The first step that Mark undertook in his big pond re-design project was the Upper Pool. This is where the recirculated water whooshed out between the rocks, overflowing between the stepping stones to travel down the stream into the big pond. (Double click the pictures to see the images larger).
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2010: I was not allowed to plant in this area until Mark built the Tea House which is adjacent to it; a 10-year project in itself. Clearly this photo is from the earliest planting scheme which involved a lovely Amelanchier tree that died.
2015: Five years later and things are coming along. The weeping Serbian spruce tree blocks your view down the stream into the big pond.
2018: By this time the Upper Pool is almost completely hidden by the native water plant, Sagitaria latifolia. This view clearly shows the stepping stone path between the Upper Pool on the right and the stream on the left.
APRIL 2021: Mark began actual work on the Upper Pool as soon as it was possible in the spring. He thought of the Upper Pool as his test project to see how this whole concept of a dry gravel garden would work. It meant taking the pond plumbing apart up here and pulling out the rubber liner. Doing that, however, also meant that we had made the pond system inoperable. There was no going back from this step.
Mark's using a sump pump and a commercial strainer to get all the water out of the pool and the wet organic debris that was at its bottom. He piled the debris in the strainer to let as much water drain off as possible.
I then emptied them into a wheelbarrow and he dumped the goop in any available bare spot in the garden to dry it out more. Eventually we took it to the Badger Road drop-off for garden waste.
Once the pool was empty and dry, he pulled out any rocks he wanted to rearrange.
Next the hole was filled with soil. Notice how he was moving a wheelbarrow across piece of plywood on top of the steeping stones in order to dump the dirt where he wanted it. A more treacherous system than I was comfortable with, but he didn't have any accidents.
We had initially thought we could hire a landscape firm to do this project, but the ones we called weren't interested. It didn't take Mark long to realize he was constantly making decisions that only he could make. It was not easy, but it made sense to do everything by himself that he was able to do. Here he's reshaping the edge and rearranging the rock placements.
MAY: Mark drove up to Michel's Waterloo Quarry and brought back a pickup truck load of quartzite chips for the top layer of the Upper Pool.
JUNE: We continued to play around with rock placement up here as work on the big pond began. You can see that the gravel does not go beyond the edge of the pool at this point in the process.
August: As work on the big pond drew to its conclusion, Mark topped up the Upper Pool with more quartzite chips. Here you can also see that the gravel is now in the stream bed on the other side of the stepping stones as well.
SEPTEMBER: The view in the other direction, standing on the stepping stones.
I know a lot of gardening friends were shocked when we told them what we were planning to do. We were both thrilled with the result of this first big step. The garden feels new and different, which is not easy to accomplish when you have been in the same place for almost 30 years.
The gravel lightens the look and physically opens this area compared to when it was full of water plants. It is the perfect contrast to the highly planted area that surrounds it.
I like it! Your last paragraph exactly describes the change and why it is an improvement.
Posted by: Barbara H. | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 07:36 AM
Looking good! As though anything you and Mark decide to do could look bad. Even your weed-pulling basket is beautiful....
Posted by: Elizabeth | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 08:47 AM
ELIZABETH — The weed basket is an old purchase in the 1990s from Smith and Hawken. It was based on one used by the great English garden designer, Gertrude Jekyll. Alas it is falling apart now and I am more often using plastic buckets.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 09:36 AM
BARBARA — The light and contrast of the gravel to the rest of the garden was more of a surprise to me than I expected.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 09:37 AM
"The garden feels new and different, which is not easy to accomplish when you have been in the same place for almost 30 years"... perfect! I was thinking how this huge change actually looks intentional. If someone was new to you garden they'd never look at this and think about what used to be there, but rather think this was the plan all along.
Posted by: danger garden | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 10:54 AM
LOREE — Mark says it all looks so good because of the thought and intention that went into creating the original pond. He thinks if we'd done a symbolic water feature in the beginning, it would not be as successful as it turned out.
Posted by: Linda Brazill | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 12:25 PM
I'm sure the creation of the original pond was a huge project but deconstructing the pond looks at least as complex in terms of the work involved. As much as I love the concept of a pond, I imagine this new incarnation will be much easier to manage. And it's beautiful too!
Posted by: Kris P | Monday, October 04, 2021 at 03:27 PM
Wow!! So much effort, but what a gorgeous result. I absolutely love it. And I can see why it wouldn't have worked for anyone but Mark to place the rocks. It's just stunning.
Posted by: Kristin | Wednesday, October 06, 2021 at 08:01 AM
This project is so lovely, a testament to the thoughtfulness, care and execution that have gone into it. I hope you'll enjoy it immensely.
Posted by: Susie at pbmGarden | Wednesday, October 06, 2021 at 03:39 PM