At the moment, my pond is on hold while I await the return of Bruce, the handyman. He hasn’t been feeling well and, combined with the on-again, off-again rain, I decided to take a break from working on the pond.
The good thing is that the pond leak was discovered – the pond liner tape had come apart. As soon as we have a few days of sunny weather, I will be in repair mode.
With this extra time, I have been rethinking my pond plan and leaning toward making it slightly smaller though not using the pre-formed pond liner. That is a bit too small and will not hold all of the pond plants along with the fish. Having a few extra days to think about the pond has been good.
Since it was a cool day, I decided to widen the flowerbed on the pond side of the back garden. (above right, the path’s new shape). I had widened a few feet of the path last week and liked the way it looked (you can see the results at the bottom of the above pic).
This path veers off toward the garage and needs to be revamped since it is too narrow in places. My son complains every winter that he is unable to shovel the path to the garage properly. It really can stand to be widened. Besides, I need to weed out some of the Anemone sylvestris.
While I love the flowers and want a few clumps, I prefer not having an entire flowerbed’s worth. This plant is an aggressive spreaders and I do constant battle with it. As I have discovered in the past two years, it is capab
le of smothering everything in its path. Unlike the Creeping Jenny, I have yet to find a worthy competitor for the Anemone.
The best part of widening the path (at left, the newly enlarged path needing more digging and compost) is that I can now move some plants to the new area and then arrange my favourite rocks along the path’s edge. Have I ever mentioned that I collect rocks? That’s a story for a whole other post!!
in the autumn light 
It’s nice when you get a little extra time to think about a plan, isn’t it? I’m looking forward to hearing how the pond turns out — sounds lovely!
Hi Kate, I sure like that winding path – very graceful. I just put my fish out today in our little pond and they are loving it. There were 2 toads in the pond when we got home tonight and they were chirping away! I could just barely see your rocks, but they look very pretty. I also collect rocks from where ever I go. They are very special to both Steve and I. They tell wonderful stories. I carry a lucky one in my purse. Please make a blog about your rocks – I’d love to read it. Thanks, Alyssa
My daughter and her hubby have a pond with plants and fish, and it’s stepped with two wee waterfalls and has a mini bridge. I will have to have them take some pictures so you can see. They love to garden, too.
Your pond is bee u ti ful! The path looks very serene ..perhaps if I leave my “island” this would be a nice quiet place! Thanks for stopping by!
I would love to see some of your rocks. My dear friend, Kathleen collects them too. You remind me of her…she’s a master gardener and loves nothing more than to get lost in her garden for the day. She has a pond with Koi fish…and also always seems to be doing battle with it! It’s worth it though…her garden is beautiful. I could sit there the entire day and be very happy. I have a feeling your garden is just like that. xoxo
Genie – I will be glad when I have the pond finished. The current gaping hole in the pond takes some getting used to. Alyssa – Having fish in a pond is the best thing. I like that it attracts birds & tadpoles too. That rocks tell stories is one of the best things about them. If it rain today, maybe I will write about them. Pam – I would love to see some pictures of their pond … it sounds lovely. Pam Aries – At times it is a quiet place – but I still like the idea of a deserted island.
Hi Abby – I am still smiling as I think of your tomato painting. Does Kathleen have a blog? She sounds like a kindred spirit! I have become somewhat pond obsessed these days … mostly wishing that I could return the fish to the outdoors. They always seem happier in the pond than they do in the aquarium.
You were probably thrilled to find the leak and keep the pond large enough for the plants and fish, but Kate, it also seems that the possible redoing of the pond made you rethink the edges and the path. Apparently a possible disaster was more useful than the pond staying intact! Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Hi Kate! I’ve been thinking about you. This is my first chance to check in today. I collect rocks too! I absolutely love their energy and how they soak up the vibes and elements of wherever they are. They have power and lots of personality. I really like the photos you included. The wider path is great. Everything looks really nice. I hope Bruce feels better — and I hope you are having a really nice week.:)
Annie – isn’t that often the way it works? Something tough opens up new horizons … the thought came to me that now was the time to rejig the path … I’ve been wanting to for ages. These past days, I’ve been envying you in Texas with hot sunshine!Clare – another rock collector! They are endlessly fascinating – all with a history that we can’t even begin to fathom. I have been enjoying your poems so much.
I love the way summer engages you so in your garden, and the path is turning out really well- I like the gentle, organic nature you put into all your gardening exploits.