As well as having a fish pond in our garden we also have what we refer to as a Puddle Pond. It has been given this name as it is only 80cm long by 50cm wide and, due to being almost filled with plants and a large stone to allow birds easy access, contains about as much water as a puddle.
It was really created as an additional bird bath to allow drinking and bathing for birds that prefer to stay on the ground and also for the hedgehogs that visit us.
It is sited in a corner of one of our borders and could easily be overlooked. You have to look carefully to spot that it contains water. I think the plants really need a bit of thinning out.
The Puddle Pond started life in June 2006 when we bought a precast plastic ‘liner’. This was set in place and top start with I tried edging it with large stones but this didn’t look at all in proportion so instead the lawn was slightly extended to wrap around one edge of the puddle. In time plant growth would hide other parts of the perimeter.
We then bought a couple of pre-planted water plant containers from the garden centre. To be honest I’ve forgotten what most of the plants are but once they flower I can identify some.
A large stone was popped into the puddle for birds to perch on to have a safe bath.
At the back of the puddle pond I planted a small azalea to merge in with the shrubs growing further back and amongst other things there are fritillary and cowslips.
The plants in the pond now almost cover the water and so in need of attention. I’ll maybe split some and add some ‘splittings’ to the main pond. Amongst those planted in the water are schizostylus (or kaffir lily) and a blue lobelia.
In autumn the lobelia leaves are a beautiful colour.
