Backyard Pond

Backyard Pond

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We’ve been wanting to add a backyard pond for quite sometime and we had an empty space that was longing for new life!

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We positioned a garden hose in the shape and size we wanted…..and hubby began to dig!

:)

A few points you need to know…….

First, this is not a ginormous (is that a word?) pond…..no fish….just a nice sounding water feature!

Second, our home sits on solid rock, also known as caliche.…you can not dig it out….you have to chisel! (Very time-consuming and hard work unless you have a backhoe-which we didn’t)!

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My hubby dug as far as he could……approx. two feet down (if that)……

….then he started picking at it with a chisel!

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Fortunately, our neighbor had this wonderful tool which is like a human sized chisel. This is the only picture I could find (it looks like a large nail but it is heavy!).  It certainly made it a lot easier for my hubby! LOL!

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Our pond has an upper and lower shelf and a lower section where the pump sits!  The “shelf” is to set water plants.

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Once our “hole” was dug, a layer of sand was spread to help cushion the rocks or any sharp objects from puncturing the liner.

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IMG_3481Had to add this picture of our little helper, Roxy!!

:)

Next, a layer of newspaper was laid on top of the sand to further cushion the liner.

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Finally, it was time for the liner!

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And, water…………

IMG_3510I volunteered to stand in the “hole” and smooth out the liner as the weight of the water molded the liner to our shape. (It was so freakin hot outside it felt GREAT!)

IMG_3512Now, it was time to position the rocks that would hold the liner.

IMG_3529Please excuse the muddy water, it was a huge mess at this point!

:)

We kept adding rocks we gathered from our neighborhood until we came up with a look we were happy with……

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Now it was time to add our waterfall feature!

We decided to go with a pre-fab piece I found at Lowes on sale for $8!!

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We continued adding rocks up around the waterfall feature, repositioning and “tweaking” things til we got it right!  We also added a fountain feature in the pond itself!

IMG_3641 IMG_3649Final rocks were added on top of the pre-fab to hide the hose from which the water flows!

:)

Now for the finishing touches and landscaping!

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We enclosed our pond with a “stone block wall” which mirrors other landscaping in the yard and will contain the plants and mulch and keep them from washing away with a good rain!

We also laid down semi permeable ground cover before planting and mulching to prevent weeds! Yes, believe it or not, even with all that rock, weeds can still grow!

:)

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You’ll notice we extended our black mesh ground cover past our pond garden.  That is because our next step was to add a paved patio surrounding the pond and this was the easiest way to lay it and get a good cover of ground. (I hope that makes sense!)

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I planted some jasmine on the trellises,  repositioned some existing plants, and added a few annuals!

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Of course, I’m still tweaking it daily….adding things here and there!

:)

Our next step was adding the paved patio around the pond.

I’ll show you that in my next post, but for now I’ll give you a sneak peek….

And then I’ll share with you our pallet swing and the finished product!!

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IMG_5286I know there was A LOT of information in one little post so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll try my best to help!

Until next time……

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Visiting these lovely parties……

Pinterest Blitz

DIY Sunday Showcase

Silver Pennies Sunday

August Garden Party @ Elizabeth & Co.

The Creative Home & Garden Hop

Give me The Goods

Tuesdays At Our Home

Share It One More Time

The Scoop

Comments

  1. This is just gorgeous. I can imagine how relaxing it is to sit and listen to the water. Looking forward to seeing your next post and getting details on your swing. :)

  2. Wonderful! We had a big pond at our last house and I really miss it. You’ll be amazed at how many birds will come for the water.

  3. Beautiful sis…proud of you!

  4. Oh my, that looks just lovely! I love the little pathways and areas you’ve created! It looks like a ton of work went into the pond and patio and came out just gorgeous!

    thanks for sharing,
    gena

  5. Wow, that is nice. I love the pavers.

  6. Doreen Sargente :

    It looks lovely Angela, and I’m sooooo impressed your hubby did this in the middle of summer when it’s so hot there!

    Enjoy your beautiful yard my friend. You both deserve it!

  7. Christine at First Home Love Life :

    Angela, your yard is gorgeous! I just saw this pinned, and came right over because we are planning on adding a pond to our yard when it gets a bit cooler! It turned out fabulous, and lucky you being able to get all those rocks around your neighborhood!

