starting over

Pond makeover time!

There's never a great time to strip a pond out and start again.

But August is probably as good as it gets.

Aquatic plants are usually very vigorous. They need to know who's boss or they will take over the pond, leaving insufficient room for invertebrates, fish and amphibians. This pond had been left to its own devices for too long. Bog bean had taken over and the liner was punctured. Time to start again!!!!!

Here we have removed all the pond plants, scoped out the gunk and reshaped the levels so that plants can be conveniently placed onto shelves in containers.

The area at the front is for submerged gravel.







The finished pond was completed cheaply and using reused materials.

• The old liner was reused as under liner preventing sharp stones puncturing.
• A piece of surplus liner was used as the new liner.
• The old pebbles were dredged out and washed and reused as the shingle 'beach'. The paving stones were simply lifted from the old pond and then used again.
• The sand was surplus from another job - as was the cement.

Although quite naked at the moment, when the pond plants have been reintroduced it will look as good as new. Hopefully it will be a great place for birds to drink and to bathe and home for frogs, newts and dragonflies.