Ilona's Garden, pond page -tips

Gardening in Central Ohio
~ My Pond Page

Welcome to my water gardening page.

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Pond Page
My Pond Story
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Water clarity:

The two main contributors to my ponds water clarity have been the plants and barley straw. In the first year some small snails showed up and they help, too. But the most imporatant factor is adding that ( expensive) barley straw. I am thinking of growing my own supply, but right now I use the little bundled, genuine Scottish, barley straw. It comes with its own netting and I weight it down with a rock. This is a simple procedure and lasts 'til sometime in August, when I use the second part of the divided ( teensy) bale. My water stays so clear that I have to disguise the pump and intake tube, as well as the pot rims. ( I think I said I don't like plastic in the garden.... admittedly to the extreme).
About barley straw
Remember to have a filter and pump for a small pond. I don't think the rest of the water clarity measures will work if the water is stagnant. I have had the pump temporarily stop working, but usually it is constantly going.

The first year we developed a case of blanket algae. This is terrible suffocating stuff. I have since understood that it appears when there are minerals in the water ( new water being added?) and hot temperatures.Perhaps it was over-enthusiastic feeding of the fish that produced too much nutrients in the water. It has not appeared this year, but we are not through with the season ....

Barley straw
Underwater oxygenators
snails to eat algae
fish to eat insects and give interest
Plants for covering water surface
(reducing sunlight for algae)

Pond Plant Links:

Friends of the Pond:

Finding Balance

A water garden needs to have balance. And while there are mathematical proportions of fish to plants to oxygenators, etc. perhaps some common sense helps. I have four medium sized goldfish in a 3 foot by five foot pond. Two water lilies, one of which is a pygmy type ( Helvola). Two stands of pickeral weed, -which is one too many, and two plantings of parrot feather. This year, I have one pot of variegated rush on a shelf (the pond has four small shelves). Water hyacinth floats around, since this is a garden in the North. If you are in the South, and have to have water hyacinth, (maybe like one ponder I read about) you could grab some of that which is growing like a weed in the waterways of the South. ( Perhaps you should watch out for alligators...I don't know). This is totally off the subject, but alligators have been found in the creek nearest me! In Ohio! Back to the subject....

Visual balance is important as well as the healthy environment balance. To me, this means spaces of reflecting water, and limiting types of plants. One of the reasons to have a water feature is to see a bit of water. The elements of garden design, such as form and repetition, apply to the visuals. The spikey form of the variegated rush interspersed with the feather brush of parrots feather look beautiful with the floating water lily pads and their stars of flowers. Pickeral weed is statuesque against the rim of the pond. So mass, height, and texture are all there to play with in designing.

Planting the Pond

Pond plants are different enough to merit some research. A main difference is what level the crown should be under the water, and the other concern (as in terrestrial plants) is the hardiness level.

Try choosing several ledge plants, several resting on the bottom and some floaters. Presently I just stick bunches of anacharis under the water lily pots that are situated on the bottom of the pond. there are beautiful choices for the ledges, ranging from papyrus to rushes, iris, and scores more. There are so many plant choices, in water lily types alone are many sizes, colors, bloom times, etc. In the smaller ponds, there is a limitation to what number and size of plant choices, but that can be a benefit. waterlily There is something very beautiful in miniaturized settings. Think of bonsai plantings, or rock gardens. Because people often enjoy having a barrel planting, the catalogs and books have recommendations of the plants that are best for small areas.

Adding Fish

Goldfish are my garden pond fish of choice. They are brightly colored, friendly, and environment ajustable. That last quality is important in a small pond since the tempertures change and the water needs to be topped up.

Usually the only thing to remember is to not overpopulate your pond and to add in the fish slowly after the elements of plantings and set up have been taken care of. We feed our fish only occasionally, since they are expected to clear the pond of mosquito and other insect larvae. I do not recommend trying to keep them over winter in the pond. My own practice is to keep an aquarium in my basement for those fish which we are keeping. ( the first year they were babies and we had twelve to fifteen or so). Remember to feed them regularly once they are inside.

I will add more to this page as I am able. New pages in this section will be featured in this space.