When did they create this forum?


First a disclaimer.
Gardening is a hobby, its never "Done"

Ok back in 2004 I decided it was finally time to do my side yard. I always wanted a pond with maybe some gold fish, and a Koi or two. I had read (at the time) the biggest mistake most people make when putting in a pond is making it too small. I thought that 7500gal would be plenty big. Hard scape went in first. After pouring the cement slab, the retaining wall was build and the pond was then dug out. Lawn was installed, then trees, plants (including Timber Bamboo).

About the property, 300ft elevation, 12miles from Pacific Ocean (as crow flys)

From the house.


At the house




My first Bamboo giant timber "Vivax" and my first yellow lab,.. Boomer awe

 

Moving right along to 2006, plants growing in, bamboo (way in the back) getting bigger

 

2007 was a good year!

All the plants were growing in, trees getting bigger, and Bamboo spreading and getting bigger. I also added a "tea" house along with some other random items.


Looking out of the tea house.

 

2008

Remember when I said that the biggest mistake most people make when installing a pond is not getting it big enough? Well that was only one of the problems when I put my pond in.

In 2008 I decide to rip out the existing 7500gal pond and install a larger one,. much larger.

Reasons
21,000gal. (More volume for larger fish)
Improved filtration
Remove Beach Enterances (Too easy for great herons to walk in a kill koi)
Added bottom drains (2ea 3")
Added Bakki Shower, improved airation to pond O2 is key to healthy Koi!

Put Koi in garage.


Drain Pond


The rest are self explanitory

 

Here is the yard as of 8/5/08 (most recent photos)

The Koi have all doubled in size, some even trippled!

The water is still a bit green, due to "New Pond Syndrome"

Plants still need to grow in, they don't do too well in the summer, but winter they will take off.

Thanks for looking!

Don

 

Oh wait,.. one more recent photo.

Better view of bamboo "forest" to be some day

 

absolutely amazing.. love your pond

 

Thank you!

 

amazing pond and backyard, hope you do not take this the wrong way saying this pond has a very asian feel and look to it which i dream to have, good job

 

I would love to have a true Japanese Garden but two problems.

1. I'm not Japanese
2. We don't get enough rain to grow the right plants for true Japanese Garden.

I'm of mixed origin, and so is my yard

Don