how small the garden is. it will attract birds to drink and bathe, and very importantly insects.
It's such a shame our garden is enclosed so there is no chance of frogs.
We have a small solar powered water feature. It's lovely to hear trickling water
even if I do have to move the solar panel round the garden to follow the sun. Larger
birds use this to bathe. But because it is ceramic I bring it in during winter as
I am afraid the cold will crack it. Black birds use this sometimes to bathe.
There is a shallow water container fixed to the wall (frog bath) is useful for drinking and bathing for small birds like tits and sparrows, especially when they are too nervous to use the bird bath or water features. This need wiping out every week to stop bacteria and risk of disease, and frequent topping up as it's so small.
The bird bath is on the ground and needs regular cleaning to prevent disease. I have put a couple of stones in so some of the smaller can stand on them to drink. The starlings and blackbirds use this for bathing. This is the most used water source for the birds.
I also made a "butterfly puddle" in a plant saucer with soil, sand and a couple of stones big enough to stand a little way out of the water. It is meant to be a drinking place for butterflies and provide minerals that they need in dry weather - not that I have ever seen any land on a stone and drink from it! It is only 22cm in diameter and is 4cm deep but is amazing the amount of creatures this sustains. It can become very waterlogged but I never let it dry out. I have spotted bloodworm larvae and pupae in this and even things have self seeded in it.
tubs. The large one is 55 x 44 x 25cm and the small one is 42 x 33 x 22cm .
I have put small stones in the bottom and planted them up with insect attracting
plants. Although I have a water lily planted which has been there for coming up
to 4 years and never flowered, but I am loathed to chuck it because of how much
I paid at the time. The ponds attract the occasional Damsel Fly, other insects
and strange little water creatures live there now which appeared at some time. The
birds drink from it frequently.
The plants are planted in baskets with a special type of pond soil, which is heavier
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than normal soil and wont float away. I also top the baskets with small stones.
Then I use oxygenators, which are weighted and find their own level. I tend to have to replace these as they disintegrate.
In 2007, I bought a small pump, which I plug in the kitchen and alternate between the two mini ponds to oxygenate them. It's just an air stone on the end of a long tube which is attached to the motor. I just put it on for a few hours a day during spring and summer. I thought one would be expensive and put it off for a few years but it only cost eight euro's when I went to have a look at them!
I use a small aquarium net to fish out leaves and debris. To clean I take out about 2/3 of the water. Then wipe any green algae away from the sides and top up with rain water if I have it or tap water. I use a watering can and gently pour the water down the side of the pond to avoid too much disturbance of the stones at the bottom. What ever you do, don't try and submerge a basket with the water all ready in, I did this the first time and what a mess! The pressure dislodged the stones and soil and I ended up with dirty water and floating soil.
Schizostylus, this is a really attractive plant and lots of grass like foliage
an produces a succession of flowers on one stem. I often see ladybirds in the leaves.
Mentha aquatic - this smells divine, minty and fresh with purple flowers, this is a hit with the bees and hoverflies and last year the day flying Pyrausta aurata mint moth) laid eggs on it. It grows quite tall.
Palustris alba (Caltha) - flowers early in March. It has pale lemon petals and
dark yellow middles.
Cardamine pratensis (ladies smock) I didn't realise this was actually a water plant when I had been looking for it originally. It was on my list of moth and butterfly attracters and It is one of the main food plants for the orange tip butterfly
Ranuculus aquatilis (water crowfoot) provides cover for most aquatic life including water spider and the larvae of dragonflies and damselflies. Some species of beetles are attracted to the flowers.
Equisetum japonicum. (horsetail rush)This is in the pond for a structural purpose and looks like green bamboo with black horizontal stripes
Iris sibirica "Snow Queen". This is actually next to the ponds in a small metal bucket as I didn't really have room in either of the ponds for another basket.
