Flower Filled Fountains

We had always wanted a fountain—love the sound of running water. When we saw this fountain on sale, we bought it and installed it close to our front porch, where we enjoyed it for several years. Then we decided to remove the old hedge along the foundation and, at the same time, discovered that our fountain leaked. We liked it in front of the house, so decided to convert it into a planter. We used landscape blocks to both elevate it and help make it a real focal point. I repainted it to give it a sort of terra cotta look, and I love it!

The top of the fountain didn’t have much room for soil, so shallow rooted succulents seemed like the best choice. Trailing purple petunias, purple star petunias and trailing big leaf variegated vinca major combined with a few other accent plants made this season’s planting a knock out. Although the variegated sedge on the bottom of the fountain didn’t fill in as fast as I would have liked, they did add interest. The first photo shows the fountain maybe three weeks after planting, and the second photo is midway through the season.

This planting is very patriotic, don’t you think? The combination of plants makes this planting really “pop”.

I love moss rose and purslane (not the weed, but the one sold in garden centers as purslane). When I was little, Mom let us grow moss rose from seeds (we saved them at the end of the growing season) and it was magical to watch those tiny seeds turn into these beautiful flowers. The other photo here is an end of the season planting. The trailer is a “left over” from the growing season called Silver Falls Dichondra. It is an amazing trailer, and spills over the edge of planters in long streamers. When it touches the ground, it sends down roots which over winter, providing me with more little plants.

This is a photo of how the fountain looks in it’s newest incarnation. We redid the entire front landscaping after we had our front porch redone and new siding put up. It took awhile to find a new home for the fountain but we decided it looks just right in it’s new spot. We removed the top part and put this little cherub in it’s place. I had painted this at the same time as I painted the fountain, so they went together very well.

Final thought:

When you love something but it no longer works for its original use, don’t be quick to discard it. We moved this fountain around the yard several times over several years before inspiration hit. It was when we removed the top that we were able to see it in a different light. From fountain to planter to garden art—each incarnation fit our needs at the time. Have patience, and if you love it, you can make it work.