Easy Water Feature

The focal point of this water feature is a beautifully glazed ceramic pot from Vietnam (figure A), which has already been plumbed.

Figure B

The secret to the easy installation of this water feature is a molded plastic basin, which holds the water and houses the pump (figure B). The basin comes in several sizes.

It's essential that this water feature be absolutely level. That's simple enough if you place it on a paved surface, but it's a little trickier if you bury it or place it on top of the ground.

And that's especially true if the ground is soaking wet, as Paul's is, thanks to recent rains. So he places four flat stones on the ground and firms them in, then places the basin on the stones such that each of the four corner posts of the basin rests on a stone. He checks the level of the basin, shimming it where necessary with plastic shims.

You can use one of these basins to create any type of water feature you want. For example, you could use a boulder in which a hole has been bored to create a bubbler. Or you could create a waterfall — or three or four for that matter — on the sides of the basin.

Figure C

This pot is already heavy, and once filled with water it'll be a lot heavier, so he places two cement blocks in the basin to support the weight of the pot, laying them on their sides to allow water to flow through them (figure C).

Figure D

Next, he places the plastic grates on the basin and carefully sets the pot in the center of the basin, with the water pipe from the bottom of the pot lined up with the hole in the center of the grates (figure D). Again, he verifies that the pot is level, so the water will flow evenly out of the pot.

Figure E

The next step requires a little bit of plumbing. Paul connects flexible tubing to the water feature (figure E), then snakes the tubing over to one of the four bays on the basin.

Figure F

He then connects the tubing to the pump — in this case, a 500-gallon per hour model — then places the pump into the bay (figure F, and places a cover over the bay.

One of the greatest things about this design is that it allows for quick and easy pump maintenance. Removing the cover allows immediate access to the pump.

The finishing touches

Owing to the basin's unique design, you can finish out your water feature any number of ways. You can bury it so that it's nearly flush with the ground and top off the grates with river rocks. Or you can set it on top of the ground and create a border to hide the basin. Paul does the latter, using limestone.

Figure G

Paul begins with small, relatively flat stones which he stacks without mortar around the base of the basin. He breaks a few here and there with a hammer to get smaller pieces to use as shims. He stacks the stones such that the base is a tad wider than the top level of stones (figure G). At select points along the way, he adds a boulder here and there just to give the water feature a more interesting look. This is one of those jobs where you just have to lay a few stands, then stand back and stare at your work to verify that it's the look you want. It's easy, and it's fun.

With the sides complete, he adds stones to the grates.

(Other options: You could use river rock on the grates instead of stones. And, because of the basin's clever design, you could also remove the covers and stick one-gallon water plants in them.)

After getting all the stones on the grate in place, he adds a few small stones just to cover any bare spots, and in less than four hours, the water feature is complete.

Finally, he fills the feature with water, filling the basin first, followed by the pot, and with the pot full of water, he again checks to be sure it's level.

Pots that are already plumbed include a valve that lets you regulate the flow rate. Paul adjusts this one ever so slightly so that the bubbling water is just barely visible at the top of the pot.

Note: The water level of features such as these needs to be checked often, perhaps as often as every other day — especially on hot, windy days — because water can quickly be lost due to evaporation. But that's no big deal, really, especially given what you get for so little effort.