When our aged, Norway spruce had to be cut down, it was devastating to lose such an old friend. We didn’t know what would become of the barren land left behind that had been protected by the sheltering arms of this great tree. Then the glimmer of hope presented itself and I decided to create a well water feature, backed by a witch hazel bush. I was quite stunned to stumble on an essay, The Tree of Life, by Mara Freeman. It tied a great tree, well and hazel trees together in an uncanny resemblance to my own situation.
Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Through the Seasons
Where the waters emanate from hidden depths below the earth, the Tree of Life rises towards the power of the sky.
© 1998 from The Tree of Life by Mara Freeman
Creating a water feature doesn’t have to be an expensive, backbreaking experience. You can create a stunning water garden with an old water well pump, we found ours on eBay, and a half-whiskey barrel which can be found at any garden center or home improvement store. In addition, you’ll need a liner, submersible pump with tubing and some water plants.
The size of pump that you’ll need will depend on how far the water will travel and will require a little research. For our well, the water needed to travel seven feet in order to be pumped out of the barrel and up through the antique pump. We found that a 240gph (gallon per hour) pump would work.
Position the barrel so that it’s level and insert the liner. Liners made specifically for half-whiskey barrels can be found at any water garden supply store. Feed the tubing through the antique pump so that it runs the whole length of the pump, stopping just short of the inside of the spout.
Position and secure the antique pump. Depending on the configuration of your antique, you will need to improvise. We were fortunate enough to get the original base with ours and we’re able to secure it by having the barrel rest on the edge of the base plate. Fill the barrel with water. Attach the tubing to the electric pump and submerge it. Plug it in and you’re ready to go.
Don’t be alarmed if in a few weeks your new garden grows algae at an alarming rate. It’s natural. Using the proper aquatic plants will balance your water feature and keep it crystal clear without using chemicals. There are basically three types of aquatic plants. The first are floaters. These plants such as water hyacinth and water lettuce float on the water surface allowing their extensive fibrous roots to dangle in the water. The roots act as natural filters collecting all debris in the water. They grow very rapidly! We started with one of each in May and had to trim them back several times over the course of the summer. Next are submerged plants such as hornwort, a seaweed-looking plant that lives suspended beneath the surface of the water and oxygenates it. We used two bunches of hornwort held down with lead weights to keep it below the water surface.
Lastly, there are marginals such as water iris and cattails that add a vertical decorative element and are at home in the boggy sides of natural ponds and water bodies. We added a pot of water iris to give a strong upright element to our well. To shade the water and provide a truly decorative touch we also used a miniature water lily with pads that only reach 1 to 1-1/2 inches across that produce 2-inch blooms.
About 6 to 8 weeks after setting up the well, it will balance naturally and the algae will disappear. The water will return to being crystal clear and if you keep the pump running all the time, you will prevent mosquito larvae from maturing.
In the additional photos above, you’ll be able to see the transformation of the well area from August 2002, when the aging spruce was removed, to August 2003 when the new well garden had filled in. We planted the area with impatiens, black-eyed Susans, hostas, grasses and witch Hazel.
