If
you aren't blessed with a view of a lake or stream, create the same feeling
indoors with a tabletop garden tray or a fountain made with terra-cotta
pots and stones.
Pages in this Story
| Gardening News |
| Landscaping & Design |
| Container Garden Plans |
| Garden Fountains |
| Lawn & Ground Cover |
| Tips & Techniques |
| Indoor & Outdoor Plants |
| Garden Doctor |
You don't need much to make this "water garden." |
||||||||||||||||||||
River rocks arranged in a shallow saucer update the classic concept of a rose bowl and make a condiment tray worthy of comment. Choose glazed saucers that will hold water for your tabletop garden; unglazed terra-cotta will leach water onto your table. |
||||||||||||||||||||
What You Need: |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Instructions: 1. To make the tray shown here, place an 11-inch glazed terra-cotta saucer in a 19-inch glazed saucer. 2. Fill the small saucer with smooth stones. 3. Add water, then tuck in a freshly clipped flower blossom. Be sure to leave enough stem so the flower can drink in the water. 4.
Place small potted plants in the large saucer, and add some tiny
saucers filled with salt, pepper, or other condiments. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Terra-Cotta Fountain | top | |||||||||||||||||||
A
variety of small pumps make it possible to create a miniature fountain
almost anywhere. Look for the pumps at garden centers and crafts stores.
Prices range from $15 to $35, depending on size, indoor or outdoor use,
optional battery packs (to eliminate the electrical cord), and lighting. |
||||||||||||||||||||
 This fountain creates a pleasant gurgling sound that soothes the soul . |
||||||||||||||||||||
What You Need:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Instructions 1. Line an 8-1/2-inch-diameter
clay pot with a heavy plastic bag. Place the pump in the bottom of the
pot. Run the pump's electrical cord through the plastic bag at the top
of the pot, between the pot and the bag, and down through the pot's
drainage hole. To elevate the fountain, place it on an inverted pot
or saucer. Run the electrical cord through the drainage hole of this
pedestal. |
 Step 1. |
|||||||||||||||||||
2. Add several
inches of water to the plastic bag. Fit an 8-1/2-inch-diameter
plastic saucer liner to the top of the top pot. Punch holes in the plastic
saucer: large holes for the tubing and cord, and several small holes
for drainage. Place the plastic saucer over the pot and trim away any
excess plastic liner bag. Heap the 8-1/2-inch-diameter plastic saucer
liner with small, clean, decorative rocks.
|
 Step 2. |
|||||||||||||||||||
3. Trim
the fountain's plastic tube
so it extends just over the rocks. Turn on the pump; adjust the rocks
and tubing so the water flows gently over the arrangement. As the water
drains off the rocks, it should go through the holes in the plastic
saucer and return to the plastic bag to be recycled back over the rocks. |
 Step 3. |
|||||||||||||||||||