Pond Chronicles

Morning in the Garden of Good and Evil

2011-02-21T10:48:00.016-05:00

I will start my story by telling you about a loud bang that brought me out of a deep sleep this morning. As it only partially woke me up I went back to sleep, but only to be disturbed by another loud bang a few minutes later. As I lay there coming to, I started thinking...what were those noises? They didn't sound like any of those noises I knew--you know, the ones you get used to after 18 years of living in one place.

So as the imagination goes, the more I searched that check list in my mind, the more I convinced myself that this noise was totally unique. It didn't qualify as my husband closing the basement door, it didn't qualify as the cat jumping off the counter, and it wasn't a bird hitting the window. It actually sounded like someone breaking into our basement! So just because it is possible that someone could break into our house, not because it was probable, I got up and slowly looked out the windows, then started creeping around the house to investigate. As I got out to the living room I heard another sound, and started to get a bit scared....well, you how it goes! And I thought about all the bad possibilities that could be associated with these strange noises.

But as I entered the kitchen, out the window was a sight to see! Around fifty Robins were bathing in the waterfall. Not only were there so many Robins (screaming spring in my face) there were a couple Cedar Waxwings and Bluebirds. My two favorite birds! And then two Cardinals mated just a few feet from me, a sight I had never seen before. It was amazing! In an instant my world was transformed from one of foreboding to one full of all-good-things. Was God telling me the world is a loving place?

You can see the Cedar Waxwings on the left.

Thinking on it, I realized a Robin had probably never hit our window before; they don't come to the bird feeder. And they just make a louder sound than smaller birds I guess. It's sad to think about, but in the pandemonium of all those birds competing for the water, a couple had flown into the glass making my evil noises. But I think they were OK; I did not see any casualties on the ground.

I took a few pictures through the window and screen, fearful that I might scare them away. I think they could see me, and I never got one with all of them there. And now I am waiting to see if the Cedar Waxwings will flock en mass to take their turn at the waterfall. Just about every year during the transition of the seasons they stop by. And boy that is a sight to see. They are beautiful birds! As many as 100 have crowded the waterfall at a time. I will try to get pictures, but that is not the easiest thing to do. Birds do fly away. (But I promise, it's not like the fish that got away!)

Oh, Spring. You will return!

A New Year, New Promise

2011-02-18T18:48:00.002-05:00

I love this time of year when we begin to experience the promise of Spring. Here in Virginia we have had several warm days, culminating with today in the mid-70's! It's early to start up the pond, but the water in the large pool is greenish-brown, murky, and algae is starting to grow on the surface already. I couldn't stand the thought of the fish not getting enough oxygen, so today I started the water flowing again even though the small pool at the top of the waterfall still had ice in it.

We are supposed to get a few more cold days in the next couple weeks, but I noticed on the weather report that it will only be one cold day at a time surrounded by several warm days on either side. So around 3:00 pm I began the interesting process of bringing the pond back to life.

First I spent a good while scooping out as much of the stagnant water and muck from the little pools in the waterfall. There are three or four small pools at descending levels along the length of it. This is the first time in four years that I have removed stones and actually scooped everything out in the waterfall. Last year was the first year I cleaned out the small pool at the top, and I wanted to do it again, but the ice sheet was stuck to the bottom. There was no way to get it out to access the muck. So instead I just took a hammer and chipped enough away to remove the hose, then laid it on top of the ice sheet to be ready for the flow of water from the pump. If there had been fish in the pool, I would not have been able to use a hammer. (Banging ice with something hard can kill the fish underneath it.)

With the waterfall sufficiently cleaned (I figured what I did was better than the usual nothing, so felt good about it), I went about resurrecting the filter from the garage, where it had been waiting since last fall after I pulled it out of the ground and cleaned it out.

It is always an interesting experience starting up a pond, and you never know how it is going to go. There are always unforeseen problems that have to be solved! You might compare it to starting up a car after it has sat for a year or so.

After inserting the filter pads into the cannister, and scooping out debris and dirt from the hole in the ground where the filter goes, I placed it down in there and reattached the hoses. These hoses are buried in the ground--one comes from pump in the bottom of the pond, and one goes to the top of the waterfall. Last year I had a small leak where one hose joins the filter, so I expected that to probably happen again.

