The water was perfectly clear… until I planted the first plants into the bog pond and intake bay! First plantings are always a little iffy because the nutrients in the pond won’t stabilize for a few months. Who knows how much nitrogen made it in with the gravel and little bit of clay or maybe it’ll be too much and the algae will come before the filter gets its compliment of “good bacteria” to start actually filtering and purifying.

I made a plant roster on our back door wall so I could keep track. 😂 🌱 🌱 🌱

A few I have never tried before. This is just the start. We will need more but hoping we can split/propagate a few from the front yard #pandemicpond to save time and money. They are all about $15-$20 a pop.

Here’s the run down:

In the Intake Bay (far corner nearest the shed where water and debris is pulled in and recirculated):

1) A big Red Abyssinian Banana. We’ll see how hardy it is, and if it likes being in the pond. It was marked as a pond plant, but says “moist soil full sun” so I made a little spot inside the liner but built up so its base is dry. It’s a very impressive plant already.

2) Standard pond lily - peach flower. They like deeper water so the bay is the place, the little bit of circulation shouldn’t bother it and it’ll have maximum sun. In time it will provide nice shade for underwater beneficial critters, and a landing pad for airborne critters too.

In the bog filter:

3) nearest in the photo is a marsh marigold, these guys are fantastic, very hardy, and very pretty when they bloom. Would like them to colonize most of the edge of the bog filter to provide a nice soft vibrant edge.

4) flat leafed tall plant is a purple iris.

5) broad leafed low plant is a water Cala lily. They should broaden out and provide nice area coverage.

6) the little guy near the edge is a pitcher plant. It eats bugs! So I put it near the edge. Muaahahaha.

7) tall plant in the back is a type of variegated ginger? It’s called Vanilla Ice…. ice. Ice. Baby.

#poolpond #portalberni #diy #gardening #bloomscrolling #home #water #pond #pondlife

Oh, just my fish coming to say hi (i.e. to see if I'm bringing them food).

Edit to add: #pondlife

I've been comparing different pond pump suppliers recently and it's interesting how much product quality can vary. A good pump does far more than move water—it affects circulation, water clarity, and overall pond health. EasyPro was one of the companies I came across while looking at different options.

https://easypro.com/collections/pond-pumps

#PondPumps #PondLife #WaterGarden

We had so much rain (99mm in May, and 85mm in June so far) that our pond is nearly overflowing (for which it’s designed, so no big issues there). The bridge in the middle is usually completely clear of the water around this time of the year.

#ponds #pondlife #gardening #gardens