The Gardener

[The Gardener]

Hi all!  Just thought I'd introduce myself.  I live in Redditch, Worcestershire, UK.  I've been a gardener for a long time, and I'm a complete plantoholic!  I have plants crammed in to every bit of space in my garden, but I still can't resist buying more!  I'm also interested in flower arranging, and teach at my local college.  Oh - and I'm also the secretary and webster for Bromsgrove and District Flower Arrangement Society (http://www.bromsgroveflowerclub.org.uk).  Oh - and I nearly forgot - I'm also the UK correspondent for Floral Design Magazine (http://www.floraldesignmagazine.com), so I get to go to lots of flower shows and floristry shows to photograph and report for the magazine!  My garden has been on the internet since I created my website back in May 2000, so if anyone's interested, you can read a bit more about me and my garden at http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk  That's enough URL's to be going on with - should keep you all amused for a few minutes anyway!!

Bye for now!

[Pixydish]

Hello! I would like to say that I have very much enjoyed your website, particularly the part about the pond. Your pond and water garden is very beautiful!
 I put my own pond in last year and I have been smitten ever since. I fear that if I were to be unleashed, I would cover my entire plot with water gardens. My pond has a shallow pebble beach, a stream, waterfall, and veggie filter. I only finished it last June, but I feel as though it has been there forever. The only problem is what to do with all of the baby fish. I had literally hundreds of them by the end of the summer. I have recently been giving them away and have found homes for most, but I fear this will be a yearly problem.
This year I will be incorporating a bog garden into the pond landscaping. I am particularly interested in carnivorous plants, many of which are native to this area and grow well outdoors all year round.
I completely understand your 'plantaholic' nature. I am always thinking, "This is the year that I will have nothing in pots hanging around the greenhouse, waiting for a garden space."
 Alas. I am always wrong!!!

[The Gardener]

Thanks!  I'm glad you liked my website.  Your pond sounds wonderful!  Mine's just a basic hole in the ground   I think water gardens are great - not just because of the plants you can grow, but because of the wildlife they attract, which is fascinating.  You're lucky to have so many baby fish in your pond, they are obviously very happy there. Mine never seem to breed successfully.  I'm sure they can't all be just males or just females, and they go through the motions every summer, chasing each other wildly, but there's never a baby fish to be seen!  I think something must be eating them as soon as they hatch    I'm like you, in that I would love my garden to be just one big water garden, with stepping stones or a walkway across the water - that would be coooooool!!

I am always thinking, "This is the year that I will have nothing in pots hanging around the greenhouse, waiting for a garden space."
 Alas. I am always wrong!!!

Me too

[Pixydish]

I admit that I thought having baby fish, especially the first season, was very cool. But then I got a little worried because of the number of fish in the pond. I actually needed something that would keep the population of babies down, but I don't like to think about it. Still, it's part of a healthy ecosystem. I've given away about 300 babies, all of whom had survived through the winter so far. I just don't want the waste products of so many fish to overload the system and cause a mass dieoff. Only thing is, those baby shubunkins are so darn cute! The mother fish is mostly white, with blotches of blue and orange on one side. The babies all have a white background and dark eyes, making them look a bit like tiny ghost fish in the water. They then become little polka dotted fish, just as cute as a button!
I gave away several of my larger comets, which I bought just to get the filter going, thinking they would not survive too long. But they not only survived, they thrived! They are lovely to look at, but have the reproduction habits of rabbits!
Last year I introduced tadpoles from my sister's natural pond. They are Pacific Treefrogs and I am hopeful they will return to spawn this year. I keep my fingers crossed!

[The Gardener]

We don't have anything as exotic as tree frogs here in England (not that I'm aware of anyway!).  I used to have lots of frogs spawning in my large pond, but for the last three years they have not spawned there, although I haven't a clue why.  Frogs are in decline here, so this trend is not good news.  However, they do spawn in my little pond on the patio, but again, there have been problems.  There has been loads of spawn, but after about a week it sinks to the bottom of the pond and disintegrates without ever developing.  I think I heard or read somewhere that this is due to the weather conditions prevailing at the time, but as far as I can remember, conditions weren't particularly different in these years from any other year.  I'm really hoping that the frogs will spawn again this year and that it will hatch successfully. Fingers crossed!   Pity I don't live close to you Pixydish - I'd love some of your fish!!

[Pixydish]

Yes, it is a pity! Because I have plenty of fish to share!
Sad to hear that frogs are in decline in the U.K. This is true here as well, due to habitat encroachment. In addition, in this part of our country people have introduced bullfrogs, indigenous to the southern parts of the U.S. These frogs are huge and extremely predacious. They will eat anything that they can fit in their mouths, including birds and fish. In areas where bullfrogs have been introduced, our native tree frogs are in rapid decline.
I have a friend who lives on a small lake around here and I am helping her design a marginal area for her part of the shoreline using native and non-invasive exotic species. As I was working in the shallows last summer I saw this absolutely horrid thing swim away from me very quidkly. It turned out to be a huge tadpole - clearly at least 8 inches long - of the invasive bullfrog. I just love my little frog tadpoles, but this thing was simply monstrous!
I will keep my fingers crossed that you have some healthy and happy tadpoles this year!