Instead, water started flowing out everywhere, in great quantities, from the top of the filter! This is an area that houses the UV light, so it is not supposed to get wet! Of course I quickly unplugged the pump to stop the water flow. First I thought the hose to the top of the waterfall was clogged with ice, causing too much pressure to build up in the filter. So I took a long time finding an auxilerary length of hose and hose fitting to route the water directly back into the big pool at the bottom, instead of going to the top of the waterfall. No easy task--finding an old filter with a spare hose fitting, sawing off the hose fitting to the correct diameter, installing the auxilerary hose, sealing with teflon tape. Finally it was done, but when I plugged in the pump again, the exact same thing happened!

After quickly unplugging the pump and thinking a bit, I realized it was possible something was broken inside the filter part that housed the UV light, or perhaps I didn't re-assemble it correctly last fall after I cleaned it, causing water to leak through. So I pulled the top of the filter out of the ground, unattached the hoses, and brought it inside along with the old filter I had. I wanted to compare the two to see if anything was different. Each UV light is secured by 10 or 12 screws. Once both were apart, I realized I did not have the crystal sleeve that protects the UV lamp seated down far enough, and water was getting though. Mystery solved!!

Finally I reconnected the filter to the hoses in the ground, once again plugged in the pump, and watched to see if it would happen again. No massive water leak! But I still have the regular leak from the hose fittings. I replaced some of the old teflon tape, and the leak reduced to a slower dripping. But by this time it was getting dark, and it is good enough until I have time to work on it some more!

An afternoon's work is rewarding! Water is flowing yet again! Tomorrow the pond water will hopefully be clear, and the fish must feel better with the increased oxygen. I also put a couple enzyme packets in the pond a couple days ago to help break down leaves and twigs that snuck into the pond despite the net that was covering it since last fall.

However, I don't expect much more to happen in the way of the pond coming to life until after a few more weeks. The water looked like it was around 40 degrees--still pretty cold (the thermometer was covered with algae). And I noticed in this blog that I did not start up the waterfall last year until March 14. The first fish feeding was March 22. So that is long time yet. But I think it is safe to have the water flowing, as I do not think the waterfall will freeze this time of year.

So I'm happy--I hope the fish are happy, and I think the family will also be happy. I know the birds will be happy--they love to drink and bathe in the waterfall. The frogs will be happy. Soon they will start becoming more active--they do not like having a net on the pond.

Will add photo tomorrow when it get's light! Ta-Ta!

Dog Days

2010-07-10T10:18:00.004-04:00

Well, we're officially in them--the dog days of summer! And this summer it's especially doggy, with these 100 degree temps for a week or more and no rain! The pond garden is leggy and brownish, but it's still my love. The water lilies exploded this year thanks to the fertilizing, but the Water Hyacinths are again small and turning brown, from a combination of high PH and fish eating their roots. If all goes according to history, I will be pulling them out soon!

Even though I haven't posted in a while, I have been taking pictures all along. So here are some of them, with a wide shot the pond this morning. We finally got a big rain--so thankful! But now plants are flattened in addition to being leggy and brown!! LOL

Cardinal taking a bath with frog nearby.

Native Daylilies just beginning to bloom.

My son, Foster, took these of the bull frog and the Red Bellied Woodpeckers. They are an adult male and his juvenile. He is feeding his baby on a tree near the pond with black oil sunflower seeds from the bird feeder.

More Photos!

2010-06-04T12:23:00.004-04:00

I am loving this! Getting more involved, delving deeper into photography. These will be best enjoyed by clicking on them to see in full size. :-)

Wet Photography!

2010-06-02T17:28:00.001-04:00

Hello there! We're entering the dog days of summer, as far as the pond garden is concerned. With the end of the Iris season, comes long hot days, too much shade, and the garden begins to turn into a jungle. We are still waiting for the commencement of Daylily blooms, which should occur soon.

However, I have been occupying my time (along with watering the bog) by attacking the pond and garden with my camera. Here are a few shots you might enjoy!