  8. So much work but so worth it! It looks so professional! Visiting from Bloglovin’ and Facebook Blog Hop and following you via Bloglovin’!

  9. Abby @ Just a Girl and Her Blog :

    I think I’m going to come move in to your outdoor space, ok? ;) Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more gorgeous, you go and add a beautiful pond! I LOVE it, Angela! Great job! (and props to hubby too!)

    ~Abby =)

  10. Savannah Ganny :

    Angela, your pond and walkway look awesome. I remember all the work you have done back there. I still remember the “awnings” over your windows. I am still salivating over those.
    You and hubby are awesome.
    I am visiting from Pinterest Blitz and pinning,
    xo Ginger

  11. Robin~All Things Heart and Home :

    oh my gooooodness Ang! I love it and your instructions are perfect! The paver patio is amazing…I’m about to show The Husband…he’s still working so hard on our backyard! xoox

  12. A lot of work for hubby to chisel it out for this pond. Well worth the effort! Love the paved patio too! Hubby and I built our own pond at our previous home. It had a small stream and we loved it. There’s nothing like the sound of water in the garden. When we moved here we decided to hire out for our pondless waterfall. It’s not big, but again, that sound!
    hugs,
    Jann

  13. Danni@SiloHillFarm :

    Angela, that is flat out gorgeous! Love the pavers too! I cannot resist the sound of water outdoors and I’m guessing you’ll have a few frogs come visiting as well!

  14. Shelly minettesmaze.blogspot.com/ :

    This is FANTASTIC!!!!! I am deff pinning this one!! Thanks for sharing on DIY Sunday Showcase!!

    Shelly @Minettesmaze

  15. shirley@housepitalitydesigns :

    wow Angela…your hubby (and you) did an incredible job!….i have always wanted a water feature in my yard…we have always had a pool up until this house…so I miss the sound of water…..Your yard and patio area is just magnificent!!

  16. Beautiful! And I can attest that it is very nice and relaxing to sit next to this in the awesome swing that you guys made! :)

  17. Oh my goodness! It looks wonderful and I’m sure y’all will enjoy it a lot. Thinking it is so very hot there now,,,reminds me of the first time we lived in Houston and were solie sodding our front yard and a neighbor came over to tell us it was 105 degrees. We turned the hose on ourselves at that point. I bet you felt like it, too. Thanks, Helen

  18. creativehomeexpressions :

    What a lovely feature you’ve added to your backyard, Angela! I’m sure you are enjoying it when you get to sit outside. We had a small pond at our old house and we had added a fountain to it. It was so relaxing and I Ioved hearing the water from the fountain. We originally had fish but I was tired of finding them missing. I’m thinking a raccoon was having dinner at our pond!

    Thanks for linking up to The Creative Home & Garden hop! : )

  19. I love your pond it is just beautiful! Would love it if you came by One More Time Events and shared https://www.onemoretimeevents.com/2013/08/share-it-one-more-time-features-and_10.html
    Hope to see you there,..Tammy

  20. Hi, Thank you so much for linking up to One More Time… I really do appreciate it…Love the pond we have an above ground pond and I just love it! They are so peaceful to listen to.
    Tammy

  21. Vashti Quiroz-Vega :

    Wow! That was a lot of work, especially chiseling those rocks (pat on the back for your hubby). The end result was well worth all the effort. Gorgeous!

  22. Confessions of a Plate Addict :

    Wow! That was a lot of hard work, but it certainly paid off! It’s beautiful and I know you will really enjoy it! Thanks for sharing at The Scoop!…hugs…Debbie

  23. Laurel Stephens :

    Your pond is lovely!

  24. This turned out so beautiful Angela. You are such a worker bee and make your place just beautiful to enjoy….I LOVE that!

  25. Danielle Driscoll (@DDSilverPennies) :

    Love how your pond came out! Thanks for sharing at Silver Pennies Sundays. x

  26. Hi… Stopping by to let you know you have been featured over at One More Time – Share It One More Time https://www.onemoretimeevents.com/2013/08/fall-centerpiece-made-with-plaster-of.html Thank you for sharing! Hope you can make it again this week! Xo Tammy

  27. Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. :

    Wow, just digging the hole was a whole lot of work! What crazy soil you have! And you collected the rocks from your neighborhood? … But your efforts were so worth it. Now you sit on your beautiful swing and enjoy the sight and sound of your beautiful pond!

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