Reviving our ancient pond

Winter is usually a quiet time in the garden; maybe just watching the birds and waiting for spring. Or perhaps it’s a time for a clear-up or a new project?

Rosybee now sits in a 22 acre site and we aim to manage the site in a way that encourages as much wildlife as possible. As we are right at the start of this initiative we have lots of projects to keep us busy. I typically spend October and November in the office catching up on writing and admin, but this year it has been all outside jobs.

My main focus has been the garden and starting to restore the ancient ‘drovers’ pond (pictured above) which lies along one side of the garden. The pond’s area was originally about 30m long and 8m wide and was created by damming a small stream. It was used for centuries as the main water supply for local grazing animals which were ‘driven’ to drink daily and then back to their fields. The pond had become congested with an invasive variegated grass and almost entirely silted up. I plan to achieve a decent water depth in about half of the original area and clear the nettles from the shallower parts to make a bog garden. By dint of balancing on planks - to avoid sinking shin-deep into the silt - and much wielding of a mattock I have removed the grass and increased the depth in the centre, making a couple of small islands in the process with the mud and roots produced. Then I moved some of the mud (a bucket at a time) and layered it over the dam/bank to try and stop the ponds leaking caused by a combination of tree roots and mole channels. This has been at least partially successful and the water level is now higher overall with some channels about 50cm deep. More work is needed but, ironically, I now need it to dry out so I can do that.

As you can imagine this has been a laborious and messy pass-time. I rewarded myself by installing a bench so I can sit and watch the wrens and robins that come to drink at the water’s edge.