Before July 31, 2012
♥
♥
♥
After August 9, 2012
When I first moved to Texas I had dreams of living near a creek or by a pond and was mildly disappointed that this did not happen. For two years I eagerly attended the Austin Pond tours and enjoyed every minute of it; gathering ideas, tips and inspiration. Ponds bring so much benefit to the wildlife in the area. Birds, insects, reptiles, mammals and amphibians all appreciate the presence of water and I was bound and determined to build one soon.
So this year I was ready to start digging! That’s when I realized that I live in Texas! The place where impervious, rocky caliche soil (if you can even call it soil) makes it impossible to dig garden beds or push a spade into the ground without some kind of heavy machinery behind it. I also realized that it was July in Texas! The place where blistering heat sets in around 10:00 am and you’re bound to be fully cooked by 2 pm. So after laying out the line where the pond will one day be (which had been done many months before)………
my wonderful neighbor came over with his bobcat (a machine truly made by the angels themselves), and dug the hole for us. What a blessed, crazy event that was, and what a mess it left behind!When the crew finally came in, things started to take shape rapidly…
In the picture above you see the edges have been cleaned up and the pond skimmers have found their new homes. Those are the black boxes on diagonal sides of the pond, …..err I mean hole in the ground.They suck the water from the pond,filter it and pump it to wherever you want it to go. In my case it would move it to a large bog garden in the back.
The edges are cleaned up and shaped, and the front edges are lifted and filled in with dirt to make the pond level. Cinder block is brought in to create a shelf on which the pond rocks will sit.
A layer of thick felt is laid down. This protects the pond liner from sharp rocks and roots that might still be sticking out. It was unbelievable how much hotter it got once that black liner was laid down.
The EPDM pond liner is down!
Next MASSIVE rocks are brought in, and laid down onto the liner. These rocks were truly huge! This was one of the reasons I decided to get a professional crew to build the pond for me. I wanted the pond to have large rocks that would give it a more natural look compared to using smaller rocks that had the possibility of looking like a little rock necklace chain around a water hole. There is no way I could have lifted those rocks!
The rocks lined the pond shelf. Since they were so big it was a heck of a job getting them onto the ledge. At one point it took 3 men and some straps to gently lay them in place.
The back raised section you see in the picture below is going to be the bog garden, this will act as the biological filter for the pond and it will be filled with bog plants. Plants are considered one of the best filtration methods nature can provide, as the roots naturally pull the ammonia, nitrogen and impurities out of the water as the water flows over them. It also provides a great ecosystem for the local wildlife. The bog garden gets built just like a pond does, but is raised above ground with rocks and then covered in a liner.
In the bog several pipes that lead the water from the skimmers into the bog garden are laid into the bottom of the bog and a layer of grating is then set down over it, supported by cinder blocks. This grating prevents the bog garden substrate (small rocks) from falling into the bottom and blocking the water flow.
The pond liner gets tucked back over the rocks for the bog. In the picture below you can see the completed bog on the right with the rocks having been mortared into the side so the water can flow down into the pond again without spilling out. This is the pond halfway full.
Below is the filled pond, with several water lilies already in it. The bog is ready for plants and this was the day I had been waiting for! My favorite part of the project had arrived – plant shopping!! 😀 And what a wonderful day it was. I bought 23 different bog plants and we spent the afternoon and evening digging holes in the stones to planting them.
Here’s a closer view of the plants in the bog. Overtime they should grow and fill in the area.
The completed pond. Since it is way too hot at this time (102 degrees in the shade), and any plants I put in the ground are bound to frizzle and die, I will be doing that wonderful plant shopping thing again in late September to fill the side gardens with plants. This pond receives a healthy mixture of sun and shade at various times of the day and I think it will be very conducive to happy plant life. 🙂
It was amazing how fast some wildlife moved in. Water striders were already on the half filled pond about 20 minutes after the water showed up. I still have no clue where the heck they came from.
And the dragon flies immediately moved in too. I can’t wait to see what shows up next.
In the meantime I will enjoy all the wonderful colors the tropical water lilies are already providing. The water running down the bog back into the pond provides a meditative zen-like atmosphere and in the evenings it is just magical.
I am so happy I finally have a pond!!!
Thank you! The guys that built this were excellent. And respectful of my wishes not to disturb too many tree roots and wildlife. They did an amazing job. It was very hot and we kept them hydrated. It got especially hot after the black liner was put in. Some Gulf Coast toads would crawl in there at night (like it was some kinda club or bar) and then could not get out.( Too hung over I’m sure.) Every morning before the sun hit the liner I had to go in there and rescue the toads before they baked in the heat of the liner/sun. Everybody was happy when the water was delivered.
Oh and it took literally less than 20 minutes after the pond was filled for water striders to show up. There is no water around my property and I have NO idea where they came from or how they knew this water was there. Nature is smarter than we think.
I cannot tell you how envious I am!! Again, on the edge of my chair through every word from start to finish. I have never observed the building of a REAL pond, only the end result. I love the descriptive sequence from start to finish, it’s almost as if I’m on the scene watching every move. It is truly an amazing accomplishment! My hat goes off to your for dreaming it and seeing it to the end. Were any transformers blown??? 😉 Sleepless nights while waiting for the next day’s work?
Water skimmers must be embedded in the thick felt!! Hehehehee So many of those little critters seem to appear as if by magic. I think if I had a pond like yours I would just sit by it with my tripod, camera and lenses and see what happens. There will be some amazing things going on and the season is coming. I have thoroughly enjoyed this portion of your blog and having a deep appreciation for all the hard work that went into it, not only by YOU, but also those professionals that do the heavy stuff. This is truly exceptional!!