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Container pond love … who knew?

July 8, 2019

container pond through gate

I’ve been gardening seriously for a couple decades now and I was starting to think I knew what made me happy in the garden. I never expected that 165 gallons of water would become one of my favorite things.

When I designed the vegetable garden I left a big space in the center for some kind of feature. A small bistro set, a sculpture, or perhaps a really romantic planting of lavender or something were all considered, but I landed on a small container pond. I know next to nothing about water gardens and until about January I knew absolutely nothing. And now I just want to know more, more, more.

container pond through gate

I chose a 165-gallon round stock tank (I had to order it here to find a round one in the size I wanted) more in the interest of frugality rather than aesthetics. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on an expensive container pond and then find out that it wasn’t right for the space. Turns out that the stock tank seems almost perfect for the space now. (If you want to see an amazing stock tank pond, check out Pam Penick’s.) 

Figuring out what plants to put in the pond was a challenge. I love plants, so suddenly finding myself in a situation where I didn’t know what the options were or what would work was something I haven’t experienced for a long time. A good way to keep yourself humble is try an entirely new kind of gardening. I found myself at garden centers asking the most basic questions. I ran into three kinds of responses: 1. Very helpful and patient, 2. Being treated like I’d never seen a plant in my life, and 3. A customer service person whipping out their phone to search Google for the answer. A hint to garden center employees: We are looking for more information that we can get ourselves from a Google search.

container pond

I learned that the goal is to have about three-quarters of the water’s surface covered in plants. Popular pond plants like water lettuce and water hyacinth are illegal invasive species in Wisconsin, meaning I couldn’t buy them locally and I couldn’t even legally have them shipped to me.

I ended up planting Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), Four-leaf clover (Marsilea mutica), a water lily and a pitcher plant (Sarrancenia) that I think probably is sitting too deep. 

container plants

Now that it has finally warmed up here, the pond is starting to come into its own. A few drops of nontoxic pond dye made the water a gorgeous reflective black that show off the green leaves floating on its surface. Things are starting to grow. The water lily gives me a new leaf every day and one hot day it gave me two. 

I know this because the pond is a daily stop for me. I can’t wait to see what it looks like every day. The rapidly growing plants are an endless source if fascination for me. I search (in vane, so far) for dragonflies on the plants. I’m so excited to see my first water lily flower that I might have a party to celebrate the occasion when it comes.

water lily

Lily pads emerge a shimmering bronze color and quickly change to green.

I love every part of my garden (well, almost), but it’s been awhile since I’ve had so much fun discovering something in the garden. You might want to give something completely new a try in your own garden. I can almost guarantee you’re in for a good time.

by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
18 Comments

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Comments

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says: July 8, 2019 at 6:56 am

    I have considered doing this so many times. I even went to the local farm stores and priced these galvanized containers. I have bought a book about water gardens and studied off and on yet I have never taken the plunge. I have noticed that solar powered fountain advertised here and there. How does it work for you? Your pond is pretty and it looks quite good in it’s setting. Of course anything would look good sitting in your garden.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: July 8, 2019 at 4:06 pm

      That cheap little solar fountain works pretty darn good for what it is. It does have a battery in it, so it will keep going for about two hours after the sun goes down. But it doesn’t move a ton of water so I’m not sure if it’s that great for moving water, but as corny as it is, I enjoy it. We have no electricity over here and I didn’t want to spend the money to bring it over so I didn’t have a lot of options for fountains. I would have loved to have one of those Japanese deer-scarer bamboo fountains that makes that charming sound, but I couldn’t figure out a way to make that happen without an electrical pump.

      Reply
  2. Melissa says: July 8, 2019 at 7:43 am

    how beautiful. I too am in Wisconsin and am interested how your pond will fair in winter time. will you replant each spring, or are the plants salvageable overwintering?

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: July 8, 2019 at 4:04 pm

      I’ve been told and read that the hardy plants can be sunk into the garden in their pots for winter. I figure I have nothing to lose by trying. I’ll empty the tank for winter.

      Reply
  3. Mabel says: July 8, 2019 at 8:18 am

    It looks beautiful! Wish all the best??‍?

