"Franz Heymann" wrote in message
...

snip


Also, it's
on gravel, so it could make quite a mess if gunge etc splashes out all
over during cleaning. I'm not feeling like going through all this as
I'm sure lots of you can guess!

Also, in response to someone's comment, I hadn't realised that water
lilies were regarded as annuals, even in this climate - I thought that
once established they would come back every year? I certainly wouldn't
want to have to fork out every spring for one season's growth and a few
flowers!!

I really don't want to go down the electric pump route - there's no easy
way of hooking it up to a power supply or laying cable. I was hoping
there might be a solar option, ie a solar panel with a submergible pump
attached which could sit at the bottom and hopefully not disturb the
water too much, but in such a small barrel I suppose it would be likely
to be too turbulent and extremely costly as I can't find this kind of
thing on the web. Maybe the only answer is to get rid of the water
lily, even though this was what I really wanted in the barrel in the
first place, so that I can put my floating solar fountain on it next
summer and re-oxygenate the water that way. It's just a shame and I
really would have liked a water lily feature in the garden, but I'd much
prefer to be rid of the stench!

Lynda


Franz has made the good suggestions re siphoning so I wont add to that.

As to the lily, yes its perennial, but its leaves will die off* completely
and it will be dormant until late next spring.

Re a floating solar fountain, I'd guess, not having seen one (except pics on
the web just now), that the area required for solar power took up a good
deal of your barrel.

certainly the picture here
http://www.gardenitems.co.uk/solar_f...s_original.htm
makes it look huge even though it mentions a half barrel.

As you have gravel I'd have thought it would be easy to lay cable. If you
got a pump with a low voltage supply you could also use thin two core cable.
Or if you really dont want to do that how about a solar powered pump
http://www.nclsolar.com/p_gard.htm (£85 though)


Or, more decorative (and expensive) one of these

http://www.water-garden.co.uk/water_...olar/solar.php

Or, they might be able to sell the solar panels/pump/cables that power
these, separately and cheaper?


OR try here

http://shopping.lycos.co.uk/query.ht...re=4&x=29&y=10

(if that doesnt work its Kays catalogue, do a search on solar pump)

Obviously (??) with a solar pump you can adjust the output by how you place
the solar panel. BUt one of those cascade jobbies will also lessen the flow
into the barrel.

HTH

--
Tumbleweed

* adding even more to the rotting gunge!!

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