[Eblana]

Hi Folks,

I recently got my garden done up and as part of the overhaul I got a pond in, hoping to put Koi in it.  It hasn't turned out as expected and I while do actually love it I am struggling with how to put plants into it.

It is about 6ft deep and has straight sides (no shelves as I expected) and about 12 ft in diameter (I was expecting it to be 15ft but it was built out of brick and sealed rather than a pond liner and I lost about 3 ft ).   A neighbour did suggest putting bricks and lintles into it to create shelves for plants but I have been told not to do this as the bricks will leach out lime etc. which will effect the fish (which haven't gone in yet either).

Has anyone any suggestions on plants that I could put into it or any suggestion on how I could create areas in it to put plants into.

[JayG]

Congratulations!

Clay bricks are OK as they don't contain lime - concrete lintels obviously do, but you could use plastic instead (something like plant trough trays although they probably wouldn't be suitable for a round pond.)

Marginal plants are only semi-submerged so do need a shelf, oxygenating plants and water lilies are fully submerged - make sure you buy the right type of lily for what is quite a deep pond (you may have to stand its basket on bricks to give it more light and then gradually lower it to the bottom as it grows - oh, and put a brick in its pot otherwise you might find the whole thing floating to the surface one day, as I did!)

My pond has goldfish in - Koi are beyond my expertise (and wallet!) but I believe they need more in the way of water management than the humble goldfish.

[spottymint]

Koi need strong filters & excellent water conditions.

Koi will adore uprooting any plants in pots that they can gain access too, sorry.

That's why most koi ponds have no plants.

[snowdrops]

We have Israeli Koi in our pond, I was bought the original 6 many years ago by my children as really small fish & they just grew & bred. We do have a huge pond filter now,at the other house the pond was smaller & had a smaller filter that was never really enough & often had mucky water. We do have some plants but the fish can be right devils with them,they ate a new water lilly one year & it wasn't cheap. I do put stones on the top of the soil to try & keep them out. As for your plants I have upturned 1 basket  underneath the planted basket & tie wrapped them together to raise the plants to the right depth,how many times you could do that & it remain stable I don't know,you could maybe weight the last basket-the one on the floor of the pond.

[Eblana]

Koi need strong filters & excellent water conditions.

Koi will adore uprooting any plants in pots that they can gain access too, sorry.

That's why most koi ponds have no plants



That was the explanation we got off the gardener for not putting shelves in for plants.  We did get a very strong filter alright - it has only been working since the weekend so we have to wait until the water quality comes up before putting fish in (I am very lucky that I am getting a present of some from a friend who has too many for his pond - they have bred like rabbits!!).


I will try out one or two plants and see how they go, nothing too expensive though so that if it doesn't work out I won't have lost anything.

[Eblana]

As for your plants I have upturned 1 basket  underneath the planted basket & tie wrapped them together to raise the plants to the right depth,how many times you could do that & it remain stable I don't know,you could maybe weight the last basket-the one on the floor of the pond.

I will give this a go and see how I get on - I will just put one or two cheaper ones in so that if the fish devour them I won't have lost to much!!

I love your pond - much more modern than mine.  I will try to take some pictures and post them (have failed miserably at posting pictures todate!!)

[snowdrops]

Thanks it goes with this house,modern estate house,the pond at the last house was quite the opposite

[casper]

Eblana, good for you at having a go and loving your new pond, I have a pond, there is nothing in it yet, I moved house four months ago and it had a pond, my husband wants me to get rid of it, I have always wanted a pond, he wants it all levelling and turfing and I want mish mash, so have to thrash it out, try and post some pictures and when you do I will try and post mine, bet yours is perfect compared to mine 

[Eblana]

Mine is a little too perfect at the moment - it is very stark looking.  B&Q had a special on over the B/H weekend, if you bought two plants of any type you got a third for free.  I bought 6 pond plants for 30 odd Euro so if they get devoured I won't have lost a lot.  I will try get photos at the weekend.

[casper]

Yes the plants sound worth taking a chance on, yes try and do the photo's, my garden in such a state at the moment it's hard to have some vision, the people before were rockery mad, so build up areas everywhere to level, trying to level a desired place for my shed but have to dig a rockery out first and a huge tree stump, so the poor pond is left, hopefully get there soon 

[hubballi]

I have a 2 year old pond now with frogs, tadpoles and native plants. It's doing very well BUT no pond skaters or waterboatmen. Surely they would have come by now ?

[snowdrops]

My pond is 7 years old this year although did bring fish & of course some water from the old one when we moved,we only got pond skaters last year & never had them at the old one.