Many of you have seen pictures of my Box Pond but I still get some questions here and there, so I thought I would start a thread about it and other raised ponds since there is some interest in them. Anyone with a raised pond or water feature is welcome to post pictures and descriptions about them and questions are welcome too.
Here is my Box Pond. It's a wood box made from 2 X 8’s. It's about 4ft X 5ft and 1 1/2FT deep lined with a rubber roof liner. Ric built it years ago and we have gotten a lot of enjoyment from it over the years. Originally it had a plastic pre-formed liner which developed a small leak at one of the built in ledges. It also sat up on the brick patio. We have just recently rehabbed it. Pressure washed, stained and relined it. Right now I have 2 Water lilies, 2 Water Lotus, 2 Water Hyacinth, Purple Pickerel and Colocasia Illustria. I use bricks or cinder blocks to rais the plants to the level I want them.
That old watering can came from my Aunt's house and has been sitting around here for years adding character and charm to many decorative groupings. This was Ric's idea. He made a custom Shepherd's crook to hold it and got it all rigged up. Some time later he will put a small notch under the top ledge to hide the electrical cord and pump hose so they will not be visible. Also he is going to replace the plastic tubing with a thin copper pipe that he will wrap around the Shepard's crook and add a few copper leaves so it will look like a decorative vine. That maybe a winter project but this works fine for now. We picked up a few inexpensive goldfish and they love to swim in the water stream from the watering can.
A pond like this is just perfect for the gardener who longs for a pond but is not ready for a permanent pond. It has many advantages, although heavily constructed it can be drained an moved, it's easy to build no digging required, fairly inexpensive to build, easy cleaning no putting on your mucking boots and wading around in icy water. It also does have a few disadvantages as well, you are limited in size and shape, it will not draw the kind of wildlife that an in-ground pond does, and unless you live in a warm climate or are willing to run a pond heater over winter you will have to over winter your plants and fish somewhere else.
I was watching HGTV before church this morning and saw them put one together on Gardening by the yard. The aldy built a small one on casters and divided it into part pond and part planter. looked like a really neat project. Yours is very nice. Love the watering can fountian.
Holly - I really like it! I am wanting to build one very similar. But I want one that is 8' X 8' that is 18" - 24" tall. I want it to be wood as well, like yours with the wood at the top for sitting on.
I have a question ... how did you make it sturdy enough that the weight and water pressure wouldn't break the wood apart? That's a lot of weight on the wood to hold that up the pond liner and all the water in the pond.
Also what kind of wood did you use? Did you stain and seal it with something?
Your pond is just beautiful and it is exactly what I want in my yard, just a little bigger. Your watering can idea is the cutest! I love it!
here is my "quick" pond. took me all of 1 afternoon to have it up and running. I did not have the money for an in ground pond so came up with the next best thing. bought a stock tank.. put down sand to level and filled... how easy! I have had it for 2 years in July.
Tammie
the watering can came last summer.
Tammie - That looks great! Where did you find a stock tank? And if you don't mind my asking ... how much did you pay for it 2 years ago?
I bought it at a feed store.. you can find them at farm supply, tractor supply etc. I think it was about $120 ... the pump cost me about $35 All together less than $200. including fish and plants... My plants came from Texas Waterlilies.. they send the nicest plants! I bought cheap .28 cent gold fish at walmart.. they are all about 3 to 4 " long now... some a little bigger. I also hae 3 koi I bought there.. they are more skitterish and man do they chew up the plants. LOL
Tammie
Wow, very pretty! I love all that woodwork HollyAnn, and the stock tank is a great idea that turned out really wellTammie. We are just about finished with our raised pond, and I took many pics during its construction so I can post a few pics later. I ordered waterlilies from the recent co-op, and didn’t have anywhere to put them so we had to build fast. LOL. I look forward to seeing more of everyone’s raised ponds, great idea for a thread!
Sometimes you can find stock tanks cheap on craigslist. Love both of those ponds!
This is my raised lil' pond in the process back in April.
This is it this week. if it wasnt for the pics I wouldnt believe it...
~dulci
Very nice ponds! I enjoyed the creativity.
LhasaLover: How many gallons does your stock tank hold? I use a smaller plastic one (75 gallon) as a quaranteen tank.
120 gallons.. just enough. .. for now. I will do something different in a few years. This one keeps me happy enough for now. I leave the pump on all the time year around and have an underwater light in it on auto sense so I enjoy the sparkling water in the evening too.
tammie
Love the stock tank idea.
Thanks for all the nice comments.
Sunnyg, I spent several days pressure washing and staining the deck, pond and picnic table earlier this spring, just giving it a sprucing up. The Box pond has been sitting over on the brick patio for years but we are going to do some work in that area this summer and since it's portable we moved it. I thought it would look nice sitting next to the deck. The old above ground pool is a bit of an eyesore but we get a lot of use out of it and it has been a source of fun for the whole family for years. That's my GS standing on the ladder in the first picture. Those deck boxes will be putting on a good show for most of the summer. I have Morning Glories growing up the lattice, Ornamental Sweet Potatoes both Blackie and Margarita, Petunias, 2 different Geraniums and some Dusty Miller planted in them.
