Kingcup (Marsh Marigold)

Kingcup before repotting

Whilst it is very good at keeping the water in, the brown plastic pond lining is not in the least bit attractive so our aim is to put plants wherever the liner is exposed.

The beauty of pond plants is that they not only look nice but they help to clean the water,  provide the frogs, newts and other creatures somewhere to hide, and the Wagtails and Finches love being on and amongst them.  We brought a  few plants from our small old pond into our bright and shiny new pond in the courtyard, but due to priorities elsewhere on the old farm the plants were neglected resulting in them becoming extremely pot-bound.

Potbound Kingcup

Of the three plants we moved the Kingcup is our favourite, with its yellow flowers reflecting joyfully in the pond, so we concentrated our efforts on rescuing it.

The Kingcup is such a wonderful plant that The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).  I can understand why as it takes quite a bit of punishment and yet still manages to look fantastic, so it would certainly get a garden merit award from us!

Kingcup roots being gently removed from pot

Extracting the plant from the plant pot was the first job. This was tricky as roots had not only grown through the holes in the base of the pot but also the mesh holes around the sides. However with some careful cutting of the pot we were able to break it away from the root ball without too much damage and tease the roots from the holes. As the root ball was enormous we decided to split the plant into smaller sections.  Looking for the natural groupings of stems we took a spade and sliced through the root ball giving ourselves four healthy looking smaller plants.

Kingcup split into 4 for repotting

Kingcup in reclaimed terracotta ridge tile

As we did not have any aquatic plant pots we decided to plant the Kingcups in upturned ridge tiles. We have a large number of old and broken tiles from the restoration of our roofs so we are always looking for new ways in which to use them.

Reusing these tiles fits in with our ethos of using as much material from the farm as we can and gives us a buzz knowing that we have saved some money and reduced wastage.

Reflection of barn in pond with plants in reclaimed terracotta tiles

Arranging the tiles in the pond we can see another benefit to using the old ridge tiles; with the water level so low they look a lot nicer than the plastic pots.

Over the next couple of weeks (or maybe sooner) we will repot the other plants, including the Greater Pond Sedge, into terracotta tiles so that the whole side of the pond will be covered.

Reuse not Recycle - Roof Ridge Tiles

As a result of the restoration of the old farm complex a number of the roofs had to be re-tiled. We tried to reuse as many of the old tiles as possible on the roof but we still ended up with a lot of broken tiles that were no longer weatherproof. This has led us to continuously look for creative and interesting ways to use the old and broken tiles.

Upturned reclaimed terracotta ridge tile with plant

Our latest idea is to create plant holders for our pond plants. The upturned terracotta ridge tiles are the perfect shape for holding a plant.  As they are open at the ends the roots will be able to escape into the pond so the plants should not get pot bound.  Also, any pond creatures that want to live in the roots will be able to find their way in easily.

To make sure that the soil around the roots is not washed away we have piled up broken tile at the ends.  We have also put broken tile on the top which will reduce evaporation (when the pond is deep enough for them to be in the water!).

The tiles, being used, have rough mortar on them and a constant source of worry to us is something puncturing the pond liner.  To hopefully prevent this from happening we have put scrap pieces of pond liner under the tiles to prevent their weight or movement working through the liner. 

So, not only have we been able to reuse what most people would think were scrap tiles we have made sure that the plant holders will still look attractive when the water level drop.  When we have made the others to finish off the side of the pond and then planted around the top then we shouldn't see the horrible brown plastic pond liner anymore.

Reclaimed terracotta ridge tile pots in pond

Watering Pond Plants!

Whether the ledges around the pond edge were too deep was my main concern as I didn’t want the plants to be submerged.  Little did I know that this Spring would be exceptionally warm (4C hotter than average) and dry, with no significant rain for what seems like months.

With all the water butts empty and the vegetables and small plants crying out for watering, the pond had to be called on to save the day.  Add us taking this water out to the natural evaporation and the pond level has dropped nearly 20cm (8”), taking the plants on the ledge out of the water.

What to do?  Strange as it may seem, they’ve now been added to my evening watering rota.  It must make a peculiar sight, seeing someone watering plants in their pond, but there really isn’t any choice.

To be honest, I never thought myself that I would see the day when I have to water the pond plants, especially as the intention was that they would be the lowest of low maintenance.

Watering pond plants!

Lily Pad Frog

Frog on lily pad

I always thought it was an old wives' tale that frogs liked to chill out on lily pads. 

That was until yesterday when I saw this young Common Frog sunning itself on these recently emerged leaves from our new lily. The young frogs are much less skittish than the mature ones with this one staying put for a considerable time before jumping off to go for a swim.