DIY Spherical Water Fountain: Build a Terra-Cotta Water Feature

Nothing soothes a garden like the sound of flowing water. You don't need an expensive fountain—create your own natural-looking water feature with inexpensive materials. This terra-cotta fountain is so easy that even a youngster can build it. San Diego's Jeff Wurzbach designed and built it at age 13, choosing terra-cotta for its workability. He recently recreated the process for Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living® with these step-by-step instructions.

Materials

• 16-inch-diameter, 7-inch tall terra-cotta bowl with drainage hole
• Pond liner (home improvement stores)
• 9-inch-wide terra-cotta or glazed ceramic saucer
• Small grounded submersible pump (60–80 GPH)
• Flexible plastic tubing
• Bag of rounded pebbles (¼–½ inch)
• 8- to 9-inch terra-cotta sphere (must be high-fired)

Tools

• String
• Heavy-duty shears
• Drill
• Carbide-tip, masonry, or diamond drill bit (slightly larger than tubing)
• Goggles
• Bucket for washing gravel

Step 1. Measure the bowl's interior curve with string from top edge across bottom to opposite top edge. Cut pond liner to a diameter slightly larger than that measurement. Place liner in bowl; it should sit slightly above the rim. Don't trim excess yet—gravel and water will pull it down.

Step 2. Set the saucer upside down on the liner in the bowl. Ensure the pump fits underneath with liner in place. Remove saucer and drill several drainage holes in the bottom, plus a center hole for tubing and an edge hole for the pump cord.

Step 3. Drill a hole in the top center of the terra-cotta sphere using a bit slightly larger than the tubing. Wear goggles—terra-cotta chips can fly.

Step 4. Push one end of tubing through the sphere's hole. Place saucer upside down, then feed the other tubing end down through the saucer's center hole, keeping it secure in the sphere.

Step 5. Center the sphere on the saucer. Connect tubing from saucer to pump outlet and set assembly in bowl. Gently tug tubing so it runs straight from pump through saucer to sphere top. Test by filling bowl with water and plugging in pump. If it works, trim tubing flush with bowl rim.

Step 6. Wash pebbles in a bucket to remove silt that could clog the pump. Fill bowl with pebbles. Check liner for even distribution—no low spots in folds. Trim excess liner to top of sphere. Over time, the sphere will develop moss and a weathered look.