Put in a pond and diversify your garden | DIY garden projects | Gardening Australia

Of all the ways to add more plants - and wildlife and diversity - into your garden, water has the biggest impact. Subscribe: ab.co/GA-subscribe
You can use a bird bath or a small pot, but today Millie is transforming an old bathtub into a water feature - with added fish to create a mini ecosystem.
What you need:
Bath or other tub/container
Silicone to seal plug
Saucer to cover plug (optional)
Gravel
Plants
Aquatic soil mix or garden soil (see notes)
Washed sand
Bricks to support pots
Fish! (optional)
Water conditioner (optional)
Wire mesh safety cover
A shade area (optional)
A log or other way for animals to safely climb out
What you do:
Pick a spot with plenty of sun - most water plants need at least half a day’s sun.
To make sure the plug doesn’t leak, Millie has sealed it in with silicone but has also put a screw cap into the waste so she can undo it and let the water out to move it or clean it. She puts a small saucer over the plug to protect it.
She puts about 4 litres of gravel into the bottom of the bath to act as a base for pots and create a mini ecosystem.
Now fill the bath.
Plants:
Millie uses indigenous plants in her pond - it’s important to think about what you grow in a water feature as birds can easily transport seeds or bits of plants to other waterways, where they can cause a major problem.
Some plants grow on the edges of waters; these are marginal plants, such as reeds and sedges.
Others need to be fully submerged - these are aquatic.
Millie will grow her plants in pots rather than filling the base of the bath with soil.
For both marginal and aquatic plants, you need a growing medium that is heavier than regular potting mix, as this will simply float and it contains a lot of nutrients, which can cause unwanted algae to grow. Millie pots her seedlings up in a special aquatic mix but you can also use a heavy clay-loam mix from your garden if you’re confident it is fairly weed-free.
To hold the growing mix in place, cover it with a layer of washed sand then a layer of gravel.
Gently lower the pots into the water to allow any air to escape.
The pots of aquatic plants can sit on the bottom of the bath, while the marginal plants should be raised up on bricks or upturned pots so that only the roots are under water and the foliage sits above.
Fish: to keep mosquitoes at bay, Millie has sourced some native fish, Southern pygmy perch (Nannoperca australis), which will eat mosquite larvae while leaving any frog tadpoles alone; they are also suited to the local climate.
Before adding them, she treats the town water with a water conditioner (available from aquarium shops) to remove any chlorine. If using rainwater, this is not necessary.
As a safety measure, Millie has cut a piece of stiff wire mesh to size and uses this to cover the bath. Pond regulations vary around Australia, so check what guidelines apply in your area.
Millie has added a small deck to one end to provide some shade and a vantage point for visitors.
She also adds a frog log to provide a safe exit point from the pond for any frogs or other creatures.
Featured plants:
Water ribbons (Cycnogeton procerum)
Water Milfoil (Myriophyllum sp.)
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
Poison pratia (Lobelia concolor)
Common Nardoo (Marsilea drummondii)
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[@AnnaAnnaTT]

the log is a great idea so frogs can easily enter or leave the bathtub. I added two big rocks in the deep old bath so that the tip of each rock is slightly out of that water.. with lots of hiding places around the rock as good hiding places for frogs. But I prefer the bath tub sunk into the ground - helps keep the water cooler. I used an old bathtub and painted the inside a dark grey to blend in AND I used a former wide screen door attached on top of the bath tub with a long piano hinge on one side of the top. (padlock too - more about that in a moment) that meant too that the decorative metal could handle an adult walking over the top . But I had to change the mesh on the old screen door as the mesh was far too small mesh.the new more open mesh was better and the frogs could enter and exit more easily. BUT a cat could not use a long paw to get closer the padlock on the latch I attached meant that a curious child could not try to lift the lid and could not enter the bath filled with water so was safer with children present. the children can even sit on the top and look into the water because the metal door is bigger and very strong and well secured to the metal bath below.

[@lucy.loves.travel]

Love this. I'd be interested in seeing something on a smaller scale.

[@TwoMarshmallows1]

This is so creative and it looks great. It never occurred to me to use a tub like this - I honestly always thought that ponds had to be in-ground. Will we get an update on the pond? I'm so curious to see how it evolves over time and what animals you'll get in the garden.

[@fernsandfantails6293]

Just make sure that if you want frogs, create a ramp so they can get in an out otherwise they cant make it in. Some species of tree frogs can climb their way up though.

