Introducing the Pond Garden
I fell in love with the Moosey pond the very first time I saw it. I remember waking up on my very first morning here, watching the mist rising from the water as three rabbits took a dawn drink. I never saw the rabbits again. Thankfully the presence of people and, more importantly, my cats discouraged them.
Rusty the Dog leaps into the Pond
The pond was functional, used to store irrigation water, but I was allowed to dig around it and create a garden. Ooh - this was exciting! I poured through books on water planting and got very keen. Then common sense and Kiwi pride kicked in. Did I really want that British pond look?
I started thinking about Phormiums, Cordylines and Hebes, New Zealand natives, as well as Gunnera and roses. And so the Pond Garden was born, of somewhat mixed parentage!
But quite early on I did plant some Gunnera. It started its life pond-side as a cute little plant, about one foot high, with neat crinkly little leaves. Just four years later it was HUGE with leaves as big as armchairs... the dramatic rise of Gunnera!
Pond Decking in Spring
Garden Expansion
Originally the back of the pond was a mess. It couldn't even be called a 'wilderness', with long grass, weeds, and accumulated debris from the overhead Eucalyptus trees. But not for long!
I started expanded the garden, adding lots of compost and organic matter to the soil, and sawing down any unnecessary trees. I found sunny spaces for new roses. I made a network of little paths to go round the water. I even had a small cottage built by the water, which I naturally called Pond Cottage. And then my family of red-hatted garden gnomes moved in...
Is It Really Finished?
So is it really finished? No way! I'm sure there's more work to be done here. Please peep discretely into Pond Cottage, then potter around the Pond Garden (don't get splashed by a dog) and see if you think there's room for improvement. I'm sure there's room for more plants. And maybe a few more fishing gnomes.
The Pond in Summer