Taking Stock, Getting Ready to Say Goodbye

2010-05-21T12:44:00.008-04:00

Our faithful friends of the garden are getting ready to say goodbye. My garden peaks in May, so after the Irises fade, there is not much left to look forward to. The Pitcher Plants will grow bigger, the Liatris will spike up and flop over, the Purple Loosestrife will tower over the garden bench with all it's menace, the Coral Bells will struggle against the aggressive Mint, the native Daylilies will shoot up five foot tall flower stalks, the ornamental Daylilies will put in an appearance, and there are one or two plants whose names I don't remember. But nothing comes close to the splendor of the spring blossoms.

So I say good bye to these perennial pals: the purple Iris above...

The Yellow Flag Iris...

The Japanese Iris...

The plant which I only remember it's cultivar name: Alba...

My one Peony boom, although she is just beginning to open, and there is one more on the way....

But the pond itself remains always, supporting my Koi, Comets, and Shubumkins. The fish, the fish--it was always about the fish anyway.

Please do continue to visit. I will continue to post pictures to show the entire life and times of this pond in Virginia! :-)

Wildlife Gone Wild!

2010-05-15T16:06:00.000-04:00

I'll start this post with a couple pictures of birds, because the most incredible thing just happened to me involving a bird. (It wasn't a Cardinal though). The Cardinal pictured above, however, sat in the garden for several minutes today all puffed out, and wings fanned out, acting like it either 1) just took a bath and was drying in the sun 2) was trying to attract a mate or 3) was a baby and wanted it's parent to feed it. Mystery was not solved. The bottom pic is of a Red Bellied Woodpecker. This one is using a special technique for splitting sunflower seeds: wedge it in the corner of the bird feeder post, then peck it. This is the same bird I see every year, or perhaps the descendants of the parent who first learned this trick and taught it to it's young.

But let me recount to you what just happened a few moments ago! I was lying in the warm afternoon sun on the chaise lounge on my deck--just to take a break and soak up the sun for a few minutes. Birds are very comfortable around our deck, because the bird feeder, bird bath, and water garden are just adjacent. Every year Wrens make nests in our hanging baskets. So when I heard a bird fluttering around the deck, I said to myself, "hold still and see how close it comes". Well, I did hold still, and with my sunglasses on it was not evident that I was a living human being. The bird, or birds, kept fluttering closer and closer. At one point I spied it hovering about five feet above me, and thought it was a Cardinal, but I couldn't get a good look. Soon I heard them hopping on and off the furniture. And then, one landed on the cushion of my lounge near the back of my head, flying off, then coming back again. Then, low and behold...it started yanking strands of hair off my head!! I thought "Wow! I can't believe this is actually happening!" It did cross my mind that they would be attracted to the hair, but I didn't imagine they would do it. Well, I think there were two...as one yanked off a few strands and fly away, another would land right away and yank some more. Soon, there was just too much yanking and I was afraid they would take too much of my hair away, so I slowly moved my head back to see if I could get a glimpse of them. They were slow to realize what was happening, and I was able to see that they were a couple Titmouse! I was very surprised, as I thought they would have been Wrens. They confusingly hopped on the nearby deck furniture, then the railing, then the roof, each time looking down at me wondering what was going on. It was simply amazing! And no, I did not get pooped on. LOL!

The fish were very active this morning. They come to me like in this picture now whenever I approach the pond. Their appetites are waking up.

As for the frogs, have we been enjoying their antics as well! This very large common pond frog (don't know it's real name) sits out at the upper pool with it's younger relatives.

And now for the Bullfrog! This is the photo I took the other day, the one where I didn't realize I had caught a picture of the Bullfrog. This was especially exciting because I had not bee able to see him, he is so elusive. But later in the day, when I was sneaking out to take pics of the regular frogs above, about half way through the photo session, I noticed a blob on the far side of the pond wall. I looked and it was the Bullfrog frozen halfway up the rocks, where he had been climbing out of the pond! It was awesome. He stayed there like that for several minutes until a squirrel came over and caused him to jump back into the pond.

