I came across a way of building a garden fountain out of pots that I hadn’t seen before. The idea of using pots as fountains is not new but I think this version makes a wonderful addition to any garden and its very easy to do. The first thing to do is choose the pots for your fountain. The three pots will be used for a basin, a base and the larger pot that will be used as the fountain. When choosing the shape of pot for the main fountain, keep in mind how it will function and not just how it looks. Slightly tapered pots that are smooth will be quieter since the water clings to the sides as it goes down. Other pots having rings or ridges will cause the falling water to produce more sound.
You start with a large sized terracotta or stone bowl as your garden pot foundation. This will be the basin pot where the overflowing water will fall. Drill a hole out of the bottom center of the bowl if there isn’t one already. Now take the cord from your pump and run it through the hole. For larger holes, cover with duct tape and fill with a car body filler. Smaller holes can be filled in with silicon. When that has dried, coat the inside with a water sealant. Now you should be ready to place the basin in your desired location. Although not crucial, try to make the basin as level as possible.
The pump is housed inside the base pot that is turned upside down. The diameter of the base should match the diameter of the main large fountain pot. Cut out three or four notches around the top rim of the pot. Its easier to do this if you soak the pot in water overnight. The purpose of the notches is to let water pass in to the base to the pump.
Take a length of tubing a little longer than the height of the main fountain pot and attach it to the pump. Feed the base pot down through the hole in its bottom and seal the gap between the tubing and the hole with silicon. The whole set up should be your basin with an upside down pot sitting in the middle with a tube sticking out from the pump inside it.
Test fit the large fountain pot by sliding it down over the pipe and onto the top of the base pot. Don’t apply any glue just yet. If it all looks good (the pot is plumb and level with the pipe sticking out past the top of the pot), then you can take it back off to run a couple of thick beads of silicon around the top of the base pot. The bead on the inside closest to the hole will keep water from running in between the pots while the bead on the outside helps hold the two pots together.
When everything has dried, you should test it out by filling with water and running the pump. You will have to adjust the height of the tubing by cutting off the excess to achieve the desired effect you are looking for. Finish by filling the basin pot with decorative rocks.
Donald Rickerby has been working in gardens since his early childhood and has always been interested in educating others about gardening and landscaping techniques. If you’d like to know more on container gardening, visit AllGardenPots.com
Tags: container gardening, diy, fountains, garden accessories, garden fountains, garden pot, garden pots, garden projects, gardens, Home Improvement, pots