Water Gardening: Ponds and full grown bonsai trees, 0 by WNYwillieB

WNYwillieB wrote:
My father built the house on this property in the late 50's and now is in my care, so I have been tooling the yard since maybe mid-high school (late 70's).

The pond has "evolved" over the years, starting as a small fiberglass form purchased so the pet goose had someplace to swim when I was back in high school. Didn't do anything with it after the goose passed, and it sat unused for years, and still is.

It will become the "settling pond" above the stream at the start of the "eco-system." (Hidden on the back side of the Rock Pile Pine Forest. The pond form will spill out into the stream which will feed the main pond, then back up to the settling pond.)

I expanded the pond shape a bit when the neighbor removed his pool and gave me his liner. That promptly cracked under the sunlight, so I was glad I didn't have anything in there .... basically a glorified bird bath.

This past spring is the first year it has been a true pond, with fish and plants. It is a trial run to see if I like the again expanded size, shape, etc. Which I do! This spring, the permanent liner will go into place, and then I can start thinking about setting up the fiberglass form settling pond and stream.

The whole reason for this is that I live near the busiest intersection (maybe second busiest) in the Buffalo area, where there is a lot of traffic noise I want to reduce, so I figured a nice babbling brook would solve the problem. Don't be fooled by the photos, I am in the middle of a densely populated typical suburb.

What helps it look so lush is there is a "buffer zone" between my backyard and the businesses beyond there. Here is a shot of what we call "The Outback." The view from a few doors down, looking east, back toward my property. All those oak trees (and the tall grasses beyond) you see are directly behind my property.

So, if I get really low and snap my photos, it looks like I am in the middle of the boonies!!