Earlier in the day I watched as two very young squirrels explored the garden and the waterfall. It's amazing how just through observation you can learn so much. You can tell by the antics of an animal that it is young and everything is new to them. I also enjoy watching young families of birds. They act like juveniles, even demanding that their parents feed them.

About the same time as the young squirrels explored, two Chipmunks scurried around, chasing each other over phlox and garden bench. It was almost a regular wrestling match!

Everything in this post happened in two days. Things are getting wild in the garden!

Pics in the Morning Light

2010-05-12T09:54:00.000-04:00

One thing I am learning is there is nothing that influences photography or art more (other than it's subject) than light. Time of day makes a huge difference in the appearance of your subject in photography. This brings back to mind the instructions of my Photography instructor in college...take your pictures in the early morning or in the late afternoon. I heard it but I didn't want to pay attention to it. It is important!

The first pic is what greets us as we exit our back door. I just love drinking in that view. And the bench is always inviting us to indulge in a short reverie that slows your heart beat and lifts your spirits by communing with flora and fish. Every day brings something new in the garden...discoveries are always waiting, and re-occurrences, like old standbys, remind you of that which is dependable in life.

Iris and Pitcher Plant Season!

2010-05-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

Now the garden is coming into it's own, and spruced up with a fresh coat of mulch. At the bottom of the pic is where I plant herbs every year. What a joy having fresh herbs is!

The Catmint is happy, and of course, the irises steal the show around Mother's Day.

Happy Irises--almost too happy. I had to stake so many blooms for the first time this year--not sure why! Near them are Spring Phlox (wild).

Now to my pride and joy--the Pitcher Plants! How lovely and unique they are, especially this time of year when they are blooming. Don't they look prehistoric? I think they are really strange. And you can just see the first pitchers coming up. They will continue to grow taller, and then form pitchers that catch insects that they consume for the protein they need. I just love the flowers though.

These are the red flowers from a short variety--I wish I could remember the name. The shape of the pitchers are completely different.

Here you can see the bog garden on the right side of the pond. I am sad about the Yellow Flag Irises (in pond) that I had to divide at the absolute worst time--just as they were starting to bloom. But they were floating out of their pots, which had no planting medium left in them, and were so overgrown. I had to wrestle and chop and rip apart them and the planting basket that they were intangled in. Plus they are so heavy! I was feeling it for days!

I thought I divided them last fall, but I don't know... It's not working too well. They are the plants in the pond that are flopping over. Last week I divided them and planted about half in a wet land garden on the left side of the pond. They work better in the ground as seen here in this pic, but they are normally so lovely and vigorous in the pond too. In front is a peony that is loving life. Looking forward to it's blooms!

Now to the Mint. Well, the Mint...what can I say. Marching onward to dominantion, manifest destiny, to rule the world. It's still attractive at this stage, but will be really tall and leggy soon. I will cut it back big-time in mid summer. Lovely fragrance though. And we have made some great Mint Juleps with them! The Pacasandra (bottom of pic) is also loving life, and is relatively well-behaved. :-)

This plant is one of my favorites every year. Needs a well-drained soil. I mixed sand into their holes when I planed them, but lost one to fungus last year. :-(

This is an extremely large variety of Hosta (two plants here in this pic). I just love it, and it has been in this spot for about 15 years. But it has been this large all along of course. It faithfully comes back every spring, and I have not done a thing to it. I would love to find another one, but I have a feeling it must be some kinds of heirloom variety?

And I shall leave you with another pic of the fabulous Pitcher Plants. :-)

The Glory of Spring

2010-04-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

Oh, the glory! Spring brings the best time for our pond garden. The Phlox is in all it's splendor. The Ajuga is blooming as well--too bad the blight decimated a large portion of the Ajuga bed (left side of photo above). The Yellow Flag Irises in the water are doing their best, despite that they need re-potting yet again! I divided them in the fall, but they are floating out of their planters, hence the one in the foreground that is askew. (I need to find another planting medium.) The bench is waiting to offer some quite contemplation, which it provides to great satisfaction. I love this time of
year!

