New Pond.

[Darwin.]

I'm not sure if this is in the right place but I figure it's a pond for wildlife so this is as good a place as any.

I hope to dig out my pond in two weeks, I'll have a digger for doing drainage so might as well do the pond while its here. What I need to know is, do I need to take another drain away from the pond to stop it going stagnant or will the steady supply of fresh water sort that for me?

I'm getting plants for it so I've been told that will help too. Now it's a small pond of 8m x 9m or there abouts but I'd like to put a few fish into it, not goldfish but nothing as big as koi. I'd like some plain old fish that you'd find in a river or lake in Ireland or England that won't grow too big. Any advice on what to get? Would the pond be too small for fish at all?

[veggiechicken]

What do you mean by "steady supply of fresh water"? Is it spring/stream fed or are you talking about rain?

[Darwin.]

There's a stream running past it so I may divert that into it it just keep it filled from it. It's in a very wet corner of a very wet garden and the while garden us being drained into it. I catch all the rainwater from the roof if the house too so I'll be keeping it constantly topped up with fresh water.

[veggiechicken]

Unless you have constant water running into it, its basically stagnant water.
How are you lining the pond - or aren't you?

[Darwin.]

I hadn't intended lining it at all, it should hold the water without it.

If I divert the stream it will have a constant supply.

[Verinda]

The downside of having fish is that they're inclined to eat tadpoles, in fact I'm not sure you can have a wildlife pond with fish. I could be wrong. I love ponds and have three small ponds, none of them have drains. Ponds don't go stagnant if they've got plant cover, I think about three quarters of the water should be covered.

My ponds are teeny compared to yours, about 2x3 meters. Your pond would be plenty big enough for fish, but I don't know much about pond fish I'm afraid.

[Darwin.]

I may need to abandon the idea of fish then. Plenty if frogs hang about in that corner already so it's really them and insects I want to attract, the fish were an afterthought as something extra to watch.

[rustylady]

So basically what you are doing is widening and deepening part of the stream to make a pond right?

[Darwin.]

No, there's a tiny stream that runs around the bottom of the garden, I'd have to divert it across the garden a few meters to feed the stream, I'd need to pipe it because there's be a good chunk if the garden cut off if I didn't. It's unlikely that I'll do that, it's just one possibility but would involve a lot of work and I'd need to dam the stream.

[SarzWix]

My dad's land sounds very similar to yours; persistently wet, with reeds growing up all over the place. He has two ponds which act as drainage for part of the land, one is lined, one isn't. Both of them stay pretty full without diverting a stream/spring into them just through leading the land drains in that direction. Neither of them are stagnant either. The big unlined one has bull rushes and other pond plants around the edges, the lined one doesn't have anything growing round it and looks pretty bare tbh. A couple of pairs of ducks have found them and made themselves at home, and he has plenty of dragon flies etc.

[Darwin.]

I have a few fairly mature trees planted in the corner, I thought they'd help dry it out but they come on later and lose their leaves earlier than everything else so it's obviously far too wet for them. The idea is to pull the water away from them as well as drainage for the garden. When I dig down a few foot in that area I hit water anyway so it should have water in it all year around.

I think I'll definitely abandon the idea of fish though. I'll just get some plants, I love bull rushes and maybe some ferns if they'd work and then hope the frogs like it and the dragonflies show up. I should get some really nice photos then.

I'm actually really excited about it and a few other little projects I have planned for the garden this year.

[veggiechicken]

Plant willows? They suck up a lot of wet.

[SarzWix]

And rowan/mountain ash don't mind wet ground

[Darwin.]

It's at the bottom if the orchard so I didn't want to plant anything down there unless it produces fruit or nuts. The mature trees are chestnut and I think walnut, I can't be sure what it is.

[Two_Sheds]

I'd like some plain old fish that you'd find in a river or lake

But you don't have a river or a lake, you have a pond. River/lake fish don't survive on their own: they need a whole habitat of specific plants, insect life etc.

I see you've given up the idea of fish: I'd agree with you. Fish are predators, they will eat the wildlife.
It's a good thing to be brainstorming your ideas here, rather than blundering* ahead and doing it all wrong

*sorry that's blunt, I just can't think of the right word

Plenty if frogs hang about in that corner already

Frogs only need water for spawning (they hibernate in long grass, under stones etc.
The pond should have plenty of shallow levels, so the little critters can get in and out.

I have a few fairly mature trees planted in the corner,... it's obviously far too wet for them.

They wouldn't have got to "mature" if the ground was unsuitable ... they'd have died

I love bull rushes and maybe some ferns

BBC - Gardening: Plant Finder - Bulrush

Ferns are good on dry ground. Zantedeschia is a stunning plant, very good for that area. It's doing well in my shady corner (it's very forgiving, easy to grow)

Hydrangeas, of course, but they're a bit thuggish. Dogwoods, willows, kerria is cheerful and easy.

Gardening on wet soils / Royal Horticultural Society

Wildlife ponds / Royal Horticultural Society

Building a wildlife garden pond

that'll keep you busy. Have you got your graph paper out? Pencil? Pot of tea?