Ok, i'm moving into a new house in a weeks time, one of the main selling points for me was the amazing garden, and the fact that it has a POND! However, it obviously hasn't been looked after in a long long time, its quite overgrown, and plants have started to take it over completely. I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips and hints for taking it back a bit? I'd like to end up with a little sanctuary for frogs and wildlife.

thanks for your help!

In the meantime, do two things:

(1) do what you are doing now, and find out more about ponds etc.

(2) watch and see what happens. If you go out at night with a torch you may find various critters about in the pond. In early spring (late january in Devon) you will see the frogs come up in the evening from the bottom and wait for the girls--after a great deal of noise you will have frog spawn, and with any luck toad spawn later on, and you may even have newts! I don't imagine you have grass snakes in Ireland thanks to St. Pat. In late spring the dragonflies start to hatch and they are incredible. And of course you have all the baby amphibians darting about. By early Fall, most of what is born in the pond will have hopped or flown off or found sanctuary, and those that stick in the pond won't have settled down for a sleep. I think that is the best time to do any major cleaning out--would others agree? You will also know by then which pond plants you want to keep and which to thin out. But don't be too ambitious in your cleaning out. Soil & algae means bugs, bugs mean food, food mean other wildlife.

You will also find that the pond will go through stages of going green--watch that too! Can always skim off any major blanket weed etc. and just be careful you aren't skimming off other things...

Have fun, and looking forward to hearing how your pond develops.

Chip

Happy ponding...you'll love it!!
Big Kid