    Reply
  4. Lori W. says: July 8, 2019 at 10:57 am

    I am so glad you are doing this. When I bought my home in 2007, I also inherited the previous owners pond. It is a huge in-ground pond, and I am sorry to say that I have killed more fish than grown due to forgetting about leaving the water on when I have to add to it. I am so frustrated with the whole thing that I priced filling it in only to get an $1100 quote. Um, nope. So, I guess I will learn how to clean the damn thing out since it has string algae in it, and there is about 3″ of muck on the bottom. I have no clue where to start, so, I guess I will do what I normally do and just start somewhere. Yours looks beautiful, but I wonder if you will unhook it and bring it all indoors for the winter, or leave it outside and drop the plants to the bottom of the pond like we do here. Your winters are much more harsh than ours, and since your pond is above ground, you probably will have to bring in the water lily if you want to keep it for next season. Here in OK, with in ground ponds that are more than 18″ deep, we can sink water lilies to the bottom for the winter, and they do not freeze.

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: July 8, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      I should have addressed that in the post! My thought now is that I will empty the pond for winter and I’ll sink the hardy plants in the ground to attempt to overwinter them. Supposedly that can work, but we’ll see.

      Reply
      • John says: July 8, 2019 at 4:48 pm

        Don’t empty it it will be full of wildlife by then!!!

        Reply
  5. Debbie - MountainMama says: July 8, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    How lovely!! I can only imagine the sound of the fountain would be quite peaceful while you are working in the garden!

    Reply
    • Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says: July 8, 2019 at 4:02 pm

      It is! Amazing how just the sound and sight of water can be cooling.

      Reply
  6. Ann/Delaware says: July 8, 2019 at 5:54 pm

    The first photo..the gate..the galvanized stock tank..the gravel..and that gorgeous fence..perfection!! We have a garden center near us in Concordville Pa called Terrain at Styers which would be right up your alley. If you get a chance take a look at their website. Your garden looks like something they would design.

    Reply
  7. Kathy Larson says: July 8, 2019 at 7:00 pm

    What do you do to prevent mosquitoes?

    Reply
    • Merilyn says: April 19, 2023 at 4:56 am

      If you have still water, no fountains then can put in a few goldfish or small koi and they eat the larvae of mosquitoes.

      Reply
  8. Marjorie Offield says: December 7, 2020 at 7:48 am

    Hey. I just found you on Instagram and now I’m finding you here on Pinterest. to have a water garden is the dearest wish of my heart!
    I love the watering container.
    2 questions:
    1) how do you keep it filled? (constantly running hose?)
    and
    2) how do you keep small animals out? (a friend left her baby pool filled and a chipmunk climbed in and…drowned. do the plants provide a safe surface?

    Reply
  9. Robbie says: April 14, 2021 at 10:22 am

    I’m curious if you added a filter to this pond?

    Reply

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
I toured 12 gardens over the long weekend and I no I toured 12 gardens over the long weekend and I noticed that many have little mascots around bringing joy or peace or protecting the garden. Here are a few. 

Photos 1, 2 and 9 are from @jennyrosecarey amazing garden @northviewgarden 

Photos 3 and 4 are from @paxsonhillfarm 

Photos 5 and 6 from @edgewood_gardens 

Photo 7 from Michael Bowell and Simple’s Create a Scene garden

Photo 8 from Carol Verhake’s @lastingimagelandscapes amazing garden 

#gbfling2023
The koi at @chanticleergarden are a very friendly The koi at @chanticleergarden are a very friendly bunch. They are also very big, which is good news for them and bad news for the heron who was hanging out looking for a snack.

*I definitely didn’t get into the pond to film this. Action camera on a very long stick. 😀
We’ve reached the stage of my garden visits in t We’ve reached the stage of my garden visits in the Philadelphia area where the number of photos showing amazing bits and pieces has out measured my ability to post and label everything properly. So here’s a photo dump of some gorgeousness and you must tell me what you love most. Some of these are from @chanticleergarden and others are from private gardens. 

#gbfling2023
Scenes from the amazing @brandywinecottage What a Scenes from the amazing @brandywinecottage What a treat to visit a garden that I’ve studied in books and seen in many of David Culp’s talks. Beautiful even in a tropical storm (and perhaps even moreso). 

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