The Rural Voice, 1998-07, Page 42Gardening
The pitter, patter of water in the garden
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
It has been almost a year since we
put in a pond in the backyard and it
never ceases to amaze me just how
long I spend sitting on the edge
watching the fish and waiting for the
frogs to jump.
If you are planning a pond, no
matter what the size, I would
recommend researching through your
library and with friends and
neighbours who have ponds to see
just what is involved. My Dad has
had a small pond for six years and
was eager to help us make a rather
large one. With the aid of a small
backhoe we excavated a 10- by nine -
foot hole about three feet deep in the
centre and lined it up with a
swimming pool liner. Be warned ...
swimming pool liners and children's
wading pools are treated with
herbicides, biocides, and
hydrocarbons to combat algae and
could be deadly to your fish and
plants. Likewise roofing materials
also contain toxic chemicals and
should be avoided. Our liner was
from an older pool and we were
assured the
chemicals
had long
since dis-
sipated.
We spent
quite a bit of
time making
sure the hole
was smooth
and then
lined it with
old carpet
and news-
papers before setting in the lining. If
you are using a premolded liner,
manufacturers recommend a three
inch cushion of sand in the bottom of
the hole and backfilled with sand
around the liner.
We brought the lining up and over
a series of 4 x 4s that were dug into
the side of the pond to make a level
firm edge. If your edge is not level all
the way around the pond, part of the
liner will
be exposed
to the de-
structive
ultra violet
rays of the
sun and
your liner
will deter-
iorate that
much
quicker.
We tucked
our liner in
behind the 4 x 4s and covered it with
dirt. Over this lovely square edge we
laid a double layer of flagstone that
overhangs the edge by two or three
inches to protect and shade the lining.
The stone also helps hold the lining
and creates a finished edge to
landscape up to.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and
I wish it would strike me sooner than
later. I knew I wanted a narrow ledge
in the pond for water plants but
discovered too late our ledge was
about four inches too narrow for most
pots I wanted to set out. The first
strong wind sent the pots and their
luxurious plants drifting to the floor
of the pond. To make up for that loss
we have created an island in the
centre of the pond. We made a table
of an upside down plastic pail with a
large flagstone on top. It sits about a
foot below the surface and is a
perfect spot to set pots of cattails and
baskets of marsh marigolds.
Experience counts when setting up
the groundwork for your pond. You
have to consider whether you will
need power by the pond for lighting
or a pump. Dad was emphatic that
while we had the machinery available
we dig a trench to the house to lay in
an electrical line as well as a water
line for topping up the pool. This
saves dragging out the hose. We
installed an outdoor outlet on a low
post by the garden. We camouflaged
the outlet by putting it on the side
away from the observer and set up a
ANTIQUE TRACTOR SHOW
ANTIQUE CAR SHOW & FLEA MARKET
24th Annual
CLIFFORD '98
July 4 & 5, 1998
THIS YEAR FEATURING
MASSEY-HARRIS TRACTORS AND EQUIPMENT
All Massey -Harris enthusiasts are invited to attend and display.
NEW: Garden tractor pull Saturday starting at 10:30 a.m.
New feature this year - Antique tractor, car and equipment auction on Saturday,
July 4 at 1:30 p.m.
Car Show and Shine: Saturdby, July 4, 1-4:00 p.m. Cash Awards.
Tractor Pull: Sunday, July 5 starts at 12:30 p.m.
Crafts, food booth, bar, jamboree, variety show and fireworks (Saturday),
flea market, mini -tractor pull for the kiddies and much more.
Proceeds: to purchase Zamboni for Clifford Arena
For information contact Jim Harkness: (519) 338-3946. For car show
information contact Randy Ruetz (519) 327-8025.
COMMUNITY CENTRE CLIFFORD, ONTARIO
GATE ADMISSION: $5.00 - children 12 and under free
38 THE RURAL VOICE