See the lovely (not) Mint's habit of spreading into unwanted places. It is in the middle of this photo, sprouting where I don't want it to grow. The Phlox and Moneywort are almost equal competitors, making the task of keeping the Mint in check a bit easier. I pull these babies out asap when they stray. Sometimes I wonder if my neighbor bearing gifts had something sinister in mind when he said "Every garden needs some mint"! LOL

This picture gives a foreshadow of the summer months to come. You can almost see how the pond area becomes quite jungle-like. To come by June are very tall Mint stands, and very, very tall native Daylily blossoms. Also what I believe is a variety of Purple Loosestrife--an outlaw plant given to me by my sister. It springs up behind the bench to five feet tall. I do my best to keep it from spreading by pruning blossoms before they go to seed.

Our Japanese Maple is seeing happy days! After 10 years of existing in the deep shadow of the north side of our house, my son and I transplanted it to this spot when we built the pond. At that time it was just a very thick trunk with a few spindly branches. It is now fulfilling it's destiny, filling out nicely. Underneath is this year's crop of wild strawberry. I sometimes don't know what to do with that plant. I am torn between letting it be or pulling it out. It has crowded out the Rose Mallow this year. But neither variety is one of my favorites....so the jury is out.

One of my faves: Pitcher Plants in the bog! The progress of their flowering continues onward. These flower shoots will grow to almost two feet high, then blossom into fantastic, prehistoric-looking forms.

I don't believe I have showed you the actual drain yet. This is how we drain the sludge from the bottom of the pond.

The Daylilies are marching onward! Very vigorous and never a care.

Sadly, the Japanese Irises seem to be declining. It has only been three years or so, but possibly they need dividing already. I am not a good divider. Don't like to do it, and do not have much experience. The Daylilies will move on in if given the chance.

We love the pond's frogs almost as much as the fish! Sadly, every year there are also Garter Snakes who eat the frogs. This year Doug and Foster caught five snakes and re-located them to a nearby creek. Hopefully the frogs will re-group after the assault from the large amount of snakes and the water freezing in the upper pool last winter.

I hope you have enjoyed a look at this stage of Pond Chronicles! The garden peaks in May, when the Irises and Pitcher Plants bloom. Don't miss it!!!

Have a wonderful week.

Spring is Springing!

2010-04-05T16:23:00.000-04:00

The ugly duckling is growing into her perennial swan! What a heart warming sight to see this re-birth every year around Easter time. Notice how choppy the water looks. That's because the fishes are so active, they are churning up the water!

This is even after I stupidly left the hose on all night after I was refilling the 15% water volume that we flushed out through the bottom drain last evening. The best laid plans! Everything to save the fish from getting stressed--all for naught! They ended up getting treated to a drastic temp drop from the flood of well water (although being early spring the drop was not as much as it would have been later in the summer). Also disturbed was probably the ph value and the displacement of beneficial bacteria-laden water. Well, every time this happens (which is too often, since I must have ADD) I worry for the fish, but they are always resilient.

That's Davis in the foreground. He loves the pond area as much as we do, and often basks in the sun on the bench. Today, though, he wouldn't sit still for his photo shoot. Darned cat! Our Labrador Retriever, Mattie, generally stays out of the pond area, due to her congenial personality and being scolded a couple times in the beginning, for stepping on baby plants.

Davis sometimes gazes at the fish, but interestingly he never tried to catch them, even when they were very small. I love how that shadow makes me look really thin. ;-)

"What are you doing, Mama? Are you going to pounce on me??" To the right of the stepping stone is Moneywort, to the left Creeping Thyme.

"I like this seat, but since you are moving around, I'm not staying here."

"Yes, I'm the king of the pond area."

Here is the bog, newly uncovered from the pile of oak leaves I bedded it down with last fall. With the harsh winter we had, I'm glad they had the insulation. In the bog, are Pitcher Plants, Sundews, and Venus Flytraps. All are carnivorous perennials and treat us to much entertainment every year. The plants above the bog are Chocolate Ajuga, the plant that was so devastated by blight last year. I had to keep pulling out wilted sections all the way up until frost. I hope the blight does not return. I am going to try dividing and replanting to fill in the spaces, and at the same time aerate within the bed to discourage the fungus. In between the stepping stones are Phlox and Creeping Thyme (which is growing around the stepping stones all over the area).

