Ten years ago we decided that we wanted water in the garden. A friend designed an elegant circular pond with granite sets round it and a very attractive curved bridge over it. The bridge led from the large double doors of the Family Room into the garden.
It took an awful lot of digging out and when it was finally constructed it leaked! So we spent even more time and money sealing it with bitumen.
Soon after it was completed our daughter announced the imminent arrival of her first baby.
We had to do something. At first we thought we might mesh it over with strong steel bars But they are ugly and make the pond difficult to maintain. We thought we might fence it in. But that would be even uglier. Inevitably someone would leave the gate open. And we wouldn't be able to use the bridge.
So we decided to turn it into a Bog Garden, leaving the granite sets and the bridge in place.
We hired a Kango Hammer and punched holes in our recently achieved waterproofing. And filled it with several tons of gravel and compost.
Since then the bridge has been used all the time by the eventual five grandchildren. They run back and forth over it with enormous pleasure. Whilst there has been the occasional topple into the bog garden, there have been no ill effects to either the children or the plants.
It's their favourite spot and frankly we prefer it as a bog garden rather than a pond.
