Franklin County, Nebraska

For Another Day

As you probably can tell from the issues covered in my column for the past two months, I have another ongoing project.

I have had help from a very nice person in building me an above ground water garden. She lets me make all the decisions on the garden, even if we have to tear it out and start again. I started off with an 8 foot square and, since that size, it has just gotten bigger and bigger. This week will see its completion-I hope. I promised not to look at anymore landscaping books until winter.

I am happy with the way it has turned out and I am enjoying my already blooming water plants. This project, that I thought would be easy, turned out to be somewhat stressful.

The 8-foot square wasn’t enough, so I added bog areas to the sides of the main garden. But, not knowing what I was doing, they are deep enough for the water plants too. Because of this, I had to put the bog plants on cement blocks to get them high enough to the sun.

Then, I thought a picnic table covered with an umbrella would be nice, so we added that. I also got the idea that an elevated seating area would be nice, so now that’s in the process. That may be a mistake, but you never know, it might be the best addition. Oh, yes, then we added landscaping areas in which I planted bushes when it was far too hot. They wilt everyday, so I have to water them all the time, meaning that I can’t leave on any trips or else I’ll lose my plants.

I will tell you the things I have learned in doing this project in case you want to build an above ground water garden. Did you know you have to fold the liner a certain way or the water will go right out the corners. Well I have another friend who helped me and she can never leave, because she is the only one who knows how to fold the corners. I will need her help again if I get a leak in the pond liner. Don’t go to the natural ponds and bring home frogs to an above ground water garden, for they will hop right out on the ground, as did the big frog I brought home. I found him the next day and proceeded to put him back in the pond. He sank to the bottom and I haven’t seen him since. There are some little tiny frogs at our pond at the north end of the farm that I brought to my garden. They are only about an inch long and can they ever move. They like the bugs that land on the water lily leaves. These little green frogs are so cute. I was shocked to find a frog at the base of the pond the other day that we didn’t bring home. This isn’t a toad, it’s a real frog, so I picked him up and put him in the pond. Can Frogs smell water?

They tell me a person can use a shock collar to keep a dog out of a water garden. A wire with red flags is placed around the area and with the use of the collar if needed. The dog learns what the red flag means quickly. Our Brittany dog, named Chief, hasn’t been in the above water garden yet, but her sure liked my water garden barrels with the sound of “No, no, no,” ringing in his ears to his barrel that I made especially for him. I even put a few plants in his barrel and a cement block, which made it easy for him to get in on those hot summer days. Lately, after reoccurring trips to his barrel, he hasn’t touched the new garden. I also learned a person has to put cattails in a tub that is big and heavy. If not, they become top heavy and fall over at the slightest breeze. So, I had to go back to the store for a larger tub. One good thing is a person doesn’t have to worry about watering these plants, as they grow just fine under water on the hottest days and seem to enjoy the hot water…the hotter, the better. When I first knew I had made up my mind to have this water garden, I went to the local bait shop at Republican City and got me a couple dozen goldfish. These are baitfish but have they grown from a couple inches long to about three to four inches long. They love the big pond and I go there daily and tap on the side where they swim to the edge and come to my hand for food. Its show off time when I can put my hands in the water and pet goldfish.

On a tubing trip down the river, my other friends pulled out reeds and horsetail, which are now growing in the pond. Its nice to see these natural plants growing in a man created basin.

To the friend whom I owe this idea of water gardening too, I give her thanks for all the lilies and plants that usually have to be purchased. She took starts from hers and got them going in her pond, then all I had to do was go and get them to put in my garden. She encouraged me weekly and told me what to do. I copied my basic design from her above water garden. I’ll spend the winter looking at how she made her below ground water garden. Some people say I don’t need any more ideas, but I love this kind of flower garden. It’s so peaceful to put my hands in the water to do my weeding. The dead plant leaves have to be removed quite often and some plants have to be cut back to keep them from taking over the garden. Somebody might even catch me sitting on the side of the garden with my feet in the water.

I have my water garden completed and full of plants-just in time to tear it down, but I hope to enjoy it through September. My next thought is to buy a tank heater, so as to leave the hardy water lilies and fish out in the pond until spring. My pond person is south Kearney says he lives his lilies out and they come back to life every spring. We all know that the cattails, reeds and grasses will come back, but I think it will be hard to let it snow on my lilies. My friend says its safe to leave the above ground pond full of water and let if freeze and it won’t hurt the lining.

I will have one month to invite readers to my pond to sit on the bench of the picnic table and put their hands in the water and pet the gold fish. Give me a call. We pond people like to show our gardens and also share out plants for those people interested in starting a garden of their own. I will have one winter to look out the window at the frozen pond, and it might take that time to forget all the stress that went along with the building of the pond. I’m told we need equal stress for equal serenity. I wonder what the perils of fall will bring with the fallen leaves? I wonder if spring will see me draining the pond to clean it, or can I just overflow it and start over? I wonder if I will have live water plants after the cold winter? Experience will tell the end to this story.

Out of the strain of the doing, into the peace of the done. Julie Woodruff.

Rena Donovan, For Another Day.

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