Burbling Water in the Garden
Six simple steps to a pondless
water feature
for less than $50
By Amy McDowell
Water features
add motion and sound to the garden, drawing both people and wildlife. The
garden pond’s wave of popularity in the past decade makes the old standby water
feature—the birdbath—unexciting and stale. Birdbaths add an architectural
element to the garden, but the stagnant water evaporates so quickly that it’s
hard to think of them as a true water feature.
With little more
effort and expanse than a birdbath, you can add a water feature with moving
water and a large reservoir that won’t run dry quickly. It is a ground-level
feature with water burbling over a pile of rocks. The materials cost less than
$50, assembly takes just a couple of hours, and birds will love it.
Materials:
18-inch round
plastic tub
21-inch round
metal grill
Small submersible
pond or fountain pump
2-foot rubber
tubing or PVC pipe
Safe outdoor
electrical source
2-3 dozen rocks,
fist-size and smaller
Six simple steps:
1- Dig
a hole large enough to bury the plastic tub up to its rim. Set the tub inside
and backfill with soil around the outside.
2- Set
the pump in the center of the tub, using rocks to keep it upright if necessary.
Run the cord to a safe electrical source, but don’t plug it in yet.
3- Connect
the tubing or pipe to the pump’s discharge so it rises straight up in the
center of the tub to a point several inches above the rim.
4- Place
the metal grill on top of the tub with the tubing running up through the center
of the grill. Bend the bars in the center of the grill if necessary.
5- Stack
rocks on top of the grill, concealing the empty tub below, the tubing and the
grill. The rocks will be higher in the center and taper off to ground level at
the edges.
6- Fill
the tub with water and plug in the pump. Rearrange the rocks so the water
burbles over them.