Becky, I'll get Ric to answer your questions about building something bigger.
Thanks everyone for posting more pictures.
Love the idea of a raised water-garden or 'box pond'!
Raised garden beds are great for seniors and others with either limited mobility/wheelchairs.
A 'box pond' would be a fantastic project for a senior center or an assisted living facility!
Thanks for sharing your photographs and experiences.
Teresa
What a great idea Teresa, Wouldn't that be a really good community project for a Boyscout troop? And if they built it right on the spot the seniors could watch and enjoy all the activity.
We got our stock pond last year 2X6X4, 350 gallons. Have 6 koi that started from 3-4 inches and are now more like 6-8 inches. We have truly enjoyed it.
Christi
#1
#2 It is turned at an angle underneath a canopy.
#3
Camera doesn't have a wide angle.
#4
Hope I am not boring you.
#5
There will be just one more.
#6 This is smaller, old stock tank that was a gift from Mitch Fitzgerald. He had used it as a bog garden so we just left it planted as such and pulled it up behind the pond.
Wish you could each come sit a spell with me.
Christi
here is mine, new this year. got feeder fish (tiny goldfish) from the pet store. made the ball from cement using my exercise ball as a form. love it!!! not sure what to do in winter, may bring it all in the house since it isn't too big.
here you can see my fish
Christi... everything is looking just gorgeous! Love the addition of the stock tank bog garden! Greyma, that is so creative and very cool!
Brenda
christi
love the blue globe floating in the pond
mares
Greyma I just love that ball pond. How did you take the ball out of the mold when it was dry?
Wow! You folks are a real inspiration. Some of these look affordable and easy to build. I just love the exercise ball one! Might be the best use my exercise ball has gotten in many months! Thanks for sharing.
Great pictures,
Christi, Definitely not boring!!! I picked up 3 glass balls to float in the big pond when I get it done. I have another water feature that they might go into temporally until then.
I'd love to know what all you have planted in those tubs. Did I see Calla Lilies and Cannas? That was a beautiful shot of the water lily bloom and not only did I like the look of the second tub but I liked the potted plants sitting around the edge. Kinda of grounded the bigger tub. Very nice.
Greyma, Nice work, that is one very creative and beautiful water feature.
the ball is the easier form to use, just let the air out and pull it free! and you're right it's been the best use of mine so far! if you'd like to make one, let me know, it's not hard.
mares
All the ponds are fabulous! I'd love any one of them in my yard! Truly!!!
mares - Please post info on how to make yours! I love it!!!! What kind of paint/sealer did you use inside the pond? I have heard that concrete will leach out into the water and possibly poison the fish. Is that true?
Thanks to everyone. Each of us does just a little bit different and I am not above taking a little from and a little from there and little from......
I love everyone's pond.
Christi
Yes, that is calla lilly and it blooms now and then. It is in a water basket with several other kinds of plants. Amazing what will grow directly in water!
I made the ball last summer and kept water in it to leach out the alkali, don't know how long you have to let it sit. but my fish are doing great!
need:
-AR (alkali resistant) fiber tape. I get it at home depot in the plastering products area in the lumber area. it comes in 2" sticky rolls.
-portland cement
-acrylic fortifier-found near the cement stuff
-sand-medium mason sand -- beach or play sand won't have the strength needed (too
smooth)
-brush to spread slurry, I get a chip brush in the paint department also home depot
-rubber gloves
-dust mask
formulas
-slurry:
1 part cement
1 part acrylic fortifier
1/4 part water
-cement
3 parts cement
3 parts sand
1 part acrylic fortifier
1/4 part water
mixture should be rather stiff
1. cover the ball with fiber-tape overlapping 1/2" (leaving part open)
2. slurry - apply in circular motion making sure all areas are well covered. this helps the cement stick
3. apply cement in small handfuls in circular motion pressing in firmly until covered. try to keep tape from sliding around.
4. when finished cover completely with plastic and let sit 24 hrs.
repeat this process. you can take the ball out, after the second cementing. structure won't be too stiff after the first cementing. I balanced the ball on a bucket so that I could work around it. be careful, I dropped mine after the first cementing, full of wet cement and it bounced (yeah...it's a ball) around my garage talk about a mess!!
after you take the ball out you can cement the inside finishing it. after the I balanced it on a bar stool making it easier to finish the outer part. (a 3rd cementing) after the 3rd cementing cover it and let sit for 24 hrs. then keep covered and moist for 5 days.
the first 2 cementings won't completely cover the tape, not to worry the 3rd one will. try to keep it out of the sun and wind, you want it to cure, not dry.
have to confess that it wasn't my first (or even 10th) cement project, but think that anyone should be able to do it.
mares - Wow! That's a very interesting project!!! I don't know if I have the guts to try it, but I sure love how yours looks! Just curious, what is the diameter of the ball you used?
24 or 25 inches. I think I pumped it up pretty good first,
Greyma, your ball water feature is really nice, good work! I would think one could also make it part of a modern waterfall feature by leaving a hole in the back to run a tube from a pump the water could spill out into a larger water garden. Just a idea.
Greyma, I love that. That is amazing. I may have to try it.
