Does your pond appear to be wearing a necklace? 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.
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!
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.
Photos only suggest the graceful transformation that you can create. Make it a highlight!
For more great ideas and to see some of these tips in action, check out this video from Aquascape:
