Anyone have a watergarden?

With all of the gardeners here at this wonderful garden Dave has provided for us, I was wondering how many are also ' water gardeners'...ponding, fish, aquatic plants, etc?

We have a pond and grow pond plants. It isn't very deep so we don't have fish. It has a stream, waterfall and a bubble fountain. We just love sitting in our Gazebo and watching the water and listening to it. We are so glad we put it in. This is the url of us building our pond. Hope you enjoy it.
http://members.tripod.com/~Klaus7/pondbuilding.htm

We have a small pond we put in last February, liked it so well we added a section to it in April. Have some goldfish, shubunkins and one koi. There is a small waterfall on one side and a small fountain on the other. Have water lilies, cattails and oxygenators for plants. Am considering adding another small pond and a stream to connect the two but may wait another year for that, is a lot of work to keep up with pond/gardening/work/life etc...and not sure I'll have the time this year.

My husband built me a swing he made out of Cedar trees he cut down from our camp in Maine...last year I sat on the swing w/ coffee every morining just enjoying the pond and yard. Can't wait for warmer weather!! I have some pictures I'll try to get posted.

What do you have?? Would love to see pictures. Miz Cat, yours is beautiful!! Looks so inviting to sit in the Gazebo and gaze. :)

I've got a 100 gal. stock trough sunk into the ground that I use as my "pond" - it's portable so when I move it moves with me. Have 2 fantails (I think) and a goldfish that have been with me for 4 years. Something, GB heron, bear or coon, got my big koi last spring. Bought 3 more koi, one got et and one died, but the third one is doing well. The only plants I grow in it are irises.

This is only my second time posting. I've been lurking and I think it's a nice board. I couldn't resist when I saw the topic!

I've have a small water garden complete with waterfall, plants and shubunkins. We put it in two years ago. Liked it so much that I added an indoor pond last fall, and have plans to add a bigger outdoor pond next summer. Ponding is definately an obsession with me.
Branka

JJ
Our whole farm is a water garden this morning.
I may have to change the name to " Mon Jardin D'eau".
Bud

My watergardens are one of my loves definitely an obession for me as well). I started off with one in fall of '98 and now I have four. I spend a great deal of my 'gardening time' maintaining them. I love to sit and watch my fish; I have some fantails, butterfly koi, shubunkins and some comets that I have finally trained to eat from your hand. They will rub all over you if you stick your hands in the water. Then there are a few newts and some frogs, one of which I named 'Bully'. The first time we met I leaned over to see what it was and he jumped on my head and became tangled in my hair. I did not know what 'had' me and I freaked and fell into the big pond. Since that day we have been friends.

I love the plants as well. I have all types of lillies and lotus in the two ornamental ponds and then i have a more natural setting on the other two with cattails, sweet grass etc. Hopefully this harsh winter did not cause too much damage to the plants so i will be able to offer some seedlings and divisions this summer. Last year one cattail made enough offshoots for 11 other plants. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I had better quit before I get started. It is an obession, afterall, but I caould not pass up the topic. Y'all take care now.

I knew there had to be other water gardeners out there! Great! We have been ponding for about 4 years. It is a raised pond built of granite and is about 4000gal. with a waterfall. It is my most favorite place to sit and relax! We have 2 large Koi, 6 Golden Orfe, a calico shubunkin, numerous comets and fantails, many green frogs...one I named 'Still Sitting Here' because he is the only one who justs sits there when we walk by.

The pond is full of water lilies and hardy marginals. When dividing time gets here in the spring, perhaps we can trade.

I also have a 100 gal. stocktank in the pvc greenhouse with a few plants and baby fish that I netted out of the big pond. Also, a whiskey barrel pond by the front steps and a 20 gal. tub pond in the computer room, all with pumps. Like newt said, ponding can be obsessive! I've been eyeing a sunny, grassy spot in the yard...hummmm

.We also put in pond last february,started small but by the Forth of July I relized BIGGER is definetly BETTER. I am going to add a waterfall before spring and hopefully another pond if I can get my husband to dig again. He puts in sprinkler systems for a living, and has brought home some great additions to the pond.(red slate stone,and the biggest frog i have ever seen) I have some differnt grasses,umbrella palm,flowering rush,water luttuce and hyacinth. I did notice real quick that the garden centers charge more if the plant is marked for "a pond", off to the perennial section I go. Lobelia is one perennial that bloomed from june until mid December. Well I guess like Newt i have also become obsessed,I miss walking out back every morning to find another frog(or snake) has found it's way to my little pond. I guess we better tell DAVE to add another forum. All in favor say I......... P.S. newt, i will watch for the seedlings and divions you will be posting!!

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I'm going to be putting a pond in next month (hopefully, it will get warmer). Does anyone use a homemade filter? I priced them at Lowes yesterday and they are quite expensive.


Dene

Dene, how big is your pond going to be? If it's going to be small and have a lot of plants and no koi you can get by with minimal filteration. At www.theplantplace.com there is a simple one you can make that works great.

