Guest MOLLY Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Ive just finished making a pond in the garden, and need to know what i can best do to make it wildlife friendly. What plants i need to put in etc. MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest fuzzylampkin Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Do you have any problems with herons where you are Molly my mum lost a couple of koi, had to put a net over to stop the the sods! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Ive seen a Heron on the local pond. Im not going to keep any fish Fuzzy. My plan is to get the pond established enough for next spring, so i can get some tadpoles etc from the local pond as it drys up and goes stagnate in the summer. Thinking along the lines the frogs and toads will help keep the slugs down in the garden Im hoping the dogs presence will help keep the heron at bay. MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
byron 1,093 Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 best plant for newts to breed in is [myosotis]water forget me not .its out in flower now grows on the margins dykes/rivers etc expensive to buy at garden centres so get out looking if you want to save money Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Brilliant, thanks for that. Is this it... Ill def keep my eyes open for it. Ive been to the local pond and got a bucket of jet black stagnate water with the cress stuff etc in it. Hopefully this should have some pond life i need to get going. MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J Darcy 5,871 Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 MY advice is never let any duck weed get in your pond. plenty of shallows as that is where the warm water will hatch the newt eggs. If your down my neck of the woods one spring i can sort you some nexts out. they like broadish leaves for layign eggs on and when they come out of water to hibernate they need logpiles, rockpiles, anywhere really to overwinter..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Thanks Darcy, is it easily removed from the pond now ive put it in? What are the best kind of broad leaves, will they use garden plants like hostas etc? Ive got a rockery and can create log piles for them no probs. The majority of the pond is shallow with one third of it going deeper, ive sunk the liner quite deep 3 quarters of the diameter so the water runs out and easy access for creatures. MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hardfeather 56 Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Ponds looking cracking Moll,Darcy's right you want to avoid duckweed but if you've already put some in its a bugger to get rid of you'll need to fish it all out to be truly rid of it yis chris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Bugga, ive got loads of time to sort it..any hint like poison or putting a hole in the liner to drain the water out MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chartpolski 20,409 Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Hi molly, I'm just getting my small pond established. A heron took the first lot of fish I put in, so I got a heron decoy, it seems to work, I've seen a heron on the roofs but it hasn't come down and the new fish are still there ! As for plants; why not put them in thosr plastic baskets available from garden centres, then you can reposition or remove as needed when they expand. Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Never thought to ask yesterday, but why is duckweed so bad? Its on the natural ponds so i thought it must be good for the wildlife I know it gets thick and you have to keep removing it...is that why? Cheers Chartpolski, im not having any fish. What plants benefit the pond rather than just look nice? MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tommy Gunn 0 Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Iris is a good plant for the margins but keep it in a basket as it can multiply a lot, it also adds a bit of height, colour and is somewhere for the dragon fly nymph to climb out via. Oxygenaters are always needed. I also have water hawthorn, not as fancy as the water lilly's but a good native, the leaves float on top with small flowers. This helps to provide shade and stops it all going green. As someone said before logs for the toads and newts to hide in (plus provides loads of food source insects) and make sure the sides are sloped enough for animals to climb out. Looks a nice pool. You can add a few fish if you like, they act as the apex predator and stop the mosquito's becoming a problem, because the mosquito's will be first in to use the new pool and it is good to get them eaten before they leave the water. Good luck hope it all goes well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Im thinking of getting some sticklebacks?.....i can remember catching them as a kid so they must have been in the same ponds as the toads and newts i used to catch? Will they be ok? MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest chilli Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Get one of these little beauts for the pond moll . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MOLLY Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 As someone said before logs for the toads and newts to hide in (plus provides loads of food source insects) Thanks for all that Tommy. Right, the logs, do they have to be right near the pond or will 6-8ft away be ok? MOLL. Get one of these little beauts for the pond moll . Mmm, i have a feeling it might be a tiny bit too big Chilli Although they are very friendly so i could possibly swim with it MOLL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.