Thank you for the positive feed back. Brenda,the tree in question is a Red bud called Forest Pansy. I love it, but for some reason it has not bloomed for me yet, and every year I worry that it is dead because it takes so long to leaf out. In spite of this it is still one of my favorite trees. Dear spat72 I built my pond using a kit, which includes the liner and a skimmer and waterfall filter, with a flexible pipe that connects the two. It is an ingenious yet simple design, that makes pond building both easier, and the filtration is far superior to the older styles of pumps and filters. The rocks line the bottom and sides and add to the bio filtration. The skimmer cleans out the leaves and gunk off the surface and the waterfall portion is a large Bo filter as well. I donÂt clean it any more and other ponds, but I did invest last year in a good pond vacuum that has made life even easier. The kit I used was a small one. The link below shows photos of a much larger pond being built. Check out the kits they have for sale. Also look for my first posting in the pond gallery; http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/gal012232314290.html?25041 this is a link to my second posting for more pics http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/gal061711545355.html?13 large pond kit, how to, pics http://www.lochnesswatergardens.com/articles.asp?id=131 Bog garden design link http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/handbooks/watergarden/8.html On your Idea of a Bog garden. You should think about building one on the side of your pond in shallow water. Use the same pond liner as the rest of the pond, Make a underwater burm to separate it from the rest of the pond and use a bed of deep gravel to plant in directly. I donÂt use pots in my pond. I just use gravel, and larger rocks to hold it in place on the slopes.

Nice pictures everyone...I'm towards the end of a small stream with pond project..I have ordered more rock..and still need to add some plants and pavers for a path back to my building..plus I have some work to do around the burn pit...realistically I will never be finished LOL...but I am aiming for next spring to finish every thing up but the small details one encounters...then just wait for the plants to mature...I did learn a huge lesson in the last week though...my water was crystal clear for 2 weeks after I moved my pond and made this one...it got cloudy for 2 days then cleared up again...It stayed that way for 2 or 3 more weeks until I made one huge mistake...I started removing the water lettuce because the cold weather was starting to set in...I removed over half of it..then 80 degree weather hit here in WV...now my water is green!..oh well you win some and you lose some...this pond is 26"-28" deep.(may increase depth next spring)..12x18...with 30' stream..3200 gph and 640 gph pump running...I have a small yard too...125x70x115 deep....I have 7 koi..2 bluegill..10 goldfish...comets..sarosa's...3 different fantails...and approximately 25 babies...that I haven't a clue what they are yet...oh yeah...bookuu snails...at least 2 frogs...and by the way...the pond was born on September 14th...2008...I will thin the fish out next year...my brother n law is a landscaper and can find happy homes for them...enjoy the pictures...which I'm sure some of you have already viewed...happy ponding!!! Dave :-)

Thanks, guys! The pond's not that big--2 ft deep, because a detailed reading of our towns codes said that this would for sure be safe from the fence laws--and, oh, goodness, this time last year I could've told you the pond size to the inch & now I can't remember! I want to say 10' x 7', I bought a 15'x20' liner for the pond. The stream is about 40' long, not very deep. chas045--not me on the wall, well, we had it put in years ago, that takes someone who actually knows what they are doing! Yup, plants are planned along with the fish, of course--I say "fish" because the family keeps asking for fish. There is a fair amount of shade coverage from overhanging trees, so it's not too brutal. We've been thinking about a stream & pond since our eldest was about 3 (he's 14 now!)...I really wanted the kids to be able to race little stick boats down & stuff. Happily for me, we had a whole crew of 6th graders doing just that & building "boats" & stuff without any prodding needed. I was so pleased! Could NOT have done it without this board & such nice people talking me through what various sizes & types of pipes would do to water flow & stuff!

Well, if you are going to bid him out, Please allow him to spray paint the plan on the yard first. That way you are more likely to get Apples to Apples bids. I think silent1pa might have forgotten the materials costs, or he might know more than he lets on ;-). Current labor rates for ponds in St Lou are between $50-80/manhour. Some people aren't good draftsmen, and I prefer that people/clients SEE the shape and size of the pond ON their yard. AND I would pay the first guy for the visit. Comparing prices on different ideas is useless and unfair. IF the materials costs vary by more than 10% (Including taxes and DELIVERY), then discuss that with the bidders. Each ton of rock I buy for a client requires at least 1 hour of labor to get the right rock. And in general it requires 2 hrs labor cost to have it delivered. It takes a Minimum of 1 manhour to put that rock in place from your curb. I'm currently doing a job where the clients are pinching pennies, and hiring cheap labor. I'm fine with that. Usually the client does not want to spend an afternoon shopping for rocks, arranging delivery, buying liner etc. ALL of that takes time. And time costs money. Just trying to explain what goes into a Professional Pond estimate. YMMV Greg