Peg’s Pond Part II

Last time I wrote an entry (Peg’s Pond) about building a pond for my sister-in-law Peg. A planting season has gone by, and as you can see by the pictures, the place has changed quite a bit! Peg now has some Koi and a few goldfish, and they have taken a real liking to their new home. Peg has really done something right, because they have started breeding, and she saw her first batch of Koi hatch-lings last Spring, with more hatching throughout the summer. The pond plants have done well, and combined with the fish, she has achieved a good biological balance to keep her pond healthy, and created a nice aquatic ecosystem.

Part of the design process of determining the location of the pond was preserving the great view from inside the house. There is a wetland area behind her home, and we wanted to incorporate the pond with the view. Now with plants maturing, they help make a smooth transition from the house to the pond to the wetlands. We used mostly perennials and grasses, many of which were native to the area. The photo at the left shows the main waterfall feeding one of the two streams we constructed. That’s Joe Pye plant and Back-eyed Susan around the waterfall.

Even though the picture doesn’t show it, the stream in the photo is one of two streams. It exits in to a small upper pond, which in turn cascades into the main pond. Peg told me she even saw some baby Koi in the upper pond!

The view from her picture window has now become a real focal point in her home. Peg does a lot of work out of her home for people that have mind-body coordination issues (she uses a process called Brain Gym therapy), and the view of the pond and waterfall provides a very relaxing atmosphere for her clients.

The two streams have been a real nice touch. They have created more interest, and the sound of the two streams adds a lot of dimension to the sound of the water. The photo to the left shows the other, larger stream headed down to the main pond.

Peg has really done a great job on her pond. I’m looking forward to watching it grow and mature.”Hey Peg… I could use some Koi for my pond, and I see that you have a few to spare…..”