If you are putting in a larger pond making, your own filter will save you a lot of money. I've seen a lot of instruction pages on the web of different filters that people have designed. This is the way I am going to go when I put in my larger pond, along with a veggie filter.

Currently my pond only has a veggie filter and it works great. It'a a two level pond and the veggie filter is in between the two levels. The water is pumped from the bottom pond, into the top pond. From here it spills into the veggie filter (filled with hyacinths) and through a small waterfall, back into the bottom pond. This, and a good balance of plants keep the water crystal clear all summer.

There are a lot of different ways you can go with this. You have to decide what will be the best for you.

It's nothing fancy, but here are some pictures of my pond. Does anyone else have picture of there pond?
http://photopoint.com/j/albumindexu=1016903&a=7493424
Branka

Oops, that address will get you nowhere. Here is the correct one. Sorry.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/albumindex?u=1016903&a=7493424
Branka

yes. i typed a long(i thought eloquent)letter about my pond and somehow i was knocked off line and it diappeared. I will look for it and if not get back and write it again. Computers are so much fun.
My pond is 14 feet deep. I dug it for swimming and trout but even in aug it is SO COLD!!!!

Branka, your pond is huge & gorgeous! Was it hard to create that waterfall? It sure looks like you put in a lot of time into it. The other day, I laid out the hose, shaped it and it comes at to 18' by 13'. That should make a good size pond for fish, frogs & turtles.

So, it's easy to make your own filter? I suppose it's kinda like an aquarium filter, With a layer of charcoal & a layer of that white fuzzy stuff, I can't remember what it's called. When I go searching, do I type in "Homemade pond filters"?

Dene

Dene,
Your pond will be a nice size, over 3000 gal. Mine is really very small but there is a lot of landscaping around it (that has a lot of growing to do) so maybe that makes it look bigger. The waterfall was fun to do, once someone gave me the link to the plant place. I'm embarressed to say that I couldn't figure out how to keep the water on top of the rocks! I stressed over it for weeks, but it turned out to be kinda easy.

Here is a web sight that has direct links to homemade filters and all kinds of other good stuff that I'm sure you'll find useful. There are a lot to choose from. http://home.flash.net/~blhill/pages.aux/pond/construction.html

Have fun planning your pond! I'm working on mine to and can't hardly wait!
Branka

Another I.......vote here for a water gardening forum! Anyone else?

My pond has finally thawed out and I can see my fish again! They are still in the 'slow motion mode' just hanging around for warmer water. I can also see a layer of muck that will need to be cleaned out once the water is warm again, for me, that is. And also, a few over-turned lily pots (have to blame the 2 koi for that).

Here's a good website of a friend of mine....really informative. http://www.perigee.net~jrjohns/

Happy ponding,
Jean

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This is my favorite subject so I had to bring it up to the top. Mz.M, you've got me beat! My pond is a two level and only 250 gallons.

Jody, I look forward to seeing pictures of your creation.

Miz Cat, I loved your photo's!

Newt, my goldies eat out of my hand. I just love them. It sounds like you have your head stuck just as deep in your pond as I do! :)

JJ, I'm interested in a pond plant swap! I have some lilies and a couple of marginals that I'm sure will need to be shared!

Ruby, you took the words right out of my mouth, bigger is better!

eiroberts, please submit another post. I'm buried in snow up to you know where and I love reading about ponds!

foxglove, 100 gallons is good! I think it's great that wherever you go, it goes.

Bud, as all I can say is I'm jealous. Wish my whole yard was a pond!

I am planning on installing a pond this spring. I will have to get someone with a backhoe to dig it, as want it to be at least 3 feet deep so I can have fish, and my husband's back would not stand up to that much digging. Am considering it about 16 feet by 12 feet. Is that too small??

today i am going to take a pic and try and figure how to post it(i may have to lure my son up here to get my scanner to communicate with the computer) last yr i moved an old playhouse to side of pond,attatched a porch,found an old little stove,friends heard i wanted a sauna and donated some cedar they had in their barn(10+yrs) Last yr i had this fantasy about ice skating on pond. everytime i had it just about shoveled(wearing skates of course)it would snow again. this yr i did not even start. This yr i want to put some watercress in. I tried putting it 2 yrs ago in the little strean going into the pond but it was a dry yr and it dried up and die. this yr i will put it closer to edge.

I keep thinking about having one, but I haven't been motivated yet. But, the day is coming.

Gardendragon, personally I consider that a large pond. That's about the size I'm going for. But some people have HUGE ponds and they consider that just regular. I have a book that defines that size pond as a medium.
Rosie, as all you have to do is go visit someone with a pretty pond and you'll run home and start digging the hole ;).

I am now completing my second LARGE pond, and already have 7 smaller ones (most made from stock tanks and surrounded by cottage stone). Had had much smaller ponds before moving here -- it is a wonderful addiction, and the birds love it, as do the frogs, etc. An egret has also decided to call it home, which makes it tough for my goldfish. The mosquito fish seem to be ok, however.

Would love to trade pond plants!

