Illustration by Cristina Carpenter
Create a bit of a kitchen sink drama for local watery wildlife.
You’ll need: an old Belfast sink (if you can’t get one, any large tub or a washing-up bowl will work);
some pond liner; large rocks; a plank of untreated wood; smaller rocks; gravel; a few pond plants
To make:
1 Locate your sink on even ground, somewhere where it’ll get some sun but not too much. Line it
with pond liner unless you’re sure that it’s watertight.
2 Create a ramp at one side using the plank (or rocks) to help smaller creatures climb in and out
easily. Add some large rocks in the sink where the plank joins it to help them get into the water.
3 Add smaller rocks around the other edges of the sink and then add gravel to cover the bottom of the pond. Fill with rainwater from a water butt.
4 Plant your pond plants in the gravel – miniature water lily and spearwort are good. Go for a mix of floating and upright plants.
5 Open your pond for business and wait for the flurry of aquatic Trip Advisor reviews to ‘flood’ in.
This back garden project is taken from our Almanac pages which has seasonal things to note and notice, plan and do every month.
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