i love that wooden barrel with the water in ~ do you have to clean it out often?

Thanks and no I don't. It is a bit smelly although the stench has worn off a bit.
When i got the barrell i didn't give it a good scrub and thought that might be why it stank, so emptied it out and scrubbed it good and proper then filled it with rain water. But after a week or two it was back. Some say it will go with time so fingers crossed. The smell is from the bacterial bloom i believe.

ah, i wasnt sure how that bit would work out but they do look attractive.

All looking good...

Thats lovely Funguy, love your water barrel. Why dont you put a small pump in there and it will keep the water moving and should keep the smell down, its where the water goes stagnant because its still. I used to put one in mine and never noticed a smell, its worth a try.

Like that barrel did a similar thing in plastic it is on a blog,not as big a diameter though as yours,do you know if the striped spikes (don't know the name)you have planted in it are very vigorus, looks effective.

Thanks Lin,Bjs and Crissue.

Lin, I considered your suggestion but thought waterlilies disliked moving water so did not go ahead with it, but it is a good idea. Did you have waterlilies in the one you had?

Hi Bjs, its latin name is 'equisetum hyemale' or horsetail rush. It is vigorous if let loose, but contained in the pot it's in, it hasn't actually put on much growth, since i purchased it in April. I have a pot of it in the garden aswell, i think its a nice addition to the garden, so long as it is controlled! I'll check out your blog when i get a sec.

edit: Sorry,Double post

Hi Funguy, Although the saying is that water lillies dont like moving water, I have 2 fish ponds , both have water lillies in them, and one pond has a pump, a water feature and 2 filter boxes running into it aswell, and the smaller pond has a pump in that one aswell and it also has water lillies and the water lillies bloom really beautifully. If you go to my photos you will see a lot of them, we have had at least 14 blooms at once at times, they have been really stunning. I have 4 lilly plants in the big pond and never had any problems. I would give it a go.

love this