Pond removed now what?

Could you install a smaller, wild-life friendly pond? It could be a simple one, which shouldn't cost much or need a lot of maintenance. I understand that garden ponds are crucially important for the drastically dwindling numbers of frogs, toads and other wildlife in the UK. (Also as source of water for birds, if installed properly, with different "levels".) And ponds can be a real pleasure to observe. Worth considering?

What about some herbs
Or a rockery.
Agree with you regarding waiting on the area to settle.
We took a very large pond out when my first grandson arrived.
We filled with hard core and top soil, but even now 5 years later there is a slight dip in the lawn where the pond had been.

Scatter some poppy and wild flower seeds for summer colour.

A wild flower patch? Or fast growing coverage like nasturtiums?

Snap!

I would throw calendula and Nasturtium seeds down. The insects love them

Great minds !

I already have a very small wildlife pond further down the garden which the birds and the frogs use already.
The wild flower seeds idea is perfect so that’s what I’ll do thankyou for that idea.

I was really sad to see them go as we had had some of those koi and shebunkins (sp) for 12 yrs I’m going to miss just sitting and watching them. ?

I've had my pond for 20 years now and it's never been a faff at all. I spend around an hour a year cleaning it up in the spring and that's it. So I'm always bewildered when people say ponds are a faff. I've always said I'll fill mine in if the pump etc pack up but they never have. I'd turn it into a flower bed.

Someone near me must have a pond because I see the old heron year after year perched on a nearby roof. The other day it flew quite low past my window and even the cats ducked ! It was like a pterodactyl flying past. They are large close up.
I did see him with a " catch " one year, poor fish.

We had a pond in the garden of our big old house and brainless ex SiL put a fish in it from his tank which had grown too big-----it was eating the fins of the other fish in the pond, he took it to a pet shop in the end. Gormless individual !

I had a small pond but my dogs decided they wanted to jump and have a swim about, so got rid of the pond and now I have a rockery, so happy with it, don't have to mow it, lots of nice plants that don't need much attention. I am sure whatever you do will be lovely. Good luck

We took our pond out and put in a water feature as there was a pump and electricity already there.

We filled in our large square pond because it was just looking really tatty. Filled it with rubble, then a layer of concrete and one of those circular designs made up of flagstones that garden centres do. That was at least five years ago and it has never sunk.

We filled in our first pond when we had toddlers. DH turned it into a rock garden and planted alpines . It was very pretty.

My eldest GS called round today with a garden ornament of a fish for me, he said I knew you’d miss them and be sad to see them go so I bought you this one as a reminder. I’ve called it Cuthbert after DHs favourite Koi carp.

He’s such a thoughtful man.

wow, I don't blame you for not wanting all the maintenance- but doing so right in the middle of the breeding season for newts, frogs, toads, etc- seems such such a shame.

I had to get rid of ours because like avor my dog spent his life trying and succeeding in catching frogs, so it went from a joy to behold to a muddy pond.

Because we filled it with rubble, I made a gravel garden which has worked really well with grasses and deckchairs in summer. We retained the rockery around the edge so it looks entirely natural. The pond was quite large.