I cut off the old pitchers last year, and you can just see some new flowers starting to sprout. Wait till you see what they end up looking like! Check back around Mother's Day for that. The red spots you see are also a type of fungus. Unfortunately, the pitchers are inflicted by this spot every year.

You've probably noticed a lot of this plant in the photos so far. It is Phlox that is planted around the perimeter of the pond., and is so lovely in full bloom.

The mound-type plants in the foreground are Catmint. They are very vigorous and get big, but it's nice because they are clumpy in their spreading habit, unlike the regular mint on the other side of the pond. You can see the irises starting to grow as well. There is still a good amount of ground space I need to fill in with sun-loving plants. However, this area is near the birdfeeder, which results in the ground getting littered with sunflower hulls, which then inhibits plant growth.

Here are the Day Lilies, and a Japanese Maple just starting to leaf out. Hope you enjoyed this latest saga in Pond Chronicles!

First Feeding

2010-03-22T12:51:00.000-04:00

Thunder was ringing out as I approached the pond a few moments ago to attempt the first feeding. I still need to take the heater out and there are leaves on top of the water, which is a no-no!

The fish were up and nibbling at the rocks, which is why I knew it was time. Also, the water temp has been above 50 for a few days now. In this picture here, they have not seen me yet. Rain was starting to come down, but here you see all five of my lovely Koi (plus one leaf).

When I approached, they dove below the surface, but I threw a few Cherrios in anyway, confident that they would reconsider, as they were appearing hungry. Water temp was 55 degrees.

"Stripes", who I deem to be the matriarch, soon came to lunch, followed by the whole hungry bunch! Thus resumed the feeding ritual we will enjoy almost every day until winter. They will only get Cherrios for the first few feedings, or until the water temps reach a stable moderate temp. Then I will switch to Immune Boosting Spring Koi Food, then to Summer Staple when it is really hot. By the time I took the last picture it was really starting to pour, so I ran away without scooping out the leaves. I'm a bad girl. (But I will do it soon.)

Enjoy!

Sinister Tree Frog

2010-03-18T22:24:00.000-04:00

For those of you who love frogs, or ever went through the amphibian/reptile phase with a child, you will love this! (Slightly related to Ponds....) ;-)

Mystery Solved!

2010-03-17T16:03:00.000-04:00

Say hello to my babies! The water is very clear now, and you can see all the way to the bottom. The fish are probably not too happy about this, but usually there is no one to bother them. You can see that my plants are still submerged. Soon I will pull them up, and drain about 10 percent of the water from the bottom drain, to try to get debris and any sludge off the bottom. That combined with beneficial bacteria that I add will keep things healthy.

Here are some more pics of my babies. (well, they're not babies, but you know...)

Guess what? I already had my first mystery, and yes, it was"Why is the water level falling so fast?" The water level had dropped about five inches since I started up the pump. I filled it way up, actually till it was overflowing because I forgot to turn off the hose (Happens more than I like to admit). The next day, water level has dropped another two inches.

Interestingly, an employee at Blue Ribbon Koi said to think about the possibility of the liner getting punctured by the weight of all the heavy snow and ice over the winter. This is not a happy prospect. But I was hoping it was just the usual--the sides of the upper pool and waterfall sinking. I spent the last couple days poking around the edges, trying to find an obvious breach but to no avail. Was going to enlist the help of my husband Doug to move some of the bigger rocks.

Well, you know how when you just go about other tasks that also need to be done, you sometimes solve the previous problem? That's what happened. The large ornamental grass, I think Maiden Hair, needed her haircut badly, so this afternoon I gave it to her. This brought me closer to my filter and there it was---the water is leaking out between the fitting from the hose to the filter. Mystery solved! But Hubby still has to help me repair the leak. Probably just use teflon tape, or silicone gel, but sometimes I just like to have company. You can see the water leaking out pretty fast.

The other task I did today was clear away some more dead plant material, especially from the irises. I found that their rhizomes were indeed damp from leaves and dead plants, so I think it was a good thing to do, even though we are likely to get some frost still. I hope I made the right decision.

