I really can’t adequately explain why I love this silly little metal fish so much, but I really do. Almost every time I go out to do a set around this pond, I take a few shots of the fish, trying to figure out a way to make it look great in photos. They never really do it justice, though, which I suppose is an indication of my limitations as a photographer.
The ivy is, I think, the thing that most makes this pond unique. I don’t think that any of it was ever intentionally planted. Rather, it all came out of various mixed hanging baskets of plants whose remnants were tossed in the area before there was a pond. There are, I think, at least four distinct types of English Ivy surrounding this pond, all mixed together and climbing in among the rocks. This metal fish thing was set among the ivy one day when the stand it was on broke, and within a week or two it was inextricable, so there it has sat ever since, developing a patina and watching over our waterfall.
One of the nicest things about water gardens, and gardening in general, is watching how things develop organically over time. A little-tended area or ignored plant can eventually become the centerpiece of your entire yard, visually and naturally telling the story of your garden. It’s not something that you can predict. It could be a small ivy trimming that grows to the top of a mighty oak or takes over your fence, it could be a forgotten bit of vinca that makes a soft blanket under your hammock, it could be an untended rose bush that, after years of near-dormancy, explodes with blossoms year after year. And, with the (ahem) fluid nature of ponds, the process can be even more surprising. A huge frog could become a friend of your puppy, your koi could breed and produce a school of little fish a color that you’ve never seen before, or a single lotus or lily could take over your entire pond, giving you a blanket of multicolored blossoms month after month. My absolute favorite plant in this pond is a wall of Japanese iris that were never even planted, but which have taken up elegant residence near our skimmer, forming a nice wall of stalks for most of the year. After the blooms fade, the seed pods droop into the water, and it is absolutely beautiful (and will, in fact, be featured in an upcoming wallpaper).
Anyway, this ivy and the metal fish that it has encompassed tell just one small story of my family’s history in this home, and if you’d like to download the photo as a wallpaper, just look below.
Metal Fish Overlooking Waterfall Wallpaper
Image Credit: Bill Dubert
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