pond side 2 inches above the water or is the water
level higher than the surrounding ground? This makes a difference
because you're either talking covering one side of the "bank" or need
something that will grow over the bank and down the other side into
the water a bit without rotting on contact with the water.

Do you have planting shelves around the edge of the pond that will
allow you to hide the water-facing side of the bank with in-pond
planting?

And do you have enough liner around the pond to allow you to, for
example, remove the bank and lay the liner out to create a bit of a
bog garden?

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay.