"hedgehog" wrote:

Hello hedgehog

h Thanks Simon, good tip about the ledges. I should have
h mentioned that the fountain is on a timer and only active
h during the week for around 5 hours, I often have it on
h during the day all weekend. Would this
h intermittent choppiness affect the plants available ?

Possibly, but I don't think a lily would like five hours drumming on
its leaves - but otoh, they survive rainstorms so I'm not sure. Could
be a problem of direct sunlight AND wet leaves causing burning, don't
know.

h My enlarging options are limited as it is in a fairly tight
h space, I could widen it slightly, maybe by 20-30cm. Deeper
h would be hard work (sits on rubble) but maybe worth the
h effort. I have a small fenced suburban garden so there
h shouldn't be much problem with evaporation.

Your depth of 50cm is fine - this is only given as a minimum so that
fish can get below the ice, but you don't mention fish, which tbh
might not be too happy in such a small area anyway. Any plants that
can't handle freezing would be taken indoors in the winter anyway.

I like big ponds, bigger the better.

h I came up with this idea because I have to completely remove
h the pebbles & wire mesh to get at the pump. I had
h considered digging out a small "access dock" for it but I'm
h not sure if this is feasible, I think it might affect the
h flow.

If your statue is joined to the pump by flexible pipe then it doesn't
really matter where the pump is - but flow is a big issue. Keeping it
clean can be a problem, but raise it up off the floor a little big and
that'll help an awful lot.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/