Pond building in December, why not?

[Nanner]

Qclabrat...looks like we might be doing a similar project this spring... best of luck to you and I plan to keep an eye on this post.

 

[sissy]

If you want plants the one option may limit there growth but be cooler in the summer .The other option gives you more sun for plants and would be good for winter but may be hotter in the summer .I like to see my waterfall .It all depends on you as there is always good and bad with any plan .

 

[addy1]

Agree with Sissy, if you want lilies, pond plants to grow decently, pick the sunny location. My pond is full sun from sunrise to sunset. It is on the south side of our house.

 

[morewater]

If you want to grow water lilies (and you should), they require a near full-days sun to flourish and to flower. They also have a specific depth requirement, so keep that in mind as well.

Water lilies are an excellent addition to any pond. They provide shade for the fish, regulate the temperature of the pond water, absorb excess nutrients, provide cover from predators and keep algae at bay by denying light penetration of the pond.

Besides being available in many, many colors (some changeable), they're also available in many pad sizes, spreading habit, etc. So there's a lily for any taste, size, application.

They're easy to grow and require grooming only occasionally (taking out the yellowing pads, pulling out the dead blooms). Hardy varieties for northern climes require no special winter care (my favorites are Pink Sensation and James Brydon) other than cutting back to nothing in the Fall. They can be planted in pots or bare-rooted in the pond bottom.

I don't need the hassle of bringing in lilies for the winter and storing them, but love the tropical lilies (particularly the purples) and the height at which the flowers are held above water level.

Water lilies were the second most important reason for my own pond build, the first being the sound of falling water.

 

[Lisak1]

I don't want the waterfall directly facing the house in either location.

This part confuses me - in my opinion, the best location for a waterfall is where it can be viewed from inside the house as well as the outside. We spend many, many happy hours gazing at the waterfall from the back windows of the house - it's a favorite spot to daydream and collect thoughts. No matter the time of day or the weather outside, the waterfall is always lovely. Plus facing it toward the house also directs the sound of the falling water toward your living space - another bonus.

I agree with the others on the sunny location - the majority of pond related plants thrive in sunshine. We even grow hostas - which love the shade - in the margins of our pond. The abundance of water makes up for the lack of shade and they stay green and lovely for all but the very hottest few days at the end of summer. Same with impatients - another traditional shade loving plant. We grow them in full sun directly in the edges of our waterfall and never have to worry about watering them.

 

[Nanner]

Just weighting in the reason I chose my direction of the waterfall facing way from the house...a few reasons 1st was I wanted to use the current slope and height from the deck to gradually flow down to my pond...2nd 90% of my outside time I'm out in my yard looking back at my house and waterfall feature from the garden, workshops basketball court and firepit....3rd 10% I'm on my deck I really enjoy looking down into my pond and oversing the waterfall. Just peaceful standing or sitting on the deck and seeing it flow down from above. Just a few reasons I chose the path I did . Qclabrat you will know what your set up drives you to chose the direction you go and lots of good reasons and advice on here to help you on your path. Best of luck.

 

[sissy]

good reasons ,we did not know that

 

[Lisak1]

Qclabrat you will know what your set up drives you to chose the direction you go

So true!

 

[morewater]

Use what you've got in place, and then build around it. That's the way to go.

 

[PondTBD]

I just used concrete block inside area and packed it with clay soil and some rebar and then on both ends and one side the outside wall is retaining wall block .3 rows of block and then 2 rows on top of that of 4 inch thick block set flat.I put down lots of milky spore to kill the grubs and wire will rust and not sure the plastic stuff will hold up .

Hi Sissy,

I'm also designing a pond that is half in a hill slope and half above grade. It's small - only about 600 gallons 3 x 4ft, 2 feet deep. I not sure what to use for the retaining wall on the above ground side which will be about 8-12 inches tall. I've been looking at retaining wall bricks that look similar to those in your photos.

The retaining wall bricks have a ledge on the bottom of the back side that push on the lower brick when dirt is filled behind it. So, top brick is slightly behind lower brick for a slight stair case profile.
http://www.adbrimasonry.com.au/homeowner/retaining-walls/see-all-retaining-walls/windsor-1
The brick is designed to allow up to 3 foot walls without reinforcement, but the manufacturer doesn't know if it will work with water pushing on a pond liner. Their design concept also doesn't use wet cement for the footer, just smooth out the powered cement mix and let it harden with moisture.

To be safe, i'm thinking about drilling holes thru the retaining wall bricks for rebar. The retaining wall bricks don't normally need any adhesive but the manufacturer recommended using a masonry adhesive.

Can you provide more detail on your above ground retaining wall? Did you use cement to hold it together? Wet or dry cement footer? Rebar? How deep does the rebar go into the soil?

Thank you!

 

[sissy]

I have a double wall pond inside is concrete block with rebar and my heavy clay soil and outside wall is retaining wall block .It is in my construction build pics and all My liner does not go over the retaining wall block it goes over the inside concrete blocks .They are built 4 block high and then have cap blocks on top of that that are 4 inch's thick and 2 layers of them