[@TwoMarshmallows1]

@@fernsandfantails6293 Oh, definitely. I've already made sure frogs can get in and out of our current mini-ponds. People can forget they're amphibians, not fish, and they can drown. Even the buckets we use to catch rainwater have ramps in them.

[@bernardmcnamara]

I just watched your segment on Gardening Australia program. I just planted a small group of plants into a old tool chest that I placed under a dripping plastic water valve that want stop leaking. 💧

[@debbiekoortzen1154]

This looks fantastic. You are truly inspiring ,thank you!🌻🇿🇦

[@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920]

Very interesting 👌 You really covered the subject and every question I had. 🌿💚🌿

[@rumbeach375]

This is brilliant

[@bebop3279]

I love this idea thanks for sharing. I have a question regarding the chickens. My chooks are very inquisitive and would likely climb on the pond wire and do there business at some point. Would this be a problem for the pond/fish? I appreciate any input thanks

[@MartynKoi]

Frog log, LOL they got to get up there first!

[@crobbins44]

I love your video! How do the frogs get up there? I’m installing a small pond myself and I was thinking of putting a staircase for them LOL

[@GardeningAustralia]

Hi Corine, glad you enjoyed the video. Frogs can jump pretty far!

[@melusine826]

Just what I need- I have the bathtub but no idea how to do the filter! Thanks 😁

[@Loogiemistress]

The plants act as a filter :)

[@dockmatt7]

If you can protect it from the elements, a canister filter has been an amazing addition to our pond

[@ciscas4370]

Does anyone know if you have a bathtub with no feet does it need to be supported on the sides to stop it tipping?

[@stitch10123]

i loce the the bog pot i looking for one might drill holes in it for fish home too mybe ?

[@phong3751]

Is there a need to have an overflow system of some sorts drilled in to the tub? If it rains the the water level rises, will the fishes get thrown out of the tub?

[@interestedobserver587]

Yeah because fish are know to water ski when the water is overflowing around the rim. Its much better to have a dirty great hole in the tub to blast the fish out of the tub. Really?

[@sarah3796]

Good question

[@markkiebat8076]

hi love the plants but the one with yellow flower's what is name of it please let me no

[@stewartc4558]

any edible plants?

[@inhindsight3014]

Don’t you need some kind of airflow, bubbler or something. Seems like the water would get stagnant pretty quick.

[@DIRTYPLACCY]

Thats why there is plants and she uses native fish they would be very hardy

[@julianagarciagalofre7156]

How about mosquitoes? Is there some easy way to control them?

[@monsurbanpatch]

the fish, thats what she said at the end.

[@michelifig6356]

Dragonflies & frogs😉

[@DIRTYPLACCY]

Bruh thats what the fish are for. I swear people just dont listen

[@rosskilpatrick934]

Just wondering why no replies from Gardening Australia to any comments?

[@murrijuana2842]

It's a television show. They couldn't care less about KZbin

[@melusine826]

Wish they gave a rough cost

[@tahlialee8486]

Go to your local tip shop if they have one. Ours always has old baths available

[@BadarTVTrends]

first present in Indonesia🇲🇨

[@katesmiles4208]

Welcome

[@BadarTVTrends]

@@katesmiles4208 welcome to my garden🇲🇨

[@jackdavid167]

Don't see how it will benefit the chooks , frogs will probably have a hard time jumping that high too

[@katesmiles4208]

Isn't Milfoil toxic to pets?

[@galaxiidae8361]

Depends what species, there’s native milfoil species all over the world including Australia 🇦🇺

[@DIRTYPLACCY]

Bruh

[@krippleinacaravanxxx707]

Sorry nice idea but not thought through at all! Look at the comments you could learn a lot!

[@TheChiramu]

Should've dug that pond into the ground imo.

[@bethlovesthings]

It's renter friendly at least 🙂

[@TwoMarshmallows1]

@@bethlovesthings Yes! One reason a lot of people don't/can't have a pond is because they're renting. But this is a great way to have a good-sized pond and not worry about what to do when you move. Or even if you decide the pond itself needs to go in a different location - imagine the work that would take if it were inground.

[@jesseheise7579]

this is bad advice, you need to wait at least a few months before putting fish in...

[@gusfarnsworth280]

Well that looks pretty ugly.

[@poland_stronk3044]

''pond safety regulations'' wtf hahaha pathetic

[@DIRTYPLACCY]

Not pathetic its normal you have to think about animals as well its not just for people