I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.
2. Where to hire a digger from? (I live near the NEC near Birmingham)
3. Are they easy/able to be operated yourself or is it best to hire a man to go with it.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Mark (First year gardener with big plans!)

clokemg muttered:


I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:

https://secure4.worldsites.net/wetla...merchant.ihtml

However, I'd advise putting in a liner, we trusted our clay and the first
year it was fine but over the following winter the frost developed cracks
and the water level fluctuates more than I'd like.


2. Where to hire a digger from? (I live near the NEC near Birmingham)

Yellow pages? In Suffolk they cost about £60 per day.

3. Are they easy/able to be operated yourself or is it best to hire a
man to go with it.

You'd only need a mini digger and I think it takes about a day or two to get
really competent. Just make sure they supervise you when they deliver and
ask them about anything you aren't sure about. Try not to overload the
bucket and don't go too deep!

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Mark (First year gardener with big plans!)

"Magwitch" wrote in message
...
clokemg muttered:


I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:

https://secure4.worldsites.net/wetla...merchant.ihtml

However, I'd advise putting in a liner, we trusted our clay and the first
year it was fine but over the following winter the frost developed cracks
and the water level fluctuates more than I'd like.


2. Where to hire a digger from? (I live near the NEC near Birmingham)

Yellow pages? In Suffolk they cost about £60 per day.

3. Are they easy/able to be operated yourself or is it best to hire a
man to go with it.

You'd only need a mini digger and I think it takes about a day or two to
get
really competent. Just make sure they supervise you when they deliver and
ask them about anything you aren't sure about. Try not to overload the
bucket and don't go too deep!

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Mark (First year gardener with big plans!)



Only advice I'd add is to decide where the spoil will go or if you need a
skip to get rid of it. IME the waste from a hole is about 3x the volume of
the hole :-)

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

Thanks for replies.

I have already identifed an area for the spoil and after excavating foundations for a shed I agree with the observation that it takes up a lot of room!

Mark.

Tumbleweed muttered:


"Magwitch" wrote in message
...
clokemg muttered:


I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:

https://secure4.worldsites.net/wetla...merchant.ihtml

However, I'd advise putting in a liner, we trusted our clay and the first
year it was fine but over the following winter the frost developed cracks
and the water level fluctuates more than I'd like.


2. Where to hire a digger from? (I live near the NEC near Birmingham)

Yellow pages? In Suffolk they cost about £60 per day.

3. Are they easy/able to be operated yourself or is it best to hire a
man to go with it.

You'd only need a mini digger and I think it takes about a day or two to
get
really competent. Just make sure they supervise you when they deliver and
ask them about anything you aren't sure about. Try not to overload the
bucket and don't go too deep!

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Mark (First year gardener with big plans!)



Only advice I'd add is to decide where the spoil will go or if you need a
skip to get rid of it. IME the waste from a hole is about 3x the volume of
the hole :-)

We piled it up into a banked plateau overlooking the pond which has (a year
later) grassed up nicely. We'll probably build a sort of summer house or
arbour on it when we can afford it. If the OP wishes to do this move the
pond forward a bit to make room.

Also be brave and make the pond as big as possible - what looks like a huge
scar in the ground when empty, looks a lot smaller when it's filled with
water and has plants growing in and around it.

What would you recommend at your top 'wouldn't be without' plants?

The pond will end up with an approx. surface of about 15'X8' with space for marginals.

Can't wait to get started.

Thanks

Mark.

In article , Magwitch writes

We piled it up into a banked plateau overlooking the pond which has (a year
later) grassed up nicely. We'll probably build a sort of summer house or
arbour on it when we can afford it. If the OP wishes to do this move the
pond forward a bit to make room.

Also be brave and make the pond as big as possible - what looks like a huge
scar in the ground when empty, looks a lot smaller when it's filled with
water and has plants growing in and around it.

