I've never had a concrete fountain, although I have some very old concrete planters. VERY OLD. They have held up well, but do show their age. But in regards to fountains, I prefer the "look" of concrete or other materials rather than resin. Just my personal preference. We have a small terracotta fountain that is not in use now, but we used for quite some time previously. The pump had to be replaced once, but the structure has held up beautifully. We are redoing a landscape area ONCE AGAIN (thanks roofers) and I plan to use the fountain again. FWIW, and I know I am talking apples vs oranges - rather POTS vs FOUNTAINS, but the concrete planters I have do have some crumbling at the base (one planter) but they are very old and only one has a small crack. I do think concrete may hold up better. Sorry Ida, I'm really no help, just blabbering!! LOL

I do love a garden fountain. There is a realtor office in our little community housed in an hold house. I always admire the beautiful fountain out front. There is a circle of a little brick wall around it and beautiful plantings. : )

Ida, do you get freezing temps ever where you are?

Following... I'm considering a fountain, as well. I live where it freezes most definitely (Chicago).

I'm hoping Fnmroberts weighs in, as they had lovely fountains in their garden. Also, it seems they were in my zone.

eta Sorry, Ida... didn't mean to make this about me.

I have a concrete birdbath that's been going strong for 30 plus years. Also have 2 fountains --- fiberglass and copper. No problems with either.

We've been all over looking at fountains today, and I'm pretty much sick of fountains at the moment. Omg, the prices are absurd. When we bought our large concrete fountain at the old house it couldn't have been more than $300. Granted, this was probably at least 15 years ago, but now the same type fountain at the same place is three times the price. Prices everywhere were high. Even rather cheesy looking resin fountains at my favorite garden center were $700.

We considered this one at $350, and I still like it. DH isn't wild about the natural color concrete though.

These were our favorites. They're pricey but also 25% off right now. Their water receptacle is to be buried and would go well in a rock garden. I love the first one, which reminds me of Three Rivers Petroglyph Site in New Mexico where we enjoy hiking.

I have a cast iron one that came with my house. at first, I hated it, but i has grown on me. Now I need a foundation poured for it, because it is a BEAR to get (and keep) level!

Yes I've been looking for a Shinto shrine lantern and the prices really give me pause. I hate it when something I deemed too expensive to splurge on becomes even more expensive when I finally figure I deserve it.

Yeah, leveling a fountain can be a real B. The concrete ones we saw today all had shims here and there, so when viewed from the back were not all that attractive. The statuary yard had them on slabs like this, but don't know if they sell the slabs or just use them for their displays.

Ohhh, I like the two that remind you of NM. They’re so you! Very cool.

I think we've about talked ourselves into going back for the concrete fountain with the fairy on top above. It's 3 tiered bowls (can't see the bottom one in the picture) and fairly large, so would become the centerpiece of our garden. Our current fountain is flat-backed and stands against a wall. The round one would be more or less centered in the bed. It has a really lovely water flow.

It’s beautiful, a classic. The sound will be wonderful. :)

Thanks for the beautiful photos, Judi. I really like your birdbath and fountains.

Mtn, we do get freezes here. It was Icemageddon here a couple of years ago when our state's electrical grid revealed its woeful inadequacy.

Tina, I'm glad to know that your concrete pieces have held up so well. There's a house we pass on our walking route with a large three-tiered fountain in the corner of their yard and it's been there for years. It looks great, despite being very exposed to the elements.

I will say that the concrete will become "weathered", which is a look I like. When we had a fountain in the past, we emptied and covered it in the winter.

I'm having trouble remembering all of your garden (I'm assuming that is where it is going? Off your patio?), but I'm sure you will find one that suits your garden. Such fun looking!

One of the fountains we looked at today had moss growing on it, and it was pretty cool! We will put the fountain in the garden enclosed by the flagstone border, between the Vitex tree and the patio. I'll lose some perennials doing so, but was planning to tweak the plant life in this bed anyway.

Does anyone know anything about cast stone?