Frog pond

Remember what my garden looked like at the beginning of the year?

Particularly this corner of the garden... it was a messy hodge-podge of stones, grasses, weeds and clumps of overcrowded iris bulbs everywhere...

Then, I started pulling it all out... cleaning, removing, sweating in the midst of winter, and such... that's when it occurred to me to build a little POND in remembrance of the one we had at the little white cottage.

I could not dig a hole as deep as I would had wanted it; nor hire some professionals to do the work at that time, I could not bring out electricity to include a pump either or ask anyone for help, but I did what I could, and I so love the end results!

First, I removed all weeds and grasses growing in that space.  I also removed all that jumble of irises that were growing there along with all that grass, then I made the hole as deep as I could and double covered it with some extra strong trash bags that I later reinforced using some big rocks I had previously collected while camping.  

I placed some of the rock around the bags/pond liner to support it and scattered the rest of the rocks around the little pond for a natural feel and look.  Three bags of river rocks from Lowes covered the emptied spaces between the larger rocks, and then I planted some groundcover (my favorite Creeping Jenny) around everything, and finally filled up the pond (or is it more like a reflecting pool?) with water.  

Elephant Ears are also growing there too to mimic that other pond of my yesterday.  They will be all out by the end of summer, which is the usual time they grow around here. The sprinklers made sure the little pond never goes dry and keep the water moving regularly.  Somehow, the water has kept free from algae and mosquitos.  I can’t tell how this is happening, but I’m not complaining either.

   

My little pond has been through a slow transformation all throughout our spring and summer—more rocks, more littler frog-friends, different kind of flowers surrounding it as seasons progress and the garden changes with the ritual of perennials coming and going—snowball viburnum, daylilies, Shasta daisies…  my little pond is now officially called “Frog Pond”, and I love it so much! 

My only regret is, not having used a real pond liner, like I'd have preferred.  Or better yet, one of those heavy-duty Density Polyethylene pond liner.  They won't rust, dent, crack or tear and their scalloped shelves can hold plants, rocks, etc.  The trash bags wasn't my idea, and it wasn't a good idea either.  But I guess I have the Fisherman to blame him for! Eventually, I will have to remove everything and replace the trash bags and start right again, as I should had from the beginning.  

By the time my Elephant Ears grow to a proper high, it will be time to take them out of the ground again for winter!  Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore!  Buah!

I'm so loving it!

   

One day I will have a 'real' pond again, but in the mean time, I'm loving this one!  Now, let's see, what else can I come up with next? Oh I know!  This garden needs a cat!

Hope you're having a wonderful 4th of July, my friends!