The pond has just reached its 2-year anniversary, so I think it’s time to show its birthday pictures:
Year 0 means muddy water and no plants or fish yet. But, hey, ain’t that pretty mulch?
Year 1: Things are starting to fill in. The water lily and water lettuce have taken over the lower part of the pond. The trellis is up, but not much is growing on it.
Year 2 = Today: It’s a lot greener, and not just because it’s been raining every single day here for what seems to be forever. (My weather station says that we’ve gotten 7 inches of rain this month – nearly double the Chicago August average amount.) The Virginia creeper and Dutchman’s pipe are starting to cover the trellis. In fact, the former is covering all the ground between the trellis and the pond, climbing up the biofalls berm, and snaking underneath the bench back by the side of the garage.
The mid-pond plants – water mint, pickerel weed, and wild blue iris – are noticeably lusher. The water lily is smaller due to my extreme pruning in the springtime – I hope that it covers the pond next year.
On the Shores of Lake Chicago 
Posted by David on August 24, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Great pictures–It’s nice to see it from above. You were smart to take a “before” photo…I often forget to do that, and wish later that I had. Please send us some of that rain! We’ve had 3.5 inches all summer!
Posted by Gloria on August 28, 2007 at 9:45 pm
I recognize the alley flanked by garages as a Chicago area backyard. But that is not your average garden.
Nice pond set-up and no need for a lawn with that patio and the paths between planted space.
Posted by lakechicagoshores on August 29, 2007 at 10:56 am
David, I actually have pictures from all 3 days of pond construction – I must have been in a slightly compulsive mood that week. To tell the truth, I was so excited about finally getting a pond that I really wanted to capture even the muddy water for posterity.
Gloria, I’m in Oak Park, just a few blocks on the Lake Michigan side of the (historic) continental divide. There’s a couple square yards of grass and clover that’s mostly hidden by the porch roof in the pictures below. It takes all of 2 minutes to mow with a reel mower!
Posted by rosemarie on September 1, 2007 at 11:56 am
I love the arial photos because people tend to take photos of 1 plant, but I like the get a sense of the overall design. Plus I just love “evolution” photos too. I go back to my photos all the time to see how things change. Thanks for posting!
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