September 2022

Early Spring is wonderful.  You walk around the garden staring at the swelling buds and realise that Spring is upon us once again.  The Narcissus are blooming, the blossom trees are full of delicate beauty and the Magnolias are putting on their annual show.

Everything is waking up again, including Jenny’s desire for a new project.  We thought the Middle Bed was enough but it wasn’t.  A casual browse around our local nursery Harmony in Lauderdale was the source of this new project.  At first she wanted it for someone else but when she was met with resistance, she boldly declared that is “they didn’t want it, she would have it!”.  Dad and I are so resigned to these developments that we merely agree with her and brace ourselves for what was about to happen.  So, what was it, after all this build up? A new fountain of course. 

Jenny loves water in the garden.  We already have three ponds, seven birdbaths and one giant fountain that gives the Fountain Garden its name.  And now a second fountain, one which is viewed from the kitchen window and acts as a focal point in the Side Pond Garden.  And to be completely honest, it is a stunner.

Now buying a fountain is not just about buying a fountain.  You need to think about how that fountain is going to work.  You need a pump.  Either powered or solar, preferably powered as solar pumps are a bit temperamental unless you fork out a lot of money (see our large fountain in the Fountain Garden).  We placed the new fountain about 3m from an external power point, however to get it to said power point a trench would be needed.  No one really said who was going to dig this trench but when Jenny disappeared to the Supermarket and Dad claimed he had to work, I had to dig the trench.  I hate digging trenches, and this one had to be dug through two Lonicera hedges, preferably in a straight line so that the conduit piping could be laid with a minimum of fuss AND avoid digging up any plants.  You can understand my anxiety.  Needless to say, I rose to the challenge with a minimum of cursing, fell into the Lonicera hedge only once and was rewarded with my ever grateful mother singing my praises.

All in a days work… (though the whole process of gathering materials and digging took more like two weeks but no one mentions that because we all love a quick makeover it seems these days…).