Buy vs. Build Your Own Garden Fountain

Are you trying to decide whether to buy or build your own garden fountain? I’ve done both, and each approach has pros and cons. I’ll unpack them for you, below, plus include links to some of my favorite products.

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Garden Fountains: Add a Water Element to Your Backyard

Ah, fountains. I love fountains and water features in gardens. My favorite water feature is a rill, a sort of shallow trench connecting pools and fountains. Rills are often found in Moorish or Spanish gardens; the Moors loved water features and, being a desert people, highly valued water. It shows in their garden designs.

This is the rill at Skylands, at the New Jersey Botanic Garden. A bit grand for most of our backyards but still…a girl can dream.

Fountains, on the other hand, are a lot more affordable and easier to install. Advances in solar technology have also made them far more flexible than electric-powered fountains. Fountains powered by household electricity must have a special outdoor electrical line and outlet installed by a licensed electrician. That is what I had put in at my house – a special electrical box and circuit for my garden fountain. I use a solar-powered fountain in the little pond in my herb garden and electrically-powered fountain pumps in the flower garden by my back deck.

This is the fountain I had for many years. I bought it at Lowes. It plugged into an electrical outlet near the lamp by the deck foundation.

The fountain I enjoyed for many years, pictured above, is a one-piece resin fountain. It was lovely, but eventually, the pump wore out. It was more cost-effective to choose another fountain, so I did my research and purchased a bamboo fountain kit. These kits are used with your own basic, so you have the flexibility to create whatever look you desire.

I recycled an older, ceramic planter, and made my own fountain.

Bamboo Accents: Bamboo Fountain Kit

I found a wonderful replacement fountain and pump when the previous bamboo kit broke (the bamboo split after about six years of use, and leaving it outside too long in the cold weather).

The 12″ Bamboo Fountain Kit by Bamboo Accents ended up being perfect. It fits the ceramic pot, provides a strong, steady waterfall effect, and complements my garden perfectly.

How to Build a Simple Fountain with the Bamboo Fountain Kit

1. Make sure you have an electrical outlet near where you want to enjoy the fountain. Call a licensed electrician to install one if you need it (and if it’s in your budget.)
2. Find the perfect basin. You can use a large ceramic pot (as I did) or a concrete planter, as long as it doesn’t leak. The larger the container, the better, as you won’t have to fill it with water as frequently as a small container.
3. Purchase a bamboo fountain kit. Make sure your order the kit, not just the parts sold separately. The kit contains the bamboo spout, support, tubing, and pump.
4. Once the kit arrives, connect the tube to the pump according to the manufacturer’s directions. This may be hard – we had to really push the tubing onto the aperture on the pump. There should be a tight seal between the pump and the tube.
5. Place the pump into the container. Most come with a suction cup affixed to the bottom. Push it down hard to steady the pump.
6. Arrange the fountain supports across the top of the basin.
7. Fill the basin with water.
8. Plug in your fountain.
9. Adjust the water flow at the pump level if you pump comes with a flow control valve.
10. You can also adjust the height of many bamboo spouts if the water is spilling over the container’s rim.

I unplug my fountain when I am not in the garden and suggest you do the same to save electricity.

Buy vs. Build a Garden Fountain: Which Is Better?

So, which is better, to buy vs. build a garden fountain? I’ve done both, and while I love the look of a formal fountain, I have a lot of fun picking out the parts to create my own finished fountain. And I also love the fact that nobody else in the world has quite the same fountain as I do.

As far as costs go, buying the bamboo kit and pump is far less expensive than buying a complete fountain. The most recent bamboo kit that I purchased was around $42; a brand-new fountain at Lowe’s, even a small or simple one, will cost over $100.

It’s more convenient, sure. And it will give you a more formal appearance. But if you love the look of Japanese gardens, natural bamboo, or unique garden ornaments, building your own is better than buying a ready-made fountain.