Ever since we went through Dad’s possessions and discovered a solar fountain pump I have entertained the idea of a bucket pond. I think I’ve watched Katie Rushworth build her ‘pond in a pot‘ about five times now and it doesn’t look so difficult. the biggest decision was where to place this potential wildlife haven / cesspit of decaying fallen leaves in stagnant water? Chris is not a fan of the sound of running water…and yet she’s seen the spectacular fountains at Barcelona three times now! So common sense would dictate that it go on the front (my gardens), the first stumbling block being that planted ponds need sunlight and the majority of the front is north facing. That being said, the gardens get enough sunlight to dry our and kill four Acers in two years so perhaps the front should be factored in.

An ever stronger candidate might be the ‘Welcome border’ which faces north-west and gets glorious sun from mid-afternoon onwards. The fact that the pond’s water might just add a bit of humidity to this at times desperately dry micro climate would also add another notch in its favour. To be honest the rest of the front borders basically were wholly inappropriate: the size of the tub dictated that an area of shrubbery should be used as a backdrop and there was just no way I could factor that in on the easter ‘Ellie / Manor border’ or the due north border and the shady border is pretty much full. The welcome border was winning its one-horse race.

To work then and the first step would be to create a little clearing in the existing border for the tub to sit. Currently I have a sprawling Santolina which has had a spectacular flowering season (and as such has probably spread itself around the neighbourhood), next to a variety of Coreopsis (‘early sunrise’ perhaps?) which is doing its best to make its way out onto the pavement. Both of these could be trimmed back as to be honest they were cheap buys from Morrisons in Ormskirk and Southport and if they didn’t respond well to pruning then guess what…I could buy another plant (or two) to replace them. All was fine apart from one small hiccup, the weather! We had sunshine followed by possible showers forecast. I don’t know what time the sunshine appeared but the showers have been an on-going thing since around 7.00 a.m. So, for now rain has stopped play.

The next steps will be:

1. Locate a nice heavy bit of masonry to tie to the solar pump thing as they do move around and will empty the pond sooner or later.
   1. This has now been completed. We took a ride up to Foul Lane where the multi-million pound park and ride has rather gone to seed and I procured three engineering bricks.
2. Add another piece or two of masonry (or even upside down plastic pots) so that anyone who jumps in can get back out again.
   1. See above, three bricks scavenged, it’s like I pulled them off the wall (which is falling down anyway), moreover I picked them off the tarmac.
3. Get some aquatic plants.
   1. Done, and I have to say, three is definitely enough, I have
      1. 1 Hydrocotyle Sibthorpioides variegata (Crystal Confetti)
      2. 1 Iris Pseudacorus Bastardii
      3. Acorus Gramineus variegatus (Varigated slender sweet flag)
4. Fill the bugger up! – Done, I think this is  40 litre tub, took a few minutes filling with tap water.
5.  Put the solar-pump-fountain in. Done.
6.  Put in some plants to hide the tub, it’s no thing of beauty.

 

The experts will advise to leave the water in the tub for a few days for the Chlorine and Chloramine to evaporate. Yeah well they might well have sterile laboratories where leaves, pollen, insects don’t land in the water-filled tub and not to mention passing birds defecating in it and drinking it, oh and there was always the chance of the sun getting all summer-like and evaporating the water…I just went for it and planted the plants. The plants had been sitting in water for around a week, water which was poured into a flexi tub which someone (not me) had left a load of leaf prunings in. the end result, stagnant, pungent water which smelled extremely fetid! I hope the plants soon self-disinfect as that was one stink!

As much as  I wanted to buy some new plants, because I always want to buy new plants, after the expense of the aquatics and the cost of that tub, I wanted to be a bit more prudent. Two years ago I bought a ‘house plant’ Fatsia Japonica for £2.50 from Tesco. As a house plants it was a spectacular failure so we put it outside, Chris took it under her wing and nursed it back to health but we both new that it was not going to stay in that pot for long. This was the first plant. Likewise we had picked up a Carex Everest (2 in fact) at some point in the past – perhaps when we lived at the old place, anyway, I tried having two side-by-side and it didn’t look good, and one either side of the Fatsia and that just looked congested. In a nutshell one went back to its location in the driveway to be redeployed again (unless Chris has secretly thrown it out by then).