I believe you know how to put together the fountain bath as you described. You can perhaps use a fountain kit with each own water reservoir for this plan. It's one of those which has a reservoir that can be buried or disguised. Like the ones used for pebble fountains. You may also plan to get a longer rubber tubing so you can thread this through the fountain components. I was thinking you'd be drilling a hole through the baths and making sure the concrete posts (or bannisters) have a hollow interior to allow water to course upwards and spill out the top platter over to the platter below and then finally spilling back into the reservoir.

I did something similar when I discovered a leaf shaped hypertufa dish (obviously molded form a large leaf) and we drilled a hole and set it atop a large terracota pot where I hid the fountain suction machine (can't remember the term) so water is continuously recycled. I had to use a clear tubing which I got from aquarium suppliers.

Yep, running the water line is definitely going to be tricky. Ideally, you would have a hole up through the center of the bird baths, but getting a hole drilled through a few feet of concrete would be quite a job. You would need a long carbide-tipped drill, and even with that, it could be a long battle. If the concrete was made with just sand and cement, it would go smoothly, but small stones in there can almost stop even a carbide-tipped drill. I've had trouble drilling even a 2 inch hole in my basement floor because of the stones in it.

You could try it the old fashioned way, with a star drill and a big hammer, but that's no fun either.

Maybe, if you've been a really good girl, you might find some bird baths made with hollow pedestals. That's what I would hope for. :)

TM

Okay,
I was hoping thinman would pipe in on here. I knew you would know how. So, if YOU don't know how, then I ain't EVEN going there.

ianna.
Thanks for your input, too. Good ideas, but I don't want one of those faux fountains kits made of resin. I'm a "naturalist, hippie-type girl:". I would rather do without one than have resin or fiberglass or...gag....plastic. No offense to those of you who like them just fine, but that's not me.

The other problem is running electricity out there. That would be a MAJOR undertaking for me. I ain't a young chickadee anymore. So...how did they do it BEFORE there was electricity? The old ones didn't use electricity. I know there is a way.! Obviously, the people in antiquity built fountains that pumped the water around and around. What was their system? Even if I don't do it, I just want to know.. Don't you?

Oh, well, it was one of my crazy ideas.

I just came in from the garden. I moved my two Terracotta urns out to where I wanted to put the big fountain and set a squatty round one with succulents in it next to them. Looks okay. Nice focal thingy. Maybe set some native rock or red bricks there in a circular or spiral design and set the pots on that.

I'll let the ideas swirl around in my head like cream in coffee and see what comes of it.

Thanks again guys.

Ciao!
(that's Italian for "later dudes!")

You got bit by the fountain bug huh? I do so every once in awhile but then remind myself that I too would have a problem getting water pumped out there. Plus to tell you the truth, I'm not much for hearing the sound of running water all the time. Perhaps though if it was a large fountain and one not set in an intimate spot, a person wouldn't be annoyed by it.

What about installing one of those solar pumps? Then you 'd be forever filling it up with water as it evaporated maybe huh?

This is just a thought, Annie...
Stack your bird baths (securely) and plant draping plants in each bb level. This blue sedum in the attached photo kind of looks like water.

It won't be as pretty during winter, but it'd save you the hassle of "winterizing" the fountain :-)

Deb

Or there is a green ground cover has longer trails. Sorry I don't know the name of the sedum and ground cover. You may have different plants that work well (better) in your growing zone anyway.

Just a little food for thought, hth,
Deb

Very pretty Deb!

You could always make a tiered fountain out of terra cotta pots- I've seen that done before.

DIY TC pot fountain

Although this here is my favorite fountain by far: HERE

Sorry, just being silly on that last one ;-D
CMK

Mucho chocolate, ya, ya!

If you build that second fountain, I'll bring the fondu sticks and strawberries!

Who will bring the confetti sprinkles?

LOL. A chocolate fountain could be a very nice addition to a strawberry patch in a garden now I think about it.

