Lake Amanda

This is the first large pond we put in (if you don't count the depression we lined and called a pond). This one is across the creek and had been a grassy spot with some Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood) and Taxodiums of several types. There was also an old Redbud and a Norway Spruce. The whole thing started as a part of the ongoing 'get rid of the grass so we don't have to mow' thing. Getting the mower across the creek wasn't fun since we didn't have a bridge back then. Hank suggested a pond in the middle of the garden and said he'd make it about 4 feet by 6 feet. That sounded nice. While I busied myself with other things, he worked on digging the pond. When he had finished it was 14 by 28. It just kept growing until it was the size he liked. It has turned into quite a nice pond over the years with mostly iris which will be in bloom in a week or two. We tried some waterlilies, but it is a bit shady for them since they like a lot of sun. There is a Nuphar (probably didn't spell that right) which is a native Lotus relative with yellow flowers. We have some quite large goldfish which started out as 10 cent ones from the pet store and have thrived. The name came from out kitty, now about 14 years old, Amanda who was the chief supervisor on the project. Needless to say, she was quite incensed when the pond was filled and she could no longet play and dig in the hole.

The gardens around the pond have developed into a quite nice quiet shady place with all manner of shade plants in amongst the hostas. The Uvularias have just finished blooming but the Dicentras are still lovely. Asarums are coming up along with Arisaemas and ferns. Going east up the slope is a collection of 20 or 30 hollies underplanted with hostas. Hollies are just starting to bloom now. Last year we had almost no berries because the bloom came just before a frost and all the blossoms were frozen. This year should be quite different as it has been for all of the flowering plants. A nice and quite pleasant change.