Destress In Your Garden

When I was little we took a vacation trip to a place in South Carolina called Brookgreen Gardens. I will never forget wandering through the gardens and finding huge sculptures tucked here and there waiting to be discovered. Since most of them were much larger than I was, it was something I never forgot.

Obviously my little cement turtles and frogs can't hope to compete but I like to think the faint echoes of all that magnificence finds a home in my garden fountain. I really hadn't planned on buying it but when we bought our house, it's semi-shady courtyard seemed perfect for one. Wondering what I was getting myself into, my husband and I found one at our local building supply. It was a little irregular so with it's discount, we were able to stretch the budget to cover it.

My fountain is self contained. If yours is one that has a generous water reservoir in it's base, It would be a little different. If I run mine all day, I have to fill it up about three times.

As for the cleaning, about once a week I take a piece of hose and siphon any dirt out of the bottom of it. If we have had a lot of storms, I might splash all of the water out and replace it. Otherwise, I occasionally add a little bleach to keep the water clean. The only other thing I do is pull out any leaves or blossoms that have blown into it. That's it! It only takes about 10 minutes from start to finish!

Once the fountain was set up, I had to add the bench. Actually it was one I kept on a previous front porch. I sanded and refinished it so that it could stand up to our Florida weather. Three years later it is still going strong.

That bench is a wonderful place to put groceries while I unlock the front door. When my grandson was tiny, sitting on the bench while the fountain ran was sure to calm him. I wonder if that began his love for the outdoors because he sure misses it when he can't go out. There have been times I have gone out to sit, just to refresh my soul while the water splashed away my tension. Best of all are the times I rest there hot and sweaty from gardening. It's the best place to drink a little ice tea and cool off.