Hummm....I feel a party coming on. Maybe we ought to get a champagne fountain, since we are at it I mean ;-D
CMK

It actually is not very hard! I have set up a few fountains and all you need is a small fountain pump, they usually sell them at hardware stores or pet stores. And some plastic tubing to carry the water up to the top tier. The water at the base just has to be deep enough to cover the pump. And most pumps are water flow adjustable so it doesn't have to be too noisy! Just keep in mind that you need to set it up near a power source, or a long extention cord.

Mmmmm, Champagne, strawberries and chocolate!

I'm in!

This post made me laugh remember all the fountain/pond projects I have tried over the years. Man, I am terrible at these! (But my family and friends have at least had a few good laughs at my attempts).
Now, I'm not saying these DIY projects are a bad idea! In my case I was always trying to save money by not buying all the recommended tools.
I finally discovered a few things: 1) I may not be capable of digging my own pond by hand. 2) It is cheaper for me to purchase an inexpensive fountain from a store. Plug it in and voila! :)

scully, you got that right! (ha ha ha)

I am no longer pursuing this project. If I cannot have what I REALLY want (a big concrete Tuscan fountain), I would rather just do without. No use wasting time or money.

The new garden area has a half-bowl shape. The curved path through the Upper Rose Garden opens into the center of the bowl. Thus, I needed some kind of focal element there. At the back I began a new flower bed with shrubs. Yesterday, I moved a big garden sage I had potted and an old gnarly looking Lavender in there at the corners of the path. Set some broken TC pots in amongst the roses just for aesthetic purposes ( they make dandy hiding houses for toads and frogs). The arch is set at the back, just right of center, so the curving path continues from the half-bowl, on up the hill to what is left of the former lawn. (he he). Needs more soil, but looking good so far.

I also hauled three wheelbarrows full of the new rocks I procured from the road grader's debris, and set them where I WAS going to put that fountain in the center of open area of the half-bowl. Going up the road today, where I got those rocks, and get a couple of 5-gallon buckets full of sand to pour in around the rocks. The rocks and sand are a buff to rose colour, which match the buff coloured brick that lines the new bed. Looks great with the ruddy terracotta urns and pots.

I'm happy with it. I surprised myself, by golly!

Annie =

I know you are giving up on the idea but I want to clarify a couple of things. the fountain kit I was suggesting remains hidden. My husband & I used one to create a fountain out of a redesigned, hypertufa leaf platter (think water dripping down the edges to the leaves - into a terracotta bowl. - it runs on electricity, but it at least conserves water. It's not that fake looking fountain at all.

An example can be seen by following the link below:

the antiquity fountain you describe - like the ones in ROME were powered by the aquaduct system. No electricitiy for certain but it required a huge engineering undertaking to channel water down from mountain springs into a reservoir which is normally in a valley setting and by the force of the water rushing it, it was able to push water outward and upwards through a narrow channel into the various water pipes the Romans have built. The steeper the incline of the downward flow, the more powerful the water going up into the aquaducts. A better picture is to use a a small container as an example. The container has only 2 openings. One for an intake hose and the other, an outtake hose. Fill that container with water, now push water in via the intake hose. See how the water will spurt out the other hose. This was how the Romans managed to channel water from the mountains over rough hills into the cities below. This means, the water flow was continues and never stopped flowing. I was thinking about how wasteful this was but that was the way it is for the ancients. This was the water for their drinking, their saunas, and also their communal potty (and this is truly interesting. there was no such thing as privacy when sitting on those chamber pots.) OH -- they lined their canals, pipes with lead. So in the long term, they managed to poison themselves.

RE:

"Thanks for your input, too. Good ideas, but I don't want one of those faux fountains kits made of resin. I'm a "naturalist, hippie-type girl:". I would rather do without one than have resin or fiberglass or...gag....plastic. No offense to those of you who like them just fine, but that's not me.

