Prevent Plants from Frying on EPDM or Plastic Rim

[ThornyGardener]

Seeing the edges of EDPM  pond liner or rim of black half/quarter barrel bugs me. Kinda like J-Lo on the red carpet in a beautiful gown... and wearing a plastic rain cap.

As disguise, I like to have plants trailing or just edging over the side of the liner from the adjacent garden bed or from inside the watergarden container out over the rim. The problem is that black EDPM gets really HOT and fries the plants. The plastic rim of a barrel doesn't get quite as hot but still does plant damage. (I have burned my fingers on EPDM all too many times.)

Here's what I do: I put strips or leftover scraps of black geotextile underlayment along the edges where I want plants. It is invisible under the plants, it never rots, smells or gets moldy and plants seem to like to hold on to its nubby surface. Best of all, it stays cool. I leave it there year round.

[tranquility]

any way you can just redo the top and hide the liner...that is pet peeve of mine also  ...So I dig down about 10" right next to the pond and pull out that dirt--then line that area with rock--your almost making a backwards L so that you can pull the liner behind the rocks then top off those rocks with larger ones...
Lawanna

[ThornyGardener]

You are absolutely right, Lawanna. When one has a natural-edge pond, that's the best way to do it. Originally I had planned something like that but because of raccoons and herons, I opted for a straight-sided, square koi pond with a 'formal' patio paver overhang. All the liner is hidden by the overhang except for a 2' width by the skimmer under a bridge. It's one of those sore spots that guests never mention but makes me cringe when I see it.

[tranquility]

well another thought--instead of using plants could you drain the pond done a bit---dry that area off really well and spray some black foam that comes in a can on that area--sort of make it appear to be a big black lava rock? rather than a big black piece of EPDM showing....
Lawanna

[LeeAnne151]

I have the black liner edge showing in my wood framed pond in the greenhouse. I'm thinking of gluing on tiles to cover it up.

[ThornyGardener]

Cute little pond y'got there! Becasue you're not looking down on it, that little strip of liner doesn;t look bad Lee Anne. If it bugs you, you could add a piece of decorative molding around the edge of the existing board. Just an extra inch or two overhang will shield it. (Did you mean tiles glues vertically or horizontally to the wood?)