Monday, May 10, 2010

Water Garden Maintainence

Pictures surely are deceiving at times. My water garden looks really good in these pictures but in reality it looks like a mud bog.
I have been neglecting it somewhat for the past few years as I have my perennial beds.
I am turning over a new lily pad this year though!!
I love water and water gardens and fish ponds and rivers and streams and lakes and oceans and pools better than anyone in the world.
I have had several smaller water features over the years and one much bigger fresh water mud bog. I had such great plans for this one.
We got it built and filled and moved all my {{{{{HUGE}}}}} Koi from my bigger pond that was beside our fishpond. The Koi were never seen in that mudhole so I begged for this pond at my house. I picked out the perfect spot in front of my living room window so I could look out at the fish swimming around all day.
What I didn't realize was that I would be watching turtles, snakes and frogs swimming around all day long ;-)))
Build it and they will come!!!
We added a few water plants and things were looking pretty good the first year, even though the rock around the edges didn't get finished for several years, that was my Mother's Day gift last year. One weekend a few years back the pond water turned green and my brilliant husband decided that he would use the copper sulfate that he uses on the big fish pond to kill algae, to clean this water up. Well he did. On Friday evening he put a dab of it in the pond and the next morning it was clear as a crystal when he got up and checked on it. I came in about an hour later, from working an allnighter in the ER til 7AM and rounded the curve to find him with a shovel filled up with at 20"Butterfly Koi that was dead and he was throwing him across the fence...........wha????? He decided that if a little dab of copper sulphate did that good that a little dab more would be even better!! He killed 19 huge Koi!!!! All 19 Koi!!!!
I was not a happy camper but he was so upset with himself that I felt sorry for him too. He offered to replace them all but I opted to go the goldfish route this time. I have since used copper sulfate in very minute doses with good results. I used it this morning and then Postman Bob brought me my package from ebay today.........
20 Water Hyacinth plants from Florida!!
My daddy always hated those things when we lived in Florida and he would probably laugh at me for buying them. They used to get hung in the prop on our boat.
I needed them to shade and oxygenate my water.
I purchased 20 plants but when they came I had 41!!!! woowooooo!!!!

We have had extremely hard winds here and the pond is so full of debris from the neighboring trees.


I really need to get on a pair of hip waders and hop in there so I can really clean the floor of the pond...........................but I have nightmares about rubber hip boots filled with cold water. Just ask Danny about taking me trout fishing and me slipping on a slick algae covered rock and having my hip boots fill up with very cold creek water in April!!
I WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER EITHER!!!!
I think I will pass and let him do that. I ain't hankering to get in there with flip flops on either. I told you earlier the sort of critters that I have seen hanging out in there!!





10 comments:

Lorilee said...

I love water gardens too! We had a very small pond in our previous yard. We haven't put one in here yet. We do have a small fountain for the sound. I would love to have koi.
Blessings,
Lorilee

Anonymous said...

A Pond Water Feature brings a fantastic focus to a garden and really breaks up the fauna. With the help of UK Water Features I installed a fantastic pond, but I will inevitably have the same cleaning issue too. So you can send Danny round! Maybe all ponds should come with a Danny!

the canned quilter said...

Love the water garden. I would love to have one but unsure how to keep out the coons and possums and all the other wildlife. I'll just admire yours : )

LynnS said...

Your gardens and the pond is so pretty. The pond makes a nice focal point. What a shame about the chemical killing those Koi. They're such beautiful fish to watch.

Nancy M. said...

I think your pond is beautiful! I would love to have one like that!

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

Oh sweetie, I've got the fever. I had talked myself out of a water feature. I have a hill in my acre of a yard that a waterfall and pond would be magnificent. I'd convinced myself that with the pool, 38 roses and many other flower gardens I have more than I can take care of. This is the second beautiful water pond I've pulled up today. My galvanized tub fountain doesn't hold a candle. {{{SIGH}}}

God bless and enjoy this beautiful day sweetie!!!

OurCrazyFarm said...

I know of a couple of boys who would love to come and help Danny play around in that pond. Snakes and frogs and turtles are right up their alley! I'll be sitting in the kitchen with you, tho, drinking coffee and eating blueberry cheesecake:))

SWiggins said...

Your pond looks great in the pictures. My little pond just sprung a leak the other day. The thought of digging it all up and moving all of the rock was daunting. I realised that I could just put a liner in it and fix it that way, now I just have to find the time. I really miss the sound of the little fountain.

Kim said...

Ooohhhh the thought of losing all those Koi! That's why I go the goldfish route as well and they get to be pretty big.

Thanks for the thoughts of coming to find me...errr.... my coop....you stinker!!! It's good to be back blogging, I just needed a break!

Your pond does look lovely, I struggle with my small one, but would LOVE to have a bigger one. The one thing I was really hoping to get with putting in a pond was bullfrogs! Love 'em! But not one single bullfrog inhabits my pond!!

Take care my friend!

Unknown said...

Thanks ladies!!!

Lorilee, I am thinking a fountain would be a lot easier to care for ;-)) I love the sound too.

Jayne, Danny got a kick out of that remark!!!!! I think he should help clean everyones pond since he killed all my fish!!! Good luck with yours!! Wish I could see it!

Canned Quilter, I thought Rosie would be able to keep those pests away for you!!

Lynn, we don't like using the chemicals but occasionally we have to, and he just got a little over zealous that day!!!

Nancy, Thank you!!!! You are so sweet!

Nezzy, What ya talking about here, a woman can never have too much on her plate now can she? You just get to work on that waterfall and pond and we all want to see pictures of it and of your roses!!!

Terri, I am sure your boys will never be the same after Danny got hold of them!! Maybe they would teach him some new tricks though!!

Galloping Goats Farm, I am sorry that you have a leak in your pond. We had a leak in our big fishpond a few years ago and we were getting very worried. It suddenly plugged itself!! What a relief. I hope you can get your liner to do the trick for you!

Kim, We have bullfrogs here in my pond in my yard and a lot of them at our fishpond....sounds sorta erie at night sometimes!!

Thank you all for the sweet comments and thanks for stopping by!!!!! Come back again!!