Simple Ways to Nourish Yourself with Nature's Magic

Turn an Ugly Concrete Well into a Beautiful Feature in the Garden and Show Your Water Source a Little Appreciation

Have you ever had a well go dry or spew icky water? This year we had a major scare when our water source went foul. First the water turned brown (stinky, horrid tasting) and then our toilets began filling with sand. Uh oh!!! At the first sign of bad water, I assumed that the underground water table was being affected by the drought conditions in our area. 

I've known many dowsers (the guys who find underground water amongst other things), so I knew that it is possible to redirect fresh water to a well through dowsing. Since I own a pair of handy dandy, retractable, purse sized dowsing rods, all I had to do was get some advice and go for it.

I got these from my all time favourite dowser Joey Korn. (Joey Korn’s Signature Dowsing Rods)

It was so simple to dowse for the underground water and ask for plenty of fresh clean drinking water. And it worked so well that I made the underlying issue in the well much much worse. It was the next day that the sand started filling our toilets. 

Bring in the Experts Please

Needless to say, we got in touch with our contractor and he came over almost immediately to look in the well. He discovered that the liner at the bottom of the well was torn by the pump that had slowly been bending downwards due to a broken rope. The massive influx of water I created just pushed more of the iron, sand and other particulates through the hole. 

2 days later the liner was being held is place by a new layer of rocks and we had beautiful clean water. Oh, and the pump was lifted and held with a new rope. Very high tech. All this was achieved at a fraction of the cost of new well. 

Aren't you glad you don't have to do this to get water?

Shore-Painting by Laura den Hertog

Time to Celebrate

After weeks of drinking bottled water, bathing and watering the garden with water stolen from the pool, we had a whole new appreciation for the well and the gorgeous water. Now we are drinking some of the healthiest water known to man. No additives, and filled with naturally occurring minerals from deep within the earth. It truly does not get any better.

We will never take our water for granted again! We decided to show our appreciation to nature by making the well itself a beautiful thing. 

Dressing The Well

Our well's makeover began with a birdbath and bee drinking station. Yes, that's right, a bee drinking station. We added 2 beehives to the property this year and bees need a reliable source of water. Our ponds were almost dry due to the drought and we wanted the bees, birds and everything else to have access to good water. 

Regular birdbaths would be dwarfed  by the size of the well, but we created a lovely wide vessel for this purpose by using the "bowl" from an outdoor fire pit. The fire pit was purchased second hand for $20. River rocks and pebbles were added to the bowl so that birds could have a stand up shower. To help keep the water fresh and because they are so darn cute, we added a floating, solar powered mini fountain. It's tethered to a rock in the middle of the bowl so it can't float to the edge and spill all the water over the edge. 

Lady of the Sacred Well - By Artist and Photographer Angela Jayne Latham

Consulting the Goddess

Natural wells and springs have long been considered sacred places, so I researched well goddesses. Brigid is the best known is the western world, but I found several from across the globe. How was I supposed to choose just one? We may not have created a shrine to the goddess of water and wells, but I was inspired to add flowers for beauty and in reverence to any and all divine beings who may see fit to watch over our well. Growing plants around the base of the well not only masks the dull grey of the concrete but adds colour and life to the whole thing. They also serve as an invitation to the birds and the bees.

Reaching New Heights

We wanted a way to echo the flow of water upward into the well and create some height to the design, so we used long willow rods to create arched supports for growing vines. Willow is closely associated with water as it grows best in wet areas. It also has the ability to remove toxins from wetlands, and is used as a natural way to clean up areas where the water is polluted. Willow seemed an appropriate choice for well decor. The fact that is was free (we grew the willow) helped too. It was fairly late in the summer when we started this project so our flowers and vines never got the chance to fill in completely. Wait till next year!!

We finished off the top of the well with some potted flowers and large river rocks spilling out from under the birdbath. Next spring we will refine the overall display and add our plants nice and early so they can show off all summer long.

More Ideas

Painting the concrete is a possibility, but these wells are exposed to the elements year round and a peeling well would look awful. I think wood siding adhered around the outside and finished off with a band of metal could be charming. It would grey down over time and like old barn boards. Of course you need to keep the lid unadorned because if anything goes wrong, the workmen may need to remove it. So anything you add to the well lid must be removable. Our willow arches for instance, can be pulled up and placed out of the way.

I would love to cover the lower part of our well with a stone veneer. A little mortar and you've got a well with an old world, natural feel. Veneers and wood siding are sold at home improvement stores.

A Little Appreciation Goes a Long Way

I can't speak for the goddesses, but I saw several types of birds splashing around in the bath, and watched bees along the edge of the bowl sipping water. There were dragonflies and butterflies flitting through and the robins loved perching on top of the willow arches. I imagine they were enjoying the view. I'd call that a success!

I plan on stencilling words around the outside edge of the well's lid. We did an impromptu blessing of the well, or maybe I should call it a mini appreciation ceremony and I will write words to that effect around the lid. When the plants are in full leaf or bloom, you will only catch glimpses of what is written there. The message is meant for the spirit of the water. Every time I pass by the well and see the words, it will remind me how grateful I am for clean healthy water. And every time I fill the bird bath I'll whisper my thanks to the well and nature.