8 by 11 fott pond with small stream and falls

17 years ago

My husband and I built this pond three years ago after discovering a kit with a skimmer and waterfall bio filter system. It solved most of the problems I foresaw with other pond systems. It is relatively easy to care for and I like being able to line the bottom with rocks. We can see it from our living room windows and walk by it when we enter and exit the house. It brings us joy every day of the year.

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Comments (26)

slook
very nice pond! beautiful!
slook
very nice pond! beautiful!
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Hi Pat, Your mom is one lucky lady! There are some very experienced ponders on here that have forgotten more than I will ever know. But I will share some of the things I've picked up from them and from my own small garden. First and foremost, you might think small is great, but then you get hooked and it must grow. So in your mind's eye and your plan, leave room for future growth. This is our small pond in the very beginning. Not much larger than the kit you are looking at. We could not use a premade because of the oak roots, sewer pipe and other house utilities we had to work around. A few months later the pond grew to this. Here it is now, and this winter we will be adding on the other side of the sidewalk. Most water lilies will need more room than you will have. Look specifically for hardy lilies classed as suitable for very small containers/ponds. Or, try water poppy. Pictured is hardy lily, Yellow Pygmy "Nymphaea "Yellow Pygmy". Hardy from zone 4-11. Plant Size: Small. Bred by Latour Maliac 1879, flower is a soft yellow, 2"-3" across. Has a spread of 1.5�-3�, marliac root system. Leaves are slightly mottled Will grow in 6" to 1.5� of water. Best to grow in 10" of water. You can use a 1 to 2 gallon container to grow this one. Great miniature for a small pond or patio container. Extremely good bloomer flower. This is one of the oldest hybrids known in the water lily world. Full sun" If you build it, they will come. You will have wildlife. Plan a no spray/chemical zone. Expect frogs, dragonflies, snakes, etc .... etc. Fish are fun, in addition to eating mosquito larvae, they are a hoot to watch. Plan a spot right beside the pond for a spot for your mom to sit and watch the pond. And a place to sit a glass. I love to sit out in the morning with my coffee and watch the life around the pond. Feeder goldfish and feeder rosy red minnows are good choices for small ponds. They will reproduce, so not many fish. And once the pond is established the fish don't need to be feed. I have struggled keeping floating and oxygenator plants growing inside my small pond. The fish and the tadpoles decimate them. That said, if they can be contained in a floating corral type of thing they would do better. See the floating plant ring post in this forum for some ideas. I usually get my oxygenators at Petsmart in the fish dept. Also, mondo grass and society garlic work really well. What I evolved to is a 'bog garden' that is right beside and connected to my pond. I pump to a pot that serves as a filter out to the bog that then flows back into the pond. Presto beautiful spot for plants. I started off thinking I would not need any filtration for such a small pond. If however, you want to see your fish, you will need filtration. And you will likely want it to be something easily maintained. Something else that I kind of wish we had done was to install a float valve connected to a rain barrel to automatically keep the pond topped off. Oh, and we found this very realistic fake rock that we use to cover our electrical source, which is really just an heavy duty exterior extension cord ran in PVC pipe under the path. http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1vZbx82/R-100631149/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=rock&storeId=10051 I like talking to myself, so I've kept some written notes on the progress of our pond. You can find it at the link below. I predict your mom will love her pond, and if you plan spots for plants but leave them out, puttering around the water garden could be a lot of fun and good exercise for her. ~dianne Here is a link that might be useful: Our small pond
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Heh, yea I know better than to put koi in this pond. Besides I've got enough fish as is right now (just verified that the two fry that managed to get into the lotus bog are still alive - one that is over an inch long and turning white, and the other is about 3/4" long - so that puts the known count at 53). Course, in the "can't leave anything alone" frame of mind, I had stopped by a local store that was advertising pond equipment on sale. Well, found out they had a nice selection of plants on closeout (Calla lilies, Cannas, and rushes mainly. Most growing extremely well, but some partially or fully dead), so picked up an actively growing Taro and more water celery. So now I've modified the left side of the stream and put the plants there since it's the most shaded area. Also found a slight leak in the process so took care of that while I was at it. I would love to get the grasses away from the skimmer box, but that'll have to wait until next spring - the tall one with the white-ish bands is Miscanthus Strictus aka Porcupine Grass and it is extremely sharp. Let's just say that knife-like grasses next to something that needs to be checked often is not a good idea (planning on planting it along the back for some natural predator defense). I also noticed that my stream is full of these little black worms, which look awfully similar to black fly larvae pics I've found online, so oughta find a way to keep them in check (I've been knocking them off the rocks to fall into the pond as a natural fish treat). Yea the house is coming along. Fortunately it's in extremely good condition and not a lot of repairs need to be done, just upkeep and smallish stuff. I have started some demo work in the kitchen so that I can replace the mid-sized fridge with a full-sized one, but that's the biggest upgrade/fix (aside from a new shed), and I was planning on doing this when I bought it.
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The head of your system is the highest spill point above the pump. Depending upon the depth of the pump that feeds the water fall, you need to calculate that height. In other words for conversations sake, say that your falls are 5 ft high to the spill over and you set the pump in the bottom of a skimmer 2 ft below water level, that would equate to 7 ft of head and you would have to size your pump accordingly. Also you need to account for the volume of your falls, are your falls a 5 ft wide torrent or a 6 inch wide trickle? Hope this helps ya!
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slook
very nice pond! beautiful!
slook
very nice pond! beautiful!
youreit
17 years ago
Oops. Looks like you used cammo rocks. :D