Yes, we have a water garden - two, in fact. But we're "adoptive parents" - does it count if you didn't put the blood sweat and tears into putting in the ponds yourself? The previous owners did all the dirty work, and put them in, filled them with plants and fish, and we came along and gladly took over the relatively easy tasks of maintaining the ponds!!!

We lost three fish this year to our unseasonably cold weather - the big pond (where the fish are) iced over while we were traveling for Thanksgiving, and when we broke through the ice the smell was enough to knock you out. We've removed the dead fish, and kept the ice broken up since then, and I just hope we can keep the rest of them alive until spring.

I would love to see a forum for pond and water features!!!

Visisted the pond this morning...in the pouring rain...but just had to peak in on the fish, we haven't had ice for weeks but I've been too busy to get out there. They are all happily, slowly moving about! :) Could'nt find any frogs though, hope they are ok, love my frogs! Looks as though I'll have a bunch of cleanup for spring, I cleaned early this fall so there were still a few leaves that made there way in, but all in all looks pretty good.

Hope everyone else's ponds and wildlife in them are fairing well and getting ready for spring. It's just around the corner now. Unusally warm today and tomorrow, 50's!!! But back to 40's after.

We are buried in a new blizzard.....11" at our house in the last two days! There have been two eagles perched high in a pine tree above our largest (trout stocked) pond (1/2 acre) for the past few weeks. They are eating well grabbing fish from the small unfrozen spot! Great winter past-time, watching them with binoculars from the house! It's ok even if we have to re-stock in the spring! This pond is about 8 years old.
Last summer we dug a pond (maybe 1/3 acre) below the big one & plan to stock it this year.
We also have three small ponds on the hillside above the largest one. Ours is a unique situation. The lot (20a) is on a hillside...kind of in a gully. Above us, there is a seasonal ditch that is filled in April & emptied in Oct. It leaks all over our lot....thus the ponds..our effort to control! There are also some small springs in the two larger ponds. The small ponds dry up after the ditch is let out. The large ones don't. It has been an interesting education getting all of this wet mess to (kind of) behave itself!

boy time flies..still have not sat down and figured how to post a picture(i did take it though) I go by the pond every day. there is actually some water running in. I see little bunny(?) tracts from under the pond house to the water hole.
I like to think of them safe and warm(?) under there. next yr i want to put up some wood duck houses to try to lure some over. so much to do, so little time.

eiroberts, My solution to so much to do, so little time is to spend ALL my time gardening! ;-)

I would like a water garden but my DH says that it would be a mosquito pit. Is this true?

duckweed..mine too. Nice to meet a fellow maniac. I get into some projects. This yr its chickens(lst night someone told me that if he were doing it ,he'd get 2 white turkeys..so Now i'm thinking..yeah turkeys... Now if it would only warm up..

Chris, we have never been bothered by mosquitos around the pond. The pump keeps the water moving and mosquitos prefer to breed in still water. Ever notice how anything around the yard that collects rain water will become a breeding ground for mosquitos?

Jean

Branka? You said it was nothing fancy? (giggling) My lands... it is absolutely stunning!

Ive been talking about building one for years... and all this talk is getting me anxious to do it SOON! And the pictures? They make it worse! Gotta start collecting stuff!!

Hats off to all of you! Wonderful work!

And I definitely agree with the Watergarden forum!! (Dave?... whatdya' think?) It would be great to swap pond plants! and ideas! (and help for those of us just getting into it!)

Hey, Nicole - look through the forums list....it's there now so all of us ponders can splash and play to our hearts content. (Thanks, Dave!!!!)

Ahhhh... sorry! It was an oversight on my part! I tend to rush to my favorites! Ill slow down and enjoy *all* of daves garden!

Thank you for pointing it out to me!

I figured you'd want to know where you can "dive in" headfirst instead of just "wading around" :0) See ya in the watergardens forum!!!!

I thought I would share my pond with everyone. I am so proud of it so far, since I have only had water in it since November. It has been fun. I could not put in any plants yet so I am waiting for the warm weather to get here. My pond plants are to be shipped the 1st of March so, ONE MORE WEEK!
I have had fish in it all winter so they have been happy. I added somemore a couple weeks ago. The water had warmed above 50 degrees so I started feeding them, as the books all say to do.

My web site is: http://www.geocities.com/mr_billr

It is sort of "corny" but there are a lot of pictures of the construction and progress.

mr bill I just checked out your web site.. It is not corny at all!!! In fact I was wandering when you were coming to nj,(ha-ha)!! I REALLY like what you have done, hope you don't mind if I use some of your knowledge for adding on to my little pond. March 1 is right around the corner so your plants will be in the pond soon... We are having a major snow storm today about 15 inches here in south jersey so my pond thoughts will have to be with all you southiners a while longer... Make sure you post photos when the flowers are in!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

Corny, of course not, mr bill..I just had to keep clicking on 'next' for the rest of the story! What a fine job you did! I know you will have fun adding your plants and watching them grow...then, before you know it...more plants...more plants..more plants. Have fun!
Jean