Not even 12 months in and the life the pond is sustaining is amazing..including myself and two young naturalists. So why not spend this winter hedging and ditching the days away? What else could be better

Plenty of old wood, nooks and cranies for insects and amphibians to hide in & the all important gently sloping sides and you are set for planting..

When lining you are creating a fleece-PVC-fleece sandwich on top of which you will put back all the low nutrient sub soil and rock you've excavated. The idea of digging a wildlife pond to then plant into plastic aquatic pots blows my mind. @joelashton.bsky.social is the guru so do as he says

It's all about the depth - hit bedrock and physically break yourself digging and you are on to something good. Too shallow and your pond will overheat and struggle in our increasingly hot summers. So don't be tempted to stop too soon. Photo taken halfway through whilst i could still lift a phone

1 year since I dug a small #wildlifepond and #boggarden at my allotment in S. England. The results have been phenomenal and prove that with just a few weeks of back breaking labour and an unhealthy obsession with water depths & #nativeflora, you too can make a special and much needed #habitat..🧵

The difference between 'cutting' and laying a hedge. 1st is a recently decapitated Hazel, slowly dying and providing ever decreasing value to wildlife. 2nd is my attempt at conservation hedge laying - a dense thicket of Blackthorn, a sanctuary for all manner of creatures. Looks nicer as well..