Naturalize Your Pond Edge

[Big Lou]

From 'The Pond Blog'


Naturalize Your Pond Edge
Cary August 26, 2010 2 Comments »


Does your pond appear to be wearing a necklace?

Sure, it’s a high quality necklace. In fact, Wilma Flintstone would club Betty Rubble in the head to have it for her own… but is that the fashion statement you want for a water garden?

Maybe the pond you really want looks natural, generating serenity for all who approach, exuding simple elegance. A peaceful highlight tucked into a lush landscape with plants billowing over the edges in drifts.

Reality check. It happens all the time. During construction, you had so much lovely stone and the visible liner needed to be hidden, but with all that stone around the edges (small ponds in particular), you have ring around the pond – those dirty rings!

Here are some tips on how to scrub the rings/loose the necklace:

Randomly remove sections (6” to 18” at intervals) of edge stones.

Vary the length and height of the stones – place them overlapping water’s edge
If you want to be a little creative, substitute chunks of driftwood or other decorative items for some of the removed edge stones.
Between remaining edge stones, wedge fabric pots filled with plants that keep their leaves year around, even if in dried form over winter (like some grasses). Suggestions:

Golden Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia). ‘Aurea’ cultivar is a good choice and will grow into the water’s edge. Make this the main edge plant.
Carex “Bowles Golden” – a semi-evergreen (really golden) sedge.
Fiber Optic Grass (Isolepis cernua) – a flashy sedge; over wintering is iffy.
Invest in some mature landscape material in and around the pond, especially for the backdrop of your water feature. Works wonders to soften the look. To name just a few:

Japanese iris (Iris ensata) all are great in bogs. ‘Variegata’ cultivar blooms early, with green and white striped leaves ornamental even after flowering
Canna and Calla lilies – these and iris above thrive within the pond’s edge. Best to keep the top of the pot at water level.
Japanese Maples – great backdrop close enough to reflect in water; also many choices -red, green, various textures of leaves, and hearty.
Mulch with long-needle pine straw around pond edge plants. This will weave and hold together better than most, protects roots, and makes everything look finished.

 

[j.w]

I've done some of those things to my pond and it does really help make it look better.

 

[Shdwdrgn]

Golden creeping jenny is one of my favorites! The bright yellow leaves make a great contrast against your other plants, and it will climb all over the rocks and down into the water. Fish will use the parts growing in the water as spawning beds, and they also make good hiding places for new hatchlings. The plant is surprisingly hardy to light freezes, but I would not consider it an evergreen. Both the green and golden varieties have yellow flowers in late Spring and early Summer.

Another good choice is periwinkle. This plant is much more of an evergreen and has very dark green leaves. It is slow to take off, but within 2-3 years it can take over an area. It grows as vines and does not appear to like the water, but will again cover the border rocks and break up the rock-necklace look. This plant has purple flowers mid- to late-Spring. It is also available in a varigated variety with white borders and a much lighter green color.

Grasses and rushes are great to help blend the edge of your pond. Some will grow both in an out of the water, but there are plenty of varieties to choose from to help make a seamless transition. By having a patch of grasses growing up out of the water, it blurs the line of where the water actually ends, and gives the appearance of a marshy area. Fish also love poking through the grasses and you will often see groups of stems bouncing around.

The great thing about a pond is that there are a wide variety of suitable native plants no matter where you live.

 

[Priscilla]

Great article.

 

[Aaron S]

Thanks for posting this.

 

[RobAmy]

A very helpful article. Varying size and shape of the stones is key to natural looking imho

 

[addy1]

A very helpful article. Varying size and shape of the stones is key to natural looking imho

I heard the "rule" was 1 large to 9 small / medium stones. I use a mix from tiny to large.

 

[j.w]

I didn't know that..........oh well mine is just whatever I got from the rock quarry for a few bucks a pickup load.

 

[addy1]

Beauty is what looks good to you, who cares what the rules are.

 

[RobAmy]

Beauty is what looks good to you, who cares what the rules are.

So very true. As long as you're happy with the look then you achieved your goal. I see many different ponds, natural, raised, concrete, wood and most are beautiful but not my taste which is so personal. To me thats what makes ponding so cool, no 2 ponds are the same but all bring certain design elements to the table.