Cathy, Try posting this on the Hypertufa forum. There are a couple of Texans on that forum or e-mail them directly. That is if DFW stands for Dallas-Ft Worth. Billie

Hi Cathy,

I'm in far NW Tarrant county. I've emptied my little wall fountain, but my small in ground half barrel sized fountain is still going. I did unplug during the hard freeze. I'm sure being in ground makes a difference.

If I were you, I'd drop into the pond forum. Those folks are very friendly and helpful.

Welcome to gardenweb!

Happy

Depending how often your water freezes and how deep it goes should determine if you need to drain your fountain completely. If your winters are as mild as you say then you shouldn't have any problems keeping the water in the fountain.

Keeping the water running will keep it from freezing if you're in a mild climate subject to infrequent freezes. My fountain has had ice form in it, but it didn't crack. If the water is also full, to the top, you should be able to get thru a mild freeze. Only the top layer will freeze and that isn't enough to crack the bowl.

pesky1 is right. Your pond will be fine. Keep everything the same. Pump going. Of course you should stop feeding the fish if you have any during the winter time. They will be fine too.

I found this site because I also was looking for information about winterizing our small 1/2 barrel fountain garden. We are in zone 6, and our winter temps are pretty unpredictable. I thought we should empty our fountain for the winter months, but after reading the above posts, I'm not sure. I'd love not to, but I'd also hate to have it freeze and break. What are your thoughts for zone 6 and this size fountain garden. The birds love to drink from it, and since we do empty our birdbath for the winter, this would be a great source of winter water for the birds, if we could keep it up and running. But again, I don't want to risk the fountain or the barrel itself, by leaving water in it all winter.

just purchased a simple 3 part cement bench from Lowe's. Can't stand the color (white). Any ideas on coloring this bench?
Judie