A client who had looked a long time for a fountain fell hard for Buck’s contemporary steel creation. I ws more than a little surprised, considering her more traditional taste in garden ornament. But she was certain that this fountain was the perfect choice for her garden. The job of transporting and setting it in place fell to Steve. As you can see, he was planning the move.
Once he drained the fountain, he wrapped the fountain stem with heavy woven landscape straps. As the fountain weighed in at about 400 pounds, and the site was not particularly friendly to the use of a front end loader, we would have to move the piece by hand. 12 hands, to be exact. Each of three straps had a person at each end. The straps would be a lot simpler to grasp that the smooth side of the bowl. My crew can lift a lot, provided they are able to get a good grasp.
We excavates the soil from the spot where the fountain was to be placed, and filled it with coarse gravel. A square concrete tile was placed over top. This made it much easier to check to be sure the spot was level. It is also much easier to adjust this tile to get it level, as opposed to the fountain. It seemed like the fountain would be a good fit in this circle of boxwood-but we wouldn’t know for sure until we got it there.
The fountains we have manufactured at Branch of late come race ready. The jet inside this fountain is attached to a steel plate, and comes with a valve that regulates the height of the jet. Having a special event? Open up the valve. A tee fitting off the jet pipe is attached to the pump. The cord for the pump comes through a hole in the base of the fountain. The jet and pump assembly sits in the bottom of the fountain, making it easy to level the jet. All the customer needs to supply is a source of electricity.
Getting the fountain through the gate was a challenge. Luckily the gate itself was easy to lift off its hinges. Once the fountain base was resting on the second step up, the fountain would be flipped over on its side. The fountain has 4 eye hooks inside should the fountain ever have to be lifted. It proved handy for tying the jet in place for the move.
There were but a few inches of room to spare, but that proved to be enough. Luckily, any circular or hemispherical shape is not only very stable, but it is very strong. This steel is relatively thin, considering how large an object it is, but there was no worry that the edge would be damaged. At this point, we were rolling the fountain on its edge, rather than carrying it. I roll pots around the shop that I could never lift off the ground.
The last stage of the journey did involve lifting the fountain over a boxwood hedge. My crew made it look like no big deal.
They left me to fill the fountain-my pleasure, and my worry. If the level were the least bit off, the water would tell that tale. Water is always level-it’s people that get things crooked. As I cannot abide a statue or pot that isn’t sitting level, I was willing to wait.
I needn’t have worried. It read perfectly level to my eye. The wide rim of the fountain finishes the shape in a beautiful way, but it also masks any little bit it might be out of level. The fountain was filled with water to just under that rim. My client did very well with this-the fountain looks remarkably good in her garden. She had had an electrical box installed a long time ago, so an hour after our arrival, the fountain was running.
The entire garden made more visual sense given a centerpiece. The peach trees have a much more opulent and exotic look. I am standing on her porch, looking out. The water seems to be at just the right height. After trying the jet at a number of levels, she decided on this. Just enough height to make for a great sound.
My client thinks it looks like I designed this fountain especially for her garden. Since I would have never considered it for her, I realize that giving clients the chance to look without prejudice can result in an interesting outcome.
I am sure I own the most fabulous French antique fountain on American soil-take a look; do you not agree? I detailed some time ago the process by which this incredibly beautiful piece came to me-but it is not the subject of this post. As beautiful as it is, a fountain, any fountain, is a means by which to introduce and integrate water as a decorative element in the landscape. I do such injustice to use the word decorative; what water does for a landscape is give and sustain life. What water does for a gardener borders on the sublime.
In my early years designing, I never went near any suggestion of a fountain, pond, pool, or lotus pot. I did believe anything of any importance in a garden sprang from the earth, and grew. Arranging for delightful water for a client was just over my head, and beyond my capability. It is the sorry truth that a lot of things I thought early on about landscape design proved to be provincial, ill-informed, and shallow. Thank heavens the normal course of events is to grow up into something. My age and history is a good thing. At some point I figured out that fountains were not the sole province of public parks and libraries; any home garden is all the better for water in some form. This English iron fountain I placed a few years ago-I never tire of the look of this water in motion, the peaceful sound of it. 
This very regal cast iron fountain is of American manufacture, mid 19th century. This part alone enchants me. Placing an American garden ornament of historical significance in an American garden was a good moment. It looks even better when the water is moving over its surface. Note the planting of creeping jenny around-water splash comes with the territory when water drops a long way. Plan for plants that like this regular shower when water is being pumped to great height. 
No matter any history, or construction issues, water beautifully representing in the air is available to any gardener. This small English iron version of a classical tiered fountain has a lead basin just 5 feet in diameter. This fountain is installation friendly; take it home, set it up, and plug it in. Three things are at issue in putting together a fountain. You need a means by which the water gets airborn. This could be a decorative piece like this one, any pot or sculpture which can be modified to convey water. A copper spout works fine. You need a pump of sufficient power, and the electricity to run that pump.
These gorgeous glazed ceramic jars have been outfitted by the manufacturer brilliantly-meaning, thoughtfully. The jar, a water reservoir , and a pump make it possible to take this complete water feature home, place it in a great spot, plug it in, and learn firsthand about what water in the air can do for a garden. The water moves so slowly that it cannot break the surface tension of the jar surface. No splash means you might consider bringing it indoors for the winter.
My 26 foot long by 4 foot wide fountain-a gift from my Mom. It so irritated her that I never took any time off work-she made an issue of this, when she was alive. What she left me enabled me to build this fountain. I hear the sound of it when I get out of my car at the end of the day. I get in it, to cool off, and scale back. I go and sit in its company every day. I am on vacation-at home. Some days I just look at all that watery motion from the deck. I can hear it when I get in bed. The action of the water in my garden-better than very good. 
Water once meant no more than a good drink for my plants. From the looks of this, it should be easy to see how fountain water can make a garden a better place to be. 