(If you need help posting pics, just holler!)

Brenda
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
Sorry, I am a photo rookie. Hopefully It will work this time.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:175753}}
youreit
17 years ago
There it is! I not only love your pond but the woodland setting, as well! Wow, the more I look at it, the more I get this feeling that I want to BE there. :)

It's a very special spot. Is that your driveway in the back? It must be a wonderful experience, driving through those trees and coming upon your woodland pond. *sigh*

Can't wait to see more pics!

Brenda
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
You are so nice Brenda. Yes the driveway is right beind the pond. We have five acres of forest with a beautiful native understory. We have left it mostly untouched and have cut trails through the salal and huckleberries that meander around or end at a 'destination.' I was given a 2o' by 20' foot pond liner last year so that one destination will be a natural pond/bog at the lowest point of the property.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:175754}}
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
Here are more pics now that I know how to link correctly.
This is the pond dug and leveled. The skimmer and waterfall filter are in place.
{{gwi:175755}}
Here is the working pond. It had been going for about a two days.
{{gwi:175756}}
youreit
17 years ago
What a difference 3 years can make! I simply LOVE the plants you've chosen to surround your pond. WA has one of the best climates I've seen for growing some of my favorites.

The stream is so pretty, and even though the use of rocks in the water in controversial, I really like the looks of it when done correctly. You started with a great palette, too. :)

Thanks for sharing a slice of paradise with us, Fragaria!

Brenda
lavender50
17 years ago
I love the natural look,You've done a super job. I bet you spend some time on that bench!
sheepco
17 years ago
Thanks for sharing! It's so serene, I wouldn't get anything else done...just sittin' by the pond...ahhhh! Beautiful.
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
Here are a few pics after a dusting of snow this morning.
{{gwi:175757}}
{{gwi:175758}}
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marthaye
17 years ago
beautiful setting. Well done.
sheepco
17 years ago
VERY nice. I love how snow brings out the texture in a winter garden.

I STILL need to plant more around my ponds, tho my 'Autumn Joy' sedum is great for winter (and summer)durabilty.
youreit
17 years ago
I agree about the texture! So pretty. I hope you guys don't get TOO much snow out of that frigid low pressure system coming in from the far north! We're already getting freeze warnings for at least Friday & Saturday, possibly down into the teens. Brrrr!

Stay warm!

Brenda
luvmypond
17 years ago
You have a very beautiful pond!(I love your kitty in the one pic too)Don't you like how the lights around your pond will look at night when they get buried in the snow?I usually have to dig mine out so I can see where they are in the daytime.I have been known to step on them if I don't.But they look so pretty at night under the snow.
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
More snow this morning
{{gwi:175760}}
comettose
17 years ago
Wow - all great photos! Your pond has a woodland look. Very pretty!
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
here are some spring pics of my pond. It is still chilly here in Western Washington. We haven't had many days over 50 for a while. Still the fish have been out a few times, and the plants are slowly leafing out.

{{gwi:175762}}

{{gwi:175763}}

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youreit
17 years ago
Gorgeous! One of my favorite ponds on this forum! I love how the grasses take over the job of looking pretty while the other plants play catch-up. :)

I just love all of your rocks and plantings. Hope it warms up for you soon!

Brenda
nanahanna
17 years ago
This is a gorgeous pond! You have done a wonderful job! I'll be glad when we finish ours...this is its 3rd year and it still isn't finished!

Nanahanna
TxMarti
17 years ago
It looks so natural, you've done a great job. Is the yellow flower a marsh marigold? It's really pretty.
fragaria
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the nice compliments. I love to share my pond, as I am sure we all do. I wish that you all could come on over and see it up close and personal. I have gotten so much inspiration from all the wonderful postings on the garden web.

Yes the yellow flower is a marsh marigold. It truly is at it's best right now. I have to cut it down by the end of June, by then it looks terrible.
busdriver12
17 years ago
WOW!!!
Jackie McCarty
13 years ago
wow! that is amazing. i love the rocks.

8 by 11 fott pond with small stream and falls

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8 by 11 fott pond with small stream and falls

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