“The universe as we know it is a joint product of the observer and the observed.” ~ Teilhard De Chardin
One of the key areas in my wildlife gardens is the pond. It was built several years ago to draw in wildlife, and be a place of solace and serenity for the gardener. I adore the sound of water, and it seems to lull me into a peaceful state. I have written about the pond often, but have not yet brought you along for a closer look.
The pond has morphed over the years, becoming more wild now. A spot for frogs, toads, snakes, dragonflies, voles, birds, pollinators and the occasional new visitor. And I love to perch on the big rock next to the waterfall and watch these critters make themselves home.
I thought it might be nice to look at one part of the Pond Garden as I join Lucy@Loose and Leafy for her Stuck Foot meme around the 21st of every other month.
What is a Stuck Foot post you ask? As Lucy explains:
A stuck foot post is where you plant your foot firmly in a roughly random place and see what you can see without moving.
This method of observation is a great way to gain a better perspective of an area. And for this post, as we are close to the 15th, I am also linking in with Carol@May Dreams Gardens who hosts Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day the 15th of each month.
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When I step out the back door, and stand on the steps that descend down to the patio, I can look out over much of the garden. But at this time of year, you cannot see the pond as it is surrounded by plants. In fact, many who visit the garden do not see the pond at all unless I show them the way. It remains a private spot where wildlife thrives.
The pond is just to the top right of this picture, where the cattails are blooming. I let mostly-native plants self-seed around the pond to protect the critters from predators. Let’s move to the right and take the long way around to where we are going.
As we move to the end of the patio on this side, these steps will lead us along the path around the pond. The grass here is mostly clover, and a favorite spot for me to sit and watch the world go by.
Here’s the view as I look up. One of the garden gates and pergola, monarda, Echinacea, elderberry and phlox straight ahead where the hummers, birds, pollinators and butterflies like to linger. Let’s move around the path here as we go by the near side of the pond garden (an area I have shown before, and we will explore more another time).
As we come along the path, it opens up to the lawn, gazebo, Center Garden and White Garden ahead. The Veg Garden is to the right behind the black-eyed susans.
Turning a bit to the left, we have come upon the area we will be exploring, the far side of the pond. It’s about 9:30 am, so the glare from the still rising sun is strong.
Ah here we are. A well trodden path through the plants and weeds. You can just see the back door and steps we just descended, and a bit of patio. Let’s go up and see what is at the top of this hill.
And here we are at our destination…the pond which sits just off the patio. This is the far side of the pond. The Pond Garden was built to encircle the pond on a slight incline as you move from the patio to the trees in the Center Garden. I generally take pictures of the pond from the patio side where we started. But in early morning the light and shadows are magical here.
The edge of the pond has more grass and weeds growing than I would like. And the gravel edge is well hidden now. We have a project we need to finish by the time the song birds come back next year….clearing the edge and leveling it off on this side. The birds used to wade in here, and bathe in spring and summer. Now the edge drops off quickly and there is too much growth so they cannot bathe in the pond anymore.
I will not go into the plants growing in the pond for this post. Perhaps a look at the plants in the pond next year would be a good series.
Some of the critters are awake and lounging in the pond already. But here near the edge, there are a few that love to hang out in the plants…namely frogs. This little green frog was born in the pond. He did not move at all the whole time I was here, and he was very close to my feet. We find the little frogs are less startled by our presence. Other larger frogs jump in the pond as soon as we get near the pond.
As I look south from where I stand, back toward the gate, I see milkweed, grasses, Echinacea seed heads and the funky curved spikes of Scouring Rush sometimes called Horsetail Rush or Equisetum hyemale. I have not yet profiled this interesting native plant and will remedy that next year.
And looking up a little, toward the corner of the fence, you can see lots of Rudbeckia.
Just in front of the grasses and Rudbeckia is the Joe Pye, now growing as a volunteer on the pond edge right in front of me.
Behind the Joe Pye and a little to the right, are the cattails growing in the pond.
As I move left, I look down back to the path we walked up. There are some asters (pictured at the top of the post) growing here, as well as daylilies, irises and lots of Knautia macedonica and Knautia arvensis.
Looking a little closer, you can see a hosta tucked in here too.
From this vantage point as you look out at the garden, you can see the veg beds also hidden behind lots of plants.
As I swivel a little more left, right in front of me is the non-native variegated Giant Reed Grass or Arundo donux which towers to over 7 feet tall. It does spread a bit, but very little. I love the foliage and statement this grass makes at the edge of the pond near the filter.
Looking up from this giant grass, you can see the tops of the ash and maple trees in the Center Garden.
And when we look down, we see sedum tucked in here.
And way on the other side of the Giant Reed Grass, at the far edge of the Pond Garden down toward the edge of the lawn, I can just spy another native coming back again. It loves it in this location, as it stays a bit shady and wet. This is Lobelia cardinalis or Cardinal Flower a favorite of the hummingbirds. I used to have lots of this plant, but it does fade after a number of years.
As I make a final turn left, I am now facing the pond again. I can see some of the perennial Helianthus that grows right behind the waterfall. It is a beautiful flower that signals later summer, and the coming of fall.
And if we shift our gaze a bit down and to the left, you can see the waterfall graced by more of the Helianthus that has volunteered to the left of the waterfall.
So there you have a look at the far side of the Pond Garden. Weeding, a bit of control of the volunteers, and uncovering the gravel edges are the main plans for this garden. I hope to move some plants in and out of this garden as well.
I think this might be a very interesting garden to profile next year. It has 3-4 distinct areas and vantage points, and a rich history with a story to tell after 10 years in the garden.
Have you ever stuck your foot in your garden or any space and looked closely to see what is there? Give it a try.
Join In The Seasonal Celebration:
As I feel autumn’s call to celebrate the coming season, I hope you will join in the celebration. I welcome those Down Under who will be celebrating the coming of spring to join in too.
All you have to do is write a post between now and September 23rd telling me how you are celebrating the new season. Then leave a comment on the kick-off post with your link so I can include your link in my summary post on September 28th.
I do hope you will consider joining in the Seasonal Celebrations meme as we celebrate the new season in your corner of the world.
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Next up on the blog:
Next Monday, I will have another combined post for Wildflower Wednesday, and In A Vase On Monday.
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