Remember the advice to have at least half the surface covered by water
lilies or other plants with surface leaves, to cut down on the blanket
weed nuisance - think of the area of clear water you'd like and make the
pond at least twice that big ;-)

For wildlife - if you mean amphibians etc - avoid any fish longer than
about an inch which have any eat eating tendencies. Sticklebacks are OK,
tench are largely vegetarian but not often seen as they grub around the
bottom.

To attract amphibians, you need a fair bit of weed (especially for
newts), at least one sloping bank that they can climb out of easily,
adjacent to moist vegetation or more than lawn length grass. They'll
spend most of the year on land, so what's around the pond is as
important as what's in it.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , clokemg clokemg.1nj9k2@
gardenbanter.co.uk writes

Magwitch Wrote:
clokemg muttered:
-

I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.-

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd
say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:



What would you recommend at your top 'wouldn't be without' plants?[/i][/color]

Caltha palustris - Marsh marigold. Like huge buttercups early in the
season, big glossy leaves. marginal
Water forget-me-not - Marginal, or shallow water. Spreads well and blue
flowers over a long season.
Water hawthorn - shallowish water - not a native, but worth growing for
the scent.


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , clokemg clokemg.1nj9k2@
gardenbanter.co.uk writes

Magwitch Wrote:
clokemg muttered:
-

I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.-

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd
say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:



What would you recommend at your top 'wouldn't be without' plants?

Caltha palustris - Marsh marigold. Like huge buttercups early in the
season, big glossy leaves. marginal
Water forget-me-not - Marginal, or shallow water. Spreads well and blue
flowers over a long season.
Water hawthorn - shallowish water - not a native, but worth growing for
the scent.

[/i][/color]

Personally, I'd add brooklime (veronica beccabunga) to the list of
marginals. No scent, lots of little blue flowers from May
http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P33354.HTM
spreads well, native marsh plant.

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 18:26:02 +0100, "BAC"
wrote:


"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , clokemg clokemg.1nj9k2@
gardenbanter.co.uk writes

Magwitch Wrote:
clokemg muttered:
-

I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.-

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd
say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:



What would you recommend at your top 'wouldn't be without' plants?

Caltha palustris - Marsh marigold. Like huge buttercups early in the
season, big glossy leaves. marginal
Water forget-me-not - Marginal, or shallow water. Spreads well and blue
flowers over a long season.
Water hawthorn - shallowish water - not a native, but worth growing for
the scent.



Personally, I'd add brooklime (veronica beccabunga) to the list of
marginals. No scent, lots of little blue flowers from May
http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P3/P33354.HTM
spreads well, native marsh plant.[/i][/color]

Yes, I agree with that. We have lots of brooklime and it spreads
well, is easy to control and oxygenates the ponds and helps control
any blanketweed. Watercress is also good for this (don't eat it), but
in our experience the brooklime looks nicer. To the OP: you might
find the pictures of how we did our pond of interest on
http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk/pond.html
I would also recommend Paul Bromfield Aquatics for pond plants on
http://www.bromfieldaquatics.co.uk/store/erol.html


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Reply To address is spam trap

Kay muttered:

In article , clokemg clokemg.1nj9k2@
gardenbanter.co.uk writes

Magwitch Wrote:
clokemg muttered:
-

I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.-

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd
say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:



What would you recommend at your top 'wouldn't be without' plants?

Caltha palustris - Marsh marigold. Like huge buttercups early in the
season, big glossy leaves. marginal
Water forget-me-not - Marginal, or shallow water. Spreads well and blue
flowers over a long season.
Water hawthorn - shallowish water - not a native, but worth growing for
the scent.
[/i][/color]
I'd add to above excellent examples some native oxygenating plants to keep
algae at bay: Potamogeton crispus (curled pondweed), Myriophyllum spicatum
(water milfoil), Ceratophyllum demersum (hornwort). I've also got water
hawthorn and it was actually blooming in December this year, I'd thought it
was a native... but then pheasants were only introduced by the Normans )

These came weighted with a little lead ties so you just drop them into the
water.

Water lilies (of course). I've got the native Alba ones, but I've recanted a
bit and have a red 'Attraction' and a creamy yellow one called Texas.

