On Ungardening Pond 2

Making our pond a home

Waiting for ...

Because we were renting for a year, we got 2 large baby baths for the papyrus, bull rushes, water lilies – and as many snails as I could rescue from the last pond. Water lilies were very happy in the baby baths and made flowers. Now they have whole pond, they are still sulking. May have to make a dedicated pond with STILL water for them. Would still like the “common or garden” true blue we (used to?) see on farm dams.

...Water! January 2008

The terracotta head, “swimming” in the water, came from a potter, when we visited open gardens in Elgin. She told us, sometimes people come in and say – Oh look, there’s Uncle Fred! She handcrafts each one, with a lively expression and its own personality. Still covet a pair of pots – made as faces, with an opening on top, to plant “Hair”. This November perhaps?

April 2009

And the bird is a “Kingfisher” which we found at Rustenberg Rare Plant Fair. With perfect timing, just after we had watched a young malachite kingfisher learning to fish off the jetty. Daddy said, like this dear, did a perfect Olympic dive, caught his frog, and went. Leaving Junior to try, and try again. Belly flop. Embarrassed, sat in the tree to tidy up, and wait, and wait, for the frogs to emerge again. But. We did. Eventually. See him proudly catch his own frog, and eat it. Table manners will come later. A live frog with all those legs is not the easiest thing to eat in company.

April 2009

Still working on trailing plants to cover the window-box at the top of the waterfall – but brakvygie Aptenia and Plectranthus neochilus are well on their way now! Since the water went in December 2007, we really struggled to establish the plants around the edge, to cover the ugly concrete border. Full on brutal summer sun, no shade, no established “Nurse” plants. With time, we have tipped the other way – now the carers, both the plants and their planters, need help!

You can see Black Stork Island in September, last year when the Gazanias were flourishing. And May this year, VERY green!