I have a new theory about clearing debris. If it comes off from the base of the plant easily, then it is definitely time to remove it. For my native Daylilies, I am feeling like I need to leave the dead leaves on a little longer. They will act as a naturally occurring mulch to protect from frost, as they are already sprouting too. But they bloom later than the irises, AND their dead leaves are still firmly attached to the base. I do a lot of cleaning up in the fall, so it's a little confusing to know what to do, especially since I did not want the Irish Potato Blight to overwinter in the debris.

These irises will grow into healthy, purple-blossomed beauties by Mother's Day. And here you can see their rhizomes that like air and sun.

Hope Springs Eternal!

2010-03-14T19:23:00.000-04:00

Water is flowing! Here is the result of the work I described in my first post. I went out with my camera because first sign of life was spotted! A spring bull frog moved in and took up residence in the large pool. He sits beside the red floating heater. It is there to keep a breathing hole in the ice in winter, so the fish can get oxygen and an exchange of gases can occur. I should probably take the heater out now, but the fish are enjoying the warm the water near it, but soon it will have to go.

Too bad I did not have a more powerful zoom lens, as the frog jumped in the water when I got too close. Hopefully I will capture him before he moves on, which he will most likely do soon. A bull frog appeared last spring also (same one?) but he moved on after a couple weeks. Bull frogs must be a harbinger of spring.

The other signs of life are the koi and goldfish that are now swimming at the surface and hanging out near the heater. This is the reason the bullfrog hangs out there also. He is probably eating the small fry (baby fish) which is fine with me! If they all grew up they would quickly overwhelm the pond with waste. You can not see the fish in these photos because it is early spring, and they are still very shy. They drive to the bottom whenever a figure approaches.

There are probably 50 or more fish in the pond, believe it or not. But only five Koi. The pond can only support these five Koi by the time they are full grown. The rest of the fish are Shubumkins and Goldfish (probably Comets), all except two have spawned in the pond from eggs that arrived with pond plants. You can just make out a couple koi on the bottom edge of the pond pics.

The water level is a bit low but I thought it was going to rain a lot this weekend, and wanted rain water to fill it up. Since it didn't, I will use the hose. The waterfall is running a bit slow as well. I have not figured out why yet.

With a pond, there is always a mystery to solve. Usually it is, "Why is the water level dropping so fast?" The answer will be found on the edges of the waterfall or top pool where the water level is very close to the top of the liner. The soil under it will occasionally sink. Every year, I will search for these areas and easily fix them. The waterfall may be running slow because of something clogging the pump that is submerged in the bottom of the pond, or there may be a leak in the hose fittings at the filter. I have not double checked these things yet. Hopefully it is not that my pump is wearing out! However, the pump did stop a few times last year because of calcium deposits were built up on the impeller. The nice man at Harper's Lawn Ornaments took it apart and cleaned it for me last year. I may have to pull it up and take the pump apart to inspect this again and soak it in vinegar.

You can see the thyme plants are already starting to grow back in between the stepping stones. On the bottom right of the photo above is lovely pink Phlox, which will bloom very early in spring. Across the pond you can just make out where the bog garden lies. The bog is filled with carnivorous plants. As spring progresses, beautiful Pitcher Plants will spring up - first their prehistoric looking flowers, then the pitchers themselves. Also Venues Flytraps and Sundews.

Next the many Irises will take over--beautiful, two-toned, purple Bearded Irises and also Yellow and Blue Flag pond irises, which thrive both in the water and also in a wetland area. They take over very quickly, so if anyone wants some, please let me know! I also have Japenese Irises.

Towards summer the Catmint and regular Mint will flourish, and many summer bulbs. I will cut the regular Mint back severely by July. Water Lilies will sprout from their pans in the bottom of the pond by summer. I have a little trouble getting my pond plants to thrive because the PH of the pond is a bit too high--about 8.4ppm. There seems to be no way to get the PH to come down into the 7's range. But the fish are happy. There is also a bit too much shade. But the fish are happy!

