Even though the idea of garden fountains being made from pots is not new, I happened upon a method of building one that I hadn’t seen before. I think this fountain would make a wonderful addition to any garden and its so easy to build that anyone can do it. The first thing you need to do is choose the appropriate pots. One will be used as the basin to catch the water coming down. The next is a base and then the largest pot is used for the main fountain. When you are choosing the shape for this pot, keep in mind that the function is just as important as how it looks. A slightly tapered pot that is smooth will be very quiet as the water tends to cling on to the sides of the pot as it falls. Pots having ridges or rings will cause the water to splash into the basin causing more sound. [I:http://gardenbarber.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/DonaldRickerby0.jpg]

Start with the large terracotta (or stone) bowl as the basin for your garden pot fountain. This will be the foundation for your fountain where the overflowing water will fall into. Using a power drill and masonry bit, drill out a hole from the center of the bowl (if necessary). Now you can run the cord from the pump out through the hole. Cover this hole with duct tape and fill it in with a car body filler. When its dry, use silicon to fill in around the cord. You should now be ready to place the pot in your desired location. Try to place this as level as possible, but its not crucial for the fountain to run properly.

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.

For the tubing, cut a piece of pipe about a foot longer than the height of the main fountain pot and attach to the pump. Now you must feed the pot used for the base down over the tube through the hole in the bottom. Apply silicon around the gap between the tube and the bottom of the pot. The whole set up at this point will be the basin with a pump inside an upside down pot sitting in the middle of it and the pipe sticking out the top of the base pot.

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 on garden pot and landscaping techniques. If you’d like to know more about garden pots, visit AllGardenPots.com