Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000 gal
Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like most
people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber liner,
took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of the walls
(London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown Indian
sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually done
except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074

Regards
Bob Hobden

On 12/06/16 17:13, BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000 gal
Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like most
people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber liner,
took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of the walls
(London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown Indian
sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually done
except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074

Regards
Bob Hobden

Looking good! Soldier bricks always look attractive, IMHO. Nice tree
fern, by the way.

Did you ever consider leaving the bottom third or so of the pond as a
water storage area? It could have been covered over with concrete beams,
then a waterproof membrane, and then 15 cm or so of soil, followed by
lawn grass as you have now. If the storage tank was fed from a
drainpipe, you would never be short of rainwater.

--

Jeff

"Jeff Layman" wrote

BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000
gal
Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like most
people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber
liner,
took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of the
walls
(London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown Indian
sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually done
except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074



Looking good! Soldier bricks always look attractive, IMHO. Nice tree fern,
by the way.

Did you ever consider leaving the bottom third or so of the pond as a water
storage area? It could have been covered over with concrete beams, then a
waterproof membrane, and then 15 cm or so of soil, followed by lawn grass
as you have now. If the storage tank was fed from a drainpipe, you would
never be short of rainwater.


Yes, we didn't want capping stones on all the walls so it had to be soldier
bricks. They did do capping stones from the same stone as the patio but it
was too chunky and bullnosed and wouldn't have looked right (too modern?).
Trouble is the bricks are not quite so strong that way as the rest of the
wall so you can't fill the soil up to the top, at least that is what our
builder said. We took some while to choose the right bricks and patio slabs
and are both pleased with the combination.

No, didn't even think of making it more complicated/expensive.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

That is a lovely garden Bob,

I love the low wall, the Fern; I love Ferns got one of my own.

Love the garden.

Well done!



On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 5:13:41 PM UTC+1, BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000 gal
Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like most
people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber liner,
took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of the walls
(London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown Indian
sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually done
except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074

Regards
Bob Hobden

On 12/06/2016 17:13, BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000
gal Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like
most people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber
liner, took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of
the walls (London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown
Indian sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually
done except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074

Regards
Bob Hobden





That's a grand job, Bob! It looks very attractive and I just know
you're going to have fun filling the voids with new plants.
Which Clematis is that, please? It's a lovely shade of blue.

--
Spider
On high ground in SE London
Gardening on heavy clay

"Spider" wrote

BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000
gal Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like
most people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber
liner, took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of
the walls (London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown
Indian sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually
done except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074


That's a grand job, Bob! It looks very attractive and I just know you're
going to have fun filling the voids with new plants.
Which Clematis is that, please? It's a lovely shade of blue.


Thank you for that, we think it's worth the expense and hard work and will
certainly be easier to maintain than the old pond was. No more falling in on
a cold day too. Keep finding plants in our little greenhouse that now have a
home outside.
Regarding the Clematis I'll take a look tomorrow, it's too dark now and
pouring with rain to go chasing labels (if it's still there). There is
another on the other side that is similar and I got that from Charlie
Pridham's place.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

"Spider" wrote

BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000
gal Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like
most people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber
liner, took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of
the walls (London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown
Indian sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually
done except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074



That's a grand job, Bob! It looks very attractive and I just know
you're going to have fun filling the voids with new plants.
Which Clematis is that, please? It's a lovely shade of blue.


It's Clematis Happy Anniversary.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

On 14/06/2016 09:30, BobHobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote

BobHobden wrote:
Over the last couple of months we have been busy removing our old 3000
gal Koi pond and filters and turning our garden back into a garden like
most people have.
I had no idea the concrete walls were so thick under the butyl rubber
liner, took a heavy sledge hammer to shift it. Builder did a good job of
the walls (London weathered yellow brick) and the new patio (sawn brown
Indian sandstone) . After laying the lawn on Thursday it's now virtually
done except it needs some more plants.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...57667006183074



That's a grand job, Bob! It looks very attractive and I just know
you're going to have fun filling the voids with new plants.
Which Clematis is that, please? It's a lovely shade of blue.


It's Clematis Happy Anniversary.


Thanks for coming back with that, Bob. I'll make a note of it. We're
going to Wisley next week with a friend, so I'll start my search there.

I'm glad you've given up falling into chilly ponds! Ours is a raised
cascade pond, so little chance of that happening here. Enjoy your new
garden and, maybe, share a few more pics as it develops.

--
Spider
On high ground in SE London
Gardening on heavy clay