The Babbling Brook Gets Lilies

My first ever babbling brook with a rubber lined pond did very well over the winter. It kept running when the pond froze over and the brook iced up along the sides. It handled the overflow of numerous torrential rains perfectly. The babbling brook even handles the water flow of one downspout coming off the roof.

Spring has arrived and the plantings along the banks that were done last fall are waking up. In another few weeks I will know better where some filler, other than the one spot I know of, might be needed.

Spring also meant the babbling brook and the pond itself could be planted. We held off on that last year since it was so late in the season.

A couple weeks ago another client had their pond cleaned. The pond cleaner dude tossed a bunch of  Water Poppy ( I think ) into the shrubbery. When I found them I knew exactly where they could be put to use. I gave them a haircut and put them into my first ever babbling brook with a rubber lined pond. They have already started to grow.

Today we added Pickerel Weed, Dwarf papyrus and two water lilies.

You can see one of the water lilies below the surface just above the two goldfish. The goldfish were mighty active today. I think they were getting busy. The new plants will give any babies a place to hide.

The pond also turned pea soup green practically the moment it began to warm up. I treated it twice with a fish and plant safe algicide and it is only slightly better. Hopefully the plants will help that too. A friend told me his pond does this every year in the spring. He does nothing and it clears up in a few weeks on its own.

I hope so. Right now the pond is filled with ghost fish, gold and white shadows lurking in the green soupy water. I want to see my goldfish.

Over the winter and with all this rain, the babbling brook has not needed additional water very often. When I did add water five minutes with the hose was plenty. Summer of course will be a different test in water loss. It isn't leaking. I do know that.

This spring and summer I will focus on getting some Lush greenery going to really make this project complete.

Back home on the mountaintop, an ocean of pink, white and bluebells are washing over the garden.

Miss Dinah among the bluebells.

The early azaleas and rhododendrons are beginning to bloom. Unlike last year when they were a good two weeks early, the rhododendrons will be on schedule this year, maybe even a week late for peak bloom. I like it when we stick closer to the schedule.