Here is the retaining wall that my husband Doug built. If you look at the hillside and imagine the line of the slope you will begin to understand how many loads of dirt we brought in. Probably 15-20 regular-sized pickup beds worth. Can't quite remember, but it was a lot.

The whole back side of the garden area near the retaining wall is planted with native, orange Day Lilies. I still need to rake out the old vegetation. It is also past time to cut back the ornamental grass, but not too late. There are many other plants that I have not mentioned yet--mainly because I can't remember everything that is in there!

I think by now you have a good understanding of the bones of our pond, and will know what to look forward to in my posts as spring and summer go on! I am open to answering any questions you may have. Ask away, and I will do my best to answer with the knowledge I have accumulated over these four years. Looking forward to hearing your comments. You can also sign up to follow this blog using Google Reader, which is very handy if you like to follow several blogs at once. I am starting to do this myself and it is very enjoyable to check in and see what people have posted. :-)

See you next time!
Sally

Slumbering Still

2010-03-12T14:59:00.000-05:00

What was once piled high with fluffy white snow and thick ice (just a couple weeks ago) is now an ugly mix of brown and gray. It is hard to believe that this ugly duckling transforms into a beautiful swan of a koi pond and garden every year. It brings me such joy to watch this rebirth every year, that I decided to start a blog to share it with the rest of humanity. (Isn't the internet wonderful?)

I believe this will be the fourth year of owning our pond. My husband and I created it on the side of a hill outside our back door. We can see it from the kitchen window were we sit to eat breakfast and lunch. There is a birdfeeder and birdbath also nearby. It is a joy to watch our birds, frogs, goldfish, and koi come to life every year.

As all projects go, it became larger and more complicated than we had imagined. So it took about a year to complete it. But the rewards have been immense. We located it on a hillside with the thought that it would require less digging. That was true--there was less digging, but it ended up requiring multiple truck loads of fill dirt and top soil, and eventually a retaining wall. We hired a landscape contractor to bring in about half the fill and begin to form and compact the down-hill side of the pond. After that (which became too expensive) we took over, using our pickup truck and the generosity of nearby housing contractors who gave us soil from the many new housing developments that were springing up in our town back then. Doug was my hero and built the retaining wall out of landscaping timbers. I wish I had photos documenting the construction, but suffice it to say, it was a very difficult job, but an enjoyable one because of the challenge and creativity it offered. I was stronger than I am now, and did a lot of the digging, shaping, and placing of rocks myself. I employed a small amount of help from my kids. I wanted it to be a fun and rewarding family project, but they remember it as a distasteful time when they had to work on the pond only when they couldn't escape it. Of course, I did all of the planting. I bought about 80 bulbs, and neighbors were very generous with their donations of their divided perennials and even water lilies!

The project was not without it's aches and pains. But I am so thankful we did it. The water turned 50 degrees a few days ago and the fish were starting to come to the surface. That's when I knew it was time to re-install the above ground filter and submersed pump. But before doing that I removed the netting that was there to catch leaves from the fall. This was the first year I had left the netting on all year, and I sorely regret doing that. It was left on because winter came so early last year--first snow storm Dec. 19th. The snow covered the netting, and everything froze to it, so I just left it there. But yesterday when we went to start up the pond again, we found four dead frogs in the upper pool. This has never happened before. I guess the net trapped them in the five inches of frozen water. Every other year, they must have found suitable places to hibernate.

For the first time I completely emptied and cleaned out part of the pond. It was the upper pool, and being so small it was not that big of a deal. The water was oil black as I was scooping it, and there was a good amount of sludge accumulated on the bottom. It felt good to get all that rotten egg stuff out of there. Installed the filter and pump--no problems. And now the waterfall is running.

The fish are up, and hopefully in a few days the water will be clear. No feeding for a while yet though. Next I will continue to clean up dead plant material from last year. Did most of it in the fall but there is more. I do not want a return of the Irish Potato Blight that attacked many of my plants last year. I hope the summer to come is not so wet.

Soon irises will be sprouting and our beautiful bog plants also. Whenever there is new life in the pond area, I will make a new post so you can follow along in the Pond Chronicles! Look forward to seeing you then!

-Sally