Heart and Soul Reflections: Adding a Water Feature to Your Garden

Water features have become more and more popular in the garden. You no longer have to dig a pond to have the calming effects of running water in your yard. I set out to explore the many selections at Niepagen's Greenhouses:

Ann sent me home with a great fountain to put together and show you! I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was to put together. This is the site I chose, which I knew would be perfect. It is right next to our patio where there is just a small space between the patio and fence to our back yard.

Of course, my first course of action was to dig a hole that the basin sits down into. This is so the fountain can sit flush with the ground. It is very important that this piece be level!

Your kit will include the fountain piece, which is made of lightweight resin, the pump and tubing, basin and lid.

After your basin is level, you'll set the pump in the bottom and then run the cord out through the hole in the top of the base. (You'll need to be sure your fountain is near electricity!)

Now this is the only tricky part! The tubing then needs to be set on top of the pump and then thread through the middle hole in the shelf. Tricky because sometimes it wants to pop off the pump top and can be a little frustrating!

Now I have the pump set in the DRY basin, and my tubing sticking through the hole in the shelf.

The tubing will most certainly be longer than you need, so you'll need to put it up through your fountain, then mark with a sharpie where to cut it. BE SURE you don't cut it too short. You can always cut more off a second time!

This second piece of tubing pushes onto the long section. It is a firm fit, so don't be afraid to really push it on there so it doesn't leak.

Now here is a manufacturing problem that drives me crazy. The hole is too big for the tubing. If not plugged, the water all runs down the center instead of over the edges where it is intended. This sends me on a trip to my husband's plumbing tool box for some putty!

This stuff is like playdoh and is very soft and pliable. I simply rolled out a snake to wrap around the tube to seal the extra spaces around it.

Problem solved!

This cute little door is a great place to be able to put your hand through the top if the hose pops off the pump! You will also eventually needs to clean off the pump from debris, so this is where you can get to it.

Our progress so far shows the fountain sitting on the shelf. Now we can spread rock across the top of the shelf. The kit came with some black slate rock, but I decided to find my own colors that I liked better. I found this box of polished rock at a garage sale!

So simply spread your rock over the shelf, add water to the basin with your hose, and your fountain is complete! It took me under an hour to dig the hole and complete the kit!