Ponds
First of all, I am not objective when it comes to PONDS, or our colleague 
Jan Goldfield who must know more about the Making of an Amazing Water Feature than almost anyone else in the entire USA. I mean! Take a look at this one that she created...and start imagining one such as this at your homeplace.
Not long ago, my *old* friend, Jan Goldfield (AKA Pondlady) decided to share her vast knowledge about how to build and maintain a watery paradise. The result? An eBook (cover seen below. You can download it for just a few $$$ from almost any eBook provider.)
...AND...for Boomers like me, getting into a project can be a fine adventure ... the pond does NOT have to be huge, you know! What say you, Jan?
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10 Essential Tips
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1. You must have one bunch of anacharis (underwater grass) per square foot of water surface area. This serves as a natural filter and as food for the fish. It grows faster than the fish can eat it.
2. 50 - 60% of the surface of the water must be shaded with floating plants. Water lilies are great, as are water hyacinths, water lettuce or water poppies. Just be sure to compost them as they multiply and not allow them loose in a natural waterway.
3. You must have fish to complete the balanced ecosystem. I recommend common goldfish. Do not put Koi in unless you have built it specifically for Koi. They will eat all of your plants.
4. Do NOT feed your fish. They will become too big for the area and upset the ecosystem. You will have an overpopulation problem and all of your fish will die.
5. Put in one linear foot of fish for each 25 square feet of the surface area. If you have 100 square feet of the water feature, you may have 4 foot long fish, 8 six inch fish or 16 three inch fish and so on.
6. Do not allow turtles, crawfish, alligators, ducks, geese, DOGS, raccoons, possums, muskrats, nutria or your children to swim there!!!...
7. Do not use chemicals!!! EVER! Add a dechlorinator when you first fill the pond and then when you add more than 10% water afterwards.
8. Do not worry about pH. It will take care of itself.
9.Remove any dead or decaying vegetation regularly so that ammonia does not build up and foul this beautiful project.
10. Relax. It generally will take care of itself. I recommend benevolent neglect as the best approach to pondkeeping.
P.S. When Jan Goldfield took up the task of creating a water feature in her backyard in 1987, it was strictly as a hobby. Later, she discovered a true passion for it. Once completed, Goldfield's garden was such a showpiece that friends encouraged her to share her skills.
This she has done...most recently in her eBook...my
Book-of-the Month Selection which
you can find at Amazon.com and other online booksellers.
Here's a shot of the cover.
I say....Design Your Project to Express Your Style! When creating a garden, whether it's English, Italian, Oriental, herbal or some other variety Jan told me that her goal was to design a space that is an extension of both home and lifestyle. Good advice for us Boomers who are considering this project/adventure. She explains, "What we're really doing is adding another room to the house."
That's what I call... Aging-in-PALACE Asheville Style!
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