For marginal plants I'd suggest: Botomus umbellatus flowering rush with
heads of pink flowers, Pontederia cordata (pickeral weed) arrowhead leaves
and blue hyacinth-like flowers and yellow flag iris.

Another tip: Don't accept 'gifts' from other pond owners, they may have
invasive species mixed in such as Parrot feather or Canadian pond weed that
aren't native and will take over. To keep blanket weed at bay, make sure the
pond isn't too nitrogen rich, no fertilisers, topsoil or ordinary compost
and if it happens, get a bale of barley straw to rot down in the pond.

Sally Thompson muttered:

Yes, I agree with that. We have lots of brooklime and it spreads
well, is easy to control and oxygenates the ponds and helps control
any blanketweed. Watercress is also good for this (don't eat it), but
in our experience the brooklime looks nicer. To the OP: you might
find the pictures of how we did our pond of interest on
http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk/pond.html
I would also recommend Paul Bromfield Aquatics for pond plants on
http://www.bromfieldaquatics.co.uk/store/erol.html

Very interesting... we must have been living parallel lives for the past 5
years, having completed our house with a green oak frame, we are dead
jealous of the speed of your construction though. It took far longer for us,
we had an excellent pair of local carpenters who made the beams on-site and
progress was much more haphazard. Our bricklayer used to take 'cannabis
breaks' as well, but this has only enhanced the handmade appearance ;o). We
thatched the roof and laid French drains in gravel around the house to take
rainwater off down to the pond... which works spectacularly well.

In article , Magwitch writes
Kay muttered:

In article , clokemg clokemg.1nj9k2@
gardenbanter.co.uk writes

Magwitch Wrote:
clokemg muttered:
-

I am planning to put a pond in the garden. After digging out the
foundations for a large shed I have decided that I want to hire a
digger to create the hole. Does anyone have any advice on the
following....

1. Good websites on creating a wildlife friendly pool.-

I got my pond plants from these people about 2 years ago and now I'd
say I
have a fully functional natural pond habitat:



What would you recommend at your top 'wouldn't be without' plants?

Caltha palustris - Marsh marigold. Like huge buttercups early in the
season, big glossy leaves. marginal
Water forget-me-not - Marginal, or shallow water. Spreads well and blue
flowers over a long season.
Water hawthorn - shallowish water - not a native, but worth growing for
the scent.

I'd add to above excellent examples some native oxygenating plants to keep
algae at bay: Potamogeton crispus (curled pondweed), Myriophyllum spicatum
(water milfoil), Ceratophyllum demersum (hornwort). I've also got water
hawthorn and it was actually blooming in December this year, I'd thought it
was a native...[/i][/color]

S African, apparently.

but then pheasants were only introduced by the Normans )

These came weighted with a little lead ties so you just drop them into the
water.

Lead? Is that OK in a wildlife pond?

Water lilies (of course). I've got the native Alba ones, but I've recanted a
bit and have a red 'Attraction' and a creamy yellow one called Texas.

James Brydon - purple leaves, coppery pink flowers with rich yellow
stamens.

For marginal plants I'd suggest: Botomus umbellatus flowering rush with
heads of pink flowers,

I've had that four 4 years and it hasn't flowered yet!


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

Kay muttered:

Lead? Is that OK in a wildlife pond?

The pond is 25 square metres, we put in 12 tench and 5 carp ‹ between they
had an estimated 100 fry last year, most of which are still alive, plus frog
spawn (all hatched now), water snails, newts, dragonfly, water boatmen,
water beetles etc etc. I don't think the 15 little bits of lead have
affected them much so far.

"Magwitch" wrote in message
...
Kay muttered:

Lead? Is that OK in a wildlife pond?

The pond is 25 square metres, we put in 12 tench and 5 carp between they
had an estimated 100 fry last year, most of which are still alive, plus
frog
spawn (all hatched now), water snails, newts, dragonfly, water boatmen,
water beetles etc etc. I don't think the 15 little bits of lead have
affected them much so far.


Relax, I doubt it will have any adverse effect on the wild life.