The other problem is running electricity out there. That would be a MAJOR undertaking for me. I ain't a young chickadee anymore. So...how did they do it BEFORE there was electricity? The old ones didn't use electricity. I know there is a way.! Obviously, the people in antiquity built fountains that pumped the water around and around. What was their system? Even if I don't do it, I just want to know.. Don't you? "

Here is a link that might be useful: fountain kit

I mentioned the solar pump before, has anyone had success with it? My friend has two fountains that run on solar power. The only thing is they are small and the water evaporates fairly quickly esp. on hot days, so they must be kept refilled.

In your hot climate, Annie, this may be a solution.

Mother's neighbor-lady friend has "my" fountain in her front yard. (Looks terrible sitting there. She needs to sell it to me - lol)
No flower garden or landscaping, just bare dirt and a pathetic amount of grass. They park their trucks in the yard. The fountain is just stuck out front by the street with some artificial flowers plopped on top. It won't hold water - needs some repair work, but I can handle that. She says she doesn't want to sell it. But, I told her that IF she ever wants to sell it, I will buy it. Maybe I'll get lucky.

If I do get a fountain, that solar pump would be great. Thanks schoolhouse! I think I have seen them at my local Atwood's Ranch and Farm Center. They have lots of different types of fountains and things. Some are really nifty!

Solar powered things are great. We replaced our electric pillar lights out front with solar ones and they work awesome! No more climbing up on the pillars to change light bulbs and it costs nothing.

You are so right - we have plenty of sunshine here in Okie, so that sounds like a really great option for the power source. With my water well and faucets and hundreds of feet of garden hose, the water source for me is not an issue - just running the durned electricity out there.

I will check with that recycled place where I got the arch and trellis last year and see if they ever get anything like fountains. They have not had any statuaries or fountains, but carry everything else! Maybe if I asked them, they might look for some for me on one of their trips down to New Mexico. Probably cost an arm and a leg though, and that is totally out of the question, especially right now..

Yeah, we are having to batten down our hatches on expenditures now too; waiting to see how this sequester and possible government shutdown is going to affect Scott's aerospace company.. Not that I ever had much of a garden budget to begin with, but this is going to really cut into what little I did have. Our entire budget is on lock down for now. No extras. Just praying we can make the basics, you know? Scary!

A self powered fountain is very possible. It would need replenishment every now and then. See the link below for a perpetual motion fountain.

Here is a link that might be useful: perpetual motion fountain

Now wouldn't that contraption look pretty in my garden.
Ha Ha Ha!

The solar pump is really the answer for me, but there is still the problem of the return hose. I wouldn't be able to drill through concrete birdbaths without cracking them. And I don't want to try to hide the darned thing. I'll wait for the real deal...one day...maybe

No, I like what I built this past weekend. Suits me just fine for now. Looks really good and artistically goes with the rest of my garden design.

Will take pics ASAP for you all to take a gander at it

Thanks ianna.

Thank you all. Lots of great ideas and suggestions, but let's just let this topic die, okay.
I've moved on.

Time for sowing seeds for the veggie garden, as well as annuals, and perennial flowers. Time to prune the Butterfly bushes and roses and feed my azaleas. On to the next!

~Annie

Annie you need to go over to the Hypertufa forum on GW! The folks over there make some fabulous projects. A water fountain is a completely doable project. It may take some practice getting the feel for it (though very inexpensive to try) and you can let your creative spirit shine!

Here is a link that might be useful: hypertufa fountain directions

I want to make this tower of flowers this year.
Tammy

Hi sweetannie4u,..you got lots of good suggestions and great links,..a friend of mine who lives in Texas purchased a Solar Pump for a very reasonable sum,..something around $50,.. it worked fine when the fountain was nearly at ground level but when higher the pump was not strong enough to power water to a level of three feet,..so i agree with your thinking a pump with no electric cable running from the house to your fountain would be ideal and fairly reasonable price wise but make sure the pump has the strength to not just suck water from a container but power it up to your fountain.

Philip