Put in a pond?

[Lavender2]

We have finally made the VERY difficult decision to take out our pool.
We've had a pool for 26 years, it was a wonderful asset for my daycare - teaching many kids how to swim, and water safety. The liner needed to be replaced this year and the cost/use factor just wasn't justified... not to mention the pool maintenance crew (ME) had threatened to quit. Our daughter has a pool, and son most likely will put one in soon, so that helped our decision a bit - DH disassembled most of it last weekend.

Anyway, now moving on - DH is imagining grass seed , but yeah he knows better - last year we acquired a bunch of granite cobblestone pavers, I have to do the math yet, but I think enough to do a nice size patio. I also have a preformed pond liner (acquired years ago, but never made it onto the list before) - my son has a filter and pump for me and the power is already there...and I think I want a pond garden.
SO, pond owners out there - how much work is a small pond? Tips?, ideas? photos? (please don't side with DH )

 

[Smart Red]

I don't find my small pond -- just big enough for my son's dog -- to be much of a problem or much work. Although, I do intend to redo the whole thing later this summer to make keeping the weeds down easier by making the edges mow-able.

Mini-papyrus, curly reeds, and two water lilies sit in the water along with a dozen-ish goldfish, an increasing number of different frogs, and lots of toad tadpoles. Occasionally a passing bird will bring in fish eggs that hatch or (once) a blood sucker that faired well until it latched onto me.

Leaves in the fall is my biggest problem -- that and no electricity. . . . yet. . and I do know how to address that if I choose. Of course, I bring the fish inside for the winter. That could be a bit more work if I didn't have the sunroom to winter them in.

Even with your husband's patio taking up part of the space, there is NOTHING so relaxing as the sound of falling water. I love watching the variety of birds attracted to my pond by day and love watching the bats swooping down to get a drink or to catch an insect attracted to the (solar) lights. It is a whole new learning environment for the little ones.

Hopefully, once the pond is redone, we can keep DS's great Dane from jumping in for a dip.

 

[so lucky]

Ooh! I don't have any experience with ponds, but you have my vote! Sometimes things that are a little trouble are well worth it.

 

[canesisters]

humm.... tough decision......... NOT!

I vote yes for the pond.

 

[ducks4you]

I put bricks down at ground level so that I can mow around my beds by running the wheels of my push behind mower right over the bricks. Maybe you could do that at the bottom of your pond? I HATE, HATE, HATE the 5 minutes of work/55 minutes of repair using string trimmers!!!

 

[Smart Red]

I am removing the limestone and putting down a 2-3 foot circle bigger than the pond of river rock over landscape material. Then I will put some type of stepper around the pond edge and bury the same steppers around the outside edges of the rock. Then I can just mow along the steppers to get all the grass.

The falls needs to be redone as well. I do have a solar fountain that recycles the water so that green hose isn't running to the pond all the time.

 

[ducks4you]

It's SO PRETTY!

 

[thistlebloom]

Definitely pond Lavender! But I've never had one and don't have a bit of experience with the upkeep so my vote doesn't carry much weight.
Sounds like a fun project, and one that will require more plants....and that's always a good thing!

 

[Nyboy]

I love my ponds have small one in city and very large natural one in country. Can be a lot of work in begning, if you want fish more work. Once pond has been up and runing only few mintues a week. unlike a garden, the bigger you go the easlier it is to keep. The smaller the pond the less forgiving it is.

 

[Carol Dee]

Since you have most of the big items to get started I say go for it. As for wintering the fish over we put them in a stock tank in the unheated lean to on the garage with a stock tank heater just warm enough that ice does not form.
Our Koi pond is not real big. Rectangular with a small upper pool that flows over a rock ledge into the lower part. It is filtered and sent up onto the deck where is runs out of an antique hand pump into a 1/2 whiskey barrel that then empties into the upper pool. I will try to get a good photo of the set up. It is home to about 6 med/lg Koi and assortment of frogs/toads. Several water lilies and a cattail.
Like Red said it is so relaxing to sit and listen to the water and critters. Although having it right outside the BR the toads do court LOUDLY!