5 Clever Ideas for a DIY Garden Fountain

There are few things as soothing as sitting in your yard on a warm summer evening, listening to the babble of a water feature.

Fountains are perhaps the simplest approach to installing a water feature: as long as you have a power source to run it, you’re set.

And you can make a custom, DIY garden fountain from almost anything: stone, wall block, an urn, etc. Interested in creating your own fountain? Here are some ideas we came across.

1. Fountain in a pot

We found this one on home improvement expert Bob Vila’s website:

“For an almost instant homemade fountain, insert an inexpensive electric pump into a large ceramic or concrete planter, then fill it with water and plug it in.”

From there, it’s a matter of putting the planter in a bed of flowering ground cover – which lets you show off your landscaping – or installing it on your deck or patio.

2. A tiered pot fountain

This custom water feature comes from a website called Addicted to DIY and is essentially a beefed-up version of the previous fountain, involving two or three pots stacked atop each other. If you don’t have space – or feel the fountain needs something more – you can always add or subtract pots.

3. The glass table water wall

From the website Central Texas Gardener comes this idea, which involves making a water wall from an old, circular glass table.

It’s a fairly involved job that nonetheless leads to a beautiful design. And since it uses mostly repurposed materials, it will ultimately be an affordable project.

4. Old bowling ball, new fountain

Another Bob Vila idea, this DIY garden fountain involves taking an old bowling ball and placing it atop a bed of stone inside a barrel or large planter.

You can visit The Instructables for a step-by-step tutorial for making this fountain. (Power tools are involved, as you’ll need to drill into and slice open bowling balls to make this fountain work.

5. Relaxing with the birds

Still another Vila pick, this birdbath/fountain is built in the shape of a large birdbath, with a wall of rocks concealing a 15-gallon drum. These rocks help keep the water cooler than it would be in a normal birdbath, making it a refreshing place for birds to visit.

Ready to get started on your DIY garden fountain? Visit Woodward Landscape Supply, where we offer fountains, garden accents and concrete furniture from Massarelli’s, a leading east coast manufacturer.

Whether you’re working alone or with a professional contractor, our experts can advise you on the materials you’ll need to make your backyard a more relaxing place.