The big pond

[kaz]

Grrr... I absolutely hate it at the moment. I'm having one of those 'fill it in' moments. It was looking a bit ropey when I got back from the cruise... now it is covered in the most disgusting algae. The large lily pot as floated and tipped over... it probably needs splitting but I don't know what I'm doing. A badger has dug up some of the grass edging... oh what sorrow

[alison]

Hmmmm Now just take a deep breath and think about how wonderful it looked when it was created and how we all were envious of your lovely garden and the size of your pond. Now if you had been left to your own devices for 6 months and hadn't washed your hair or brushed your teeth you would look a bit like your pond at the moment. But all you need is a little TLC and a new hairbrush and toothbrush and you would look fabulous within the hour. Just think of your pond in the same way. With a little TLC and maybe the loo brush rather than a hairbrush to get out the algae, by the weekend you could have the most marvelous water paradise in the area.
Algae I'll grant you isn't the most attractive pond plant to have in abundance so taking out as much as possible is the only way to get things looking good. Do you need a small boat to get into the middle of your pond or maybe you could wade in to get the lily pot. Lillies are the same as any other plant really when it comes to dividing. Just make sure that you keep some root on each bit and you will be well away. Place the ryzome in the bottom of the pot and cover with some stones to keep it there as there is always the tendency to float back up and leave an empty pot on the bottom.
This time of year the larger plants are taking a battering from the wind and can fall over and get ruined. My Yellow flag Iris was strewn all over the pond one morning after the bad winds we had and I have had to cut everything back as they just wouldn't stand back up again. It was sad as they were flowering but they have already started to send up new shoots making it look not so bare.
There is always a silver lining to everything so look at the pond again and decide wether there was anything that you had wanted to change with it before and implement those changes now. Not by filling it in I hasten to add . Good Luck You can do it......

[dampflippers]

I can recommend waders...but for safety, don't do it by yourself. Someone I surveyed with always wore a life jacket.
If you just use a rake or long stick, you should be able to sweep some to the side and hoik it out. That would be a start.
Don't despair...you'll like it again soon.

[kaz]

Thank you Alison and Damp. Things are pretty bad down there and it's made me think hard about how to best deal with it. The algae is very fine... I think it may need a UV light. The pump I had in there (which just provided a hidden splash of water)... well its knackered. The lawn edging has been damaged / died back in places... so looking really ugly.

If I'm honest, I find it quite hard to cope with the lower garden, so had opted for a low maintenance thing e.g. 80% lawn, pond left to naturally sort its own balance and the plants along the side which meet Helen's old garden need minimal care(she moved a couple of miles down the road).

As for the upper garden... this is where I've invested my time and it's looking quite pretty (if not a little overgrown in places).

Anyway... back to the problem. Following the initial thoughts of filling the pond in... I still want the pond to be lowish maintenance and have the 'natural' look, but will add a filter, UV and hidden waterfall (well... you know... somewhere for the water to return to the pond after being filtered). I think that if I do anything more... such as adding a proper waterfall, the pond will lose its 'natural' look and will make the garden look as though it needs more planting / structure.

My change of heart came about when sitting out in the garden a couple of nights ago when I kid you not... a fox was drinking from the pond alongside Vicky the duck (I thought foxes ate ducks). I love the wildlife and having the pond really attracts stuff to the garden.