Hi Kirk - it looks great hanging there! I've sure learned a lot since I made that one - that was my first one. I've made 40-50 since. They were good sellers this summer. Now I turn the bottles the other direction and use half marbles for the eyes. (Although that bottle shape DID make a great dragonfly). I've also since found some blue bottles which I knew you guys would rather have had blue than red but red was all I could find at the time! Do you leave yours out all winter? I have been advising people to bring them in not knowing how they would stand up to freezing. Arlene a more recent bug Here is a link that might be useful: Arlene's photos

Hello Larry, I'll probably be crucified for suggesting it, but with a 45' long piece I'd go with EPDM (rubber) roofing from one of your local roofing wholesalers... just look up building supplies in the phone book, that should get you started. Some on here will say it isn't "approved" for pond use but before there were "approved-pond liners" this is something folks would use. I have it as my liner. Can't remember if it is Carlisle or Firestone's brand. No problems to report though, it's been trouble free. I believe the roll I purchased was a full-size sheet, 25' x 50'. Cost less than $300 US. They delivered because most building supply houses are used to doing so; delivered right to the hole I had excavated using their special forklift/spider-lift. If you're getting something as narrow as 10' (x 45'), that sounds like a deep stream, maybe? Good luck.

I took a tip from the Creelway method and put about a dozen holes in my half gallon milk jugs this year. Not slits. they are draining fine when I watered them .It has been very dry in Iowa but we have rain predicted all this week so I am glad I did it. Also I stopped adding any local dirt to pots or w.s. containers . The clay clogs the holes

I could see a nice espaliered 'Mojave' firethorn to the left of the maple to kind of play peek a boo with the fence and maybe some 'Cameo' flowering quince to the right. I grow both on the cedar fence above my pond and it adds a little character. You get lovely white bloom in spring and gorgeous orange berries in fall and winter from the firethorn and the quince is stunning in bloom. You could underplant the firethorn with 'Lemon Tip' honeysuckle or 'Kaleidascope' abelia for contrast and maybe even place one of the smaller barbaries to play off the lime and the green. I could also see some escallonia to hide the retaining wall. Because I have so much rock for structural reasons, I tried getting creative to mute some of it and interupt the manmade lines both inside and outside of the streambeds and pond. I use floating planters with 'Chamelions' and love the effect. The foliage is very colorful and kept in pots the invasiveness is negated. You could tuck them in pots in your rocks. Two other plants I love near any pond are cardinal flowers and agastache. Just a few more points to "pond-er"...... Mine is now about 5 years old and I'm still tweaking. The great thing about most plants is if they begin to mature and throw the site out of balance, you can always move them :-) Here is a link that might be useful: