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Gary and Janet Craven, who were on the water garden tour this year, have shared their photographs and step-by-step process of the construction of their bird bath water fountain. This is a wonderful way to enjoy the sounds of falling water without having a waterfall!
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Set the fountain base in the desired area. Take the time to position it for desired viewing angles (in our case, from the front of the house and the dining room bay window - it will be lighted at night). Paint or mark the outline of the bed in the grass. |
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Remove the sod and place the grate to support the fountain over the sump. I used a discarded wire-shelving unit cut to size. Be creative! |
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Place the fountain base in desired location and drive a rod or plant stake down through the center to mark the sump's position. |
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Remove grate and fountain and install edging or landscape borders. |
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Dig the hole to fit the tub or basin (housing the sump pump) using stake driven earlier as the center of the sump. Slope the ground approximately 4 inches from the edge to the center of the sump hole. It is easiest to slope the dirt to the rod, then dig the sump hole. |
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Use the excavated soil from the sump hole to raise the planting area or discard if unsuitable and use good topsoil. |
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Cover the planting bed with landscape fabric. Install the sump tub in the hole, and cover the fountain area with scrap pond liner. If necessary, place the liner in the sun to soften prior to installation. |
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Trim liner to fit, taking care to overlap it vertically along the edging and up the slope to the planting bed. Make an X shaped cut in the liner over the sump hole and allow it to drape into the sump. |
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Cut fabric and place desired plant material. |
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This photograph shows the pump, tubing (3/8" clear), and filter box for the pump. The box allows pump to pick up water from approximately six inches off of the bottom of the sump. The water at the bottom of the sump will be muddy. |
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The pump parts are in the sump with the support grate and poultry netting in place to contain the river rock over the sump area. |
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Pull tubing up through the fountain and set it in place. Level the fountain to produce an even overflow. Tie the fountain to the grate. I drilled 3/8" holes in the cast aluminum base and used heavy nylon zip ties. |
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Connect the tubing to fountain top. Note the PVC bushing added to the center hole to raise the water level so it will spill over onto rock bed. |
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Fill fountain basin and sump with water. Wash the stone as well as possible and place a 3-4" layer over the entire bed. |
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The finished, circulating fountain! The water will be cloudy at first. Allow it to circulate - it will clear up. You will want to use an algaecide to prevent excessive algae build up on the basin, rockbed, etc. During hot weather there will be a lot of evaporation so you will need to add water frequently - not a problem as you will no doubt water the plant material daily. |
| Now your fountain is done; the birds love it and its sound on a quiet summer night is relaxing - enjoy! |  |