Good pond, bad pond

Two small ponds...very small ponds that could be described as puddles, are in our garden. They are of the pre-formed plastic ilk and we were given them both free. One is thriving and one isn't although they sit, inches apart in the border and received the same treatment - oxygenators, marginals, water... One teems with wildlife, the other seems bereft and we have cleaned it out and started again, adding some fish (I know; not so good for the wildlife but good for 7 year-olds) and new oxygenators. Two fish have disappeared - the shibunkins have done a bunk, probably as passengers in a heron's gullet. There are several frogs, although for reasons only known to them, they chose only to breed in the good pond, even pre-fish. Sadly, in the winter, we experienced the 'sudden frog death' and I found seven bloated, grey frogs on the surface. This was a nationwide phenomenon and I am glad to report that it has had little effect on the population as a whole, so many returned to breed.'Good pond' has even got leeches, dragonflies and pond skaters - all in a pond with less than a square metre of surface. 'Bad pond' has two empty plant containers, a new oxygenator, the two aforementioned fish as well as an ironic water-lily-free frog 'batchelor pad'. It's literally a money sink...we planted a beautiful miniature water lily and it sank without trace, never to re-appear.Some pond maintenance in the autumn and perhaps the installation of a pump in 'bad pond' will make good...More about ponds for anyone interested here.

I would love to hear if anyone has had an experience of paving being pushed up because of the hot and dry weather this summer. We have had a number of patios where this has become a problem (a couple we laid ourselves and quite a few more where…

"Others have ID ed it.
I chop them off at ground level with secutears then spray a drop or two of Praxys on the wound... if it doesnt killt he first time, it will the 2nd or 3rd"

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Comments

PRO

Lara Hurley August 14, 2010 at 10:41pm

The tags are looking a bit macabre...
Nick Mann August 16, 2010 at 10:35am

You could ring the Pond Conservation help line or have a look at the brilliant Garden Pond Blog: http://thegardenpondblog.org.uk/
PRO

Lara Hurley August 16, 2010 at 9:18pm

Thanks, will do.
There are some perennial geraniums, a geum, an elder and a few other bits and pieces around them as well as irises, crocosmia and a crab apple that mainly overhangs into 'good pond'.
One had been used in a display garden - very briefly , the other was new when it went in (bad pond).
Cheers