New Container Pond, Glass Bottle Plants

 A friend gave me this awesome old stock tank, so I decided to make a container pond for the (very under-construction) backyard. Due to rust, it had some tiny leaks, so I bought an actual pond liner (at full price, which is rare for me, but it's worth it), and secured it around the edge with lots of duct tape. We'll see how long it holds up.

 I put it on a little mound of dirt so it wouldn't sit in wet clay. Added a concrete bench and some plants. The foxtail ferns were on the Lowe's clearance rack and I divided them into several plants. All the stones were free on Craig's list. Floating solar fountain was cheap on Amazon. The temporary marginal plant you see is some sedge-looking "weed" I dug from my yard just as a desperate wild guess... Will get something like dwarf horsetail reed and umbrella plant, and of course a water lily, as they become available in the stores here. There are anacharis plants under the water. And 4 pretty goldfish: Cyborg, Flash, The Guy, and Steve.

 Thrifty design tip: colorful glass bottles, found at thrift stores, yard sales, and cheap at Hobby Lobby though the color fades, look great on cheap bamboo sticks. My variation on the bottle tree.

I went rose-crazy and planted 6 rose bushes in this bed with the 3 bottles, mostly cheap bodybag roses but one from Calloway's and one from Antique Rose Emporium, in shades of orange. Will list out all the roses I have sometime... I think there are 13. Can't wait until they bloom!

Blue bottles with white irises. Irises are another thrifty plant because they multiply. I got these while thinning out the ones at the church building, where I help design and tend some of the flower beds.

Thanks for looking!