DIY: How to Make a Quick and Easy Water Feature for Your Patio

The sound of moving water makes any space more relaxing – especially when you combine it with a water garden feature!

I love sitting on our courtyard patio being surrounded by plants. It’s very peaceful and is a great place to unwind after a long day of work. I’ve never had water plants before, so this year I wanted to add a small water garden to this space. When I was planning the water garden, I knew I wanted something simple, portable, and something that would be unique. I put together this water feature with just a few things and I love how it turned out! Here’s what I did to put this together.

Ready to build your own? It’s really easy. Let’s get started!

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What You Will Need:

• Metal Plant Stand (this is the one I used)
  I chose the black metal plant stand because it’s sturdy and I wanted something black so the color would act as a statement piece.
• Large Clear Restuarant Salad Bowl or Punch Bowl (18″ diameter)
  I choose a clear bowl because I wanted the water feature to look like it was ‘floating’, and because I wanted the sunlight to filter through the bowl and cast shadows onto the patio.
• Solar Birdbath Fountain
  The solar fountain creates water movement, and the sound is very relaxing.
• Water Lettuce Plants (Water Hyacinth will also work, but they are larger and have longer roots)
  I wanted floating plants in the water feature, so I choose the water lettuce plants because they are fairly small, grow very easily, and help filter the water to keep it clear.
• Glass Fishing Floats (I found mine on Etsy)
  I also wanted the look of glass ‘bubbles’, so I added the vintage glass fishing floats for effect.

What You Do:

1. Assemble the metal plant stand with the included screws.
2. Place the plant stand on your deck or patio where you want it displayed. Make sure to place in an area that receives sunlight in order to charge the solar fountain.
3. Place the large bowl on top of the plant stand, taking care to make sure it sits level.
   When the large bowl sits on this plant stand, it doesn’t reach all the way to the bottom of the stand like a pot would, so it has the ‘floating water’ effect I wanted – this stand works perfectly with the bowl to achieve this effect.
4. Fill the bowl with water, almost to the top of the bowl. Leave about 1- to 2-inches of space in the bowl.
5. Add the solar fountain and adjust the spray and height you prefer.
6. Add your choice of floating water plants to the bowl.
7. Add clear glass fishing floats if you want the ‘bubble’ effect.
8. Enjoy!

Here are some photos of my finished fountain. Click the images to enlarge them for a better view.

Before adding plants

Before adding plants

Plants and spheres added

Plants and spheres added

Water garden feature

Water garden feature

Glass floats

Bowl looks like it floats above stand

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