Tidying and re-planting my garden pond

On reflection, my decision to put off tidying up the pond at the back end of last year was not one of my finest.

Most well planted and healthy ponds work on the principle of zones, each zone within the pond interacts with the other. Aquatic plants use up the nutrients in the water and create areas of shade. These plants then starve green algae of nutrients and prevent your pond from turning green. Oxygenating plants such as Ranunculus Aquatilis - Water Crowfoot are great for this as is Ceratophyllum Demersum –Hornwort, all of which you can get from Baytree Garden Centre.

Zone 1 should be planted with moisture loving bog plants;these plants bridge the gap between the pond and your normal soil.

Zones 2 and 3 are referred to as marginal plants; zone 2 plants are generally planted on shelves or ledges in the pond to a depth of around 6in / 15cm. Zone 3 plants can be planted much deeper to a depth of around 16in / 40cm.

Zone 4 is where you’d plant water lilies and your oxygenating plants.

Finally Zone 5 consists of floating plants.

So, how to tackle my overgrown pond? Well, the important thing to remember here is to work on getting the pond back into shape over a few days or preferably a week. Attempting to tidy the whole pond up in one day will result in the delicate eco balance being upset. Also, when thinning out plants from the pond or removing them all together, leave these discarded plants on the side of the pond for a few hours before composting - this will allow any small creatures the chance to return to the water.

Starting with the plants in Zone 1 - the bog loving plants -I removed all the dead foliage and growth and divided some plants up into smaller pieces, some I removed altogether.

After making my way around the edges, I begin to work on the marginal plants in Zone 2. It’s an easier process, as all I had to do was reach down and pull the baskets up out of the water containing my plants. I removed the dead growth and halved the size of the plant as it was getting root bound.

If you’re tidying your pond too, leave the pond alone for a day or two before tackling the deep Zone 3 and 4 sections of the pond. Depending upon how deep your pond is, waders may be required, as you’ll need to get into the pond to clear any dead and decaying organic matter at the bottom of the pond. I’m not going to lie, this job can get quite smelly and can be hard work so try not to lift anything heavier than you feel comfortable with.

Again, leave your pond alone for a day or two. Now we can get some new plants into the pond to introduce a little variation and interest. Water soldier plants are great for this, as they rise and fall during the season in the pond, they are great for filtration and oxygenating the water. Get your water lilies in the water now - remember, they are Zone 4 plants, so will need to be placed in the deepest parts of your pond.

The water in my pond is beginning to clear and the pond looks loved again. I’m off to make a cup of tea before asking my wife what she thinks!