A new fountain

I've been working on developing a garden area of fountains and water features, trying to add at least one new one each year. I bought a really nice one in Kentucky that I'll bring home later this summer, but I've still been looking locally as well. I periodically search Facebook Marketplace for "garden fountain" and a couple of weeks ago I found something interesting. It wasn't a complete fountain but it was a piece of carved pink granite that clearly intended to be made into one. The guy actually had three of them for sale, very cheap for what it was, although it would clearly need some additional investment to make it into a fountain. Last weekend I made a road trip into enemy territory (Lynchburg) and brought just one of them home. Ever since then I've been trying to figure out what to do with it.

I bought a pump, some tubing, a basin, and finally decided that I needed a half whiskey barrel. Blue Mountain Barrel House sells them so yesterday evening Clay and I drove down there, had dinner and a beer, and brought home a bourbon barrel. Turning it into a fountain took me pretty much all of Sunday, but it was a good way to spend the day.

The seller posted it as marble, but it's granite and it's very heavy. 

It has a vaguely floral form with a 1.5" hole in the center.

The bourbon barrels were only $60, while the wine barrels were $100.

I used half for my fountain and I'm sure the other half will get planted sometime.

There was still liquid inside and a very strong bourbon scent. Before removing the plug and cutting it in half, I secured the horizontal bands around the barrel with screws into each of the staves. That will help keep it together as the wood dries out. 

Of course, there were dogs with me throughout the process.

Maze went back to her home this morning, but not before she and Della got in some play.

I love this. Although Della is engaged in play with Maze, she has one eye on me.

Maze was fun to have around.

Maya and Elvis had some play time this morning too. 

These two have become hunting buddies.

Here's a video of Maze and Kirtley playing. I shot it through the glass door because if I had opened the door it would have interrupted the play.

It was a warm day quickly becoming hot, so I worked in the shade.

Kirtley is a very velcro dog,

and so is Paisley.

The flowers on this tuberous begonia are incredibly vibrant.

The plastic basin was made to fit into a half whiskey barrel.

But the basin is only 7" deep so I filled the barrel partway up with gravel to support the weight of the water and the stone fountain head.

I made another trip to Lowe's to get a combination of different bricks that would hold the stone fountain head at the proper height. The pump and tubing are in the center.

Here's the dry set up.

The pump is quite powerful and shot the water higher than I wanted. Too much of it was getting splashed out. Some adjustment was needed.

This is how it ended up and I'm quite pleased with it. I will get some water hyacinths (a floating and flowering plant) to cover the water surface. They reproduce quickly and won't take long to fill up the surface area of the water.

After it was finished I pulled up a chair and sat for a while enjoying a beer and congratulating myself on a job well done. It was too hot for Maya and Della so I put those two back in the house, but Kirtley and Paisley stayed with me all afternoon. Elvis was off doing his own thing.