Goodbye lawn. Hello pond!

I've an alligator too. He's originally from the Everglades in Florida.



You couldn't really swim in my pond because it's only 2 feet deep at the sides and 3 feet deep in the middle. Besides it's full of swimming creepy crawlies, like leeches, Giant Diving Beetles, etc,.

 

How did you get an everglades alligator? The one in my pond was small like yours. He would spend the days in my pond because it is fresh water and every day walk through the woods, across my dirt road, go under my house, and into the bayou to feed. The bayou is absolutely swarming with small fish so feeding is easy - my pond fish too big for him - but the bayou is salt so not where he could live for long. They come up the bayou looking for a place when it has been wet and the water is near fresh, but a dry spell and it gets too salty. He could smell the fresh water - gators travel pretty long distances over land looking for a home.

 

Here he is, the pond was quite muddy then from some dirt work


I decided to get rid of him because we swim every day, and although harmless I still had that tiny feeling in the back of my mind that he could grab my toe when it flashed past his snout - although he would not have done so. I have been amongst gators a lot - when disturbed at all they sink down and disappear - and it is a tiny pond with bank side vegetation growing in the shallows..... So I caught him and he was sent off to the country to a farm pond where some one wanted one.

 

Junipers going in. Lewisias and Rock Roses going in the clefts between the rocks.



Also, today, saw 2 newts in the small pond nearest the road and two newts in the small pond nearer the house: all four newts were a fair size. Didn't have time to look in the big pond for more.

 

Loads of rocks left over so 1) made a Trig Point. and 2) made a Creeping Thyme garden for the rest.

 

Loddon Lily.

Canary Island Date Palm.

 

The farmer behind my next door neighbours has very kindly cut down the hedge behind him. Now we can call the left hand side of the back garden "Castleview".

 

In the deep and mysterious jungle that surrounds Kindred Spirit's water world.....................................................................

 

Excellent idea! really looking very nice and riding a little boat. its give a new look for garden.

 

Dryopteris Affinis.

 

New Lewisia cairn made from volcanic rocks.

More Lewisias out the front.


Water lilies this evening.

Standing Stone.

Someone gave me a Magnolia Grandiflora recently. It was a bit droopy in its pot. Springing to life now.

 

Absolutely beautiful Kindred those Lillies look beautiful

 

I have your "Lilies", Loli, growing in a bucket.