How to Make a Fountain With Bamboo

Bring a touch of the Orient to your home with a bamboo fountain.

A bamboo fountain is a distinctly Asian addition to a patio, deck or garden. Bamboo fountains can be made in many different designs, but typically involve a vertical piece of bamboo that has a spout attached to it where the water flows from. Bamboo fountains can be self-contained within a pot or they can be incorporated into a garden pond or even a feature in a swimming pool design. Some bamboo fountains are even small enough to fit on an office desk, and bring the calm and tranquility of the sound of flowing water into the workplace.

Things You'll Need

• Bamboo, various sizes
• Hand saw
• Drill
• Small plant pot
• Sand
• Pump and tubing
• Large ceramic pot
• Rocks, various sizes
• Glue/sealer
• Water

Instructions

1. Cut a length of thicker bamboo--5 inches width or so--12 inches higher than the height of the ceramic pot. Cut a 1-inch-thick piece of bamboo to about 7 inches long, with one end cut at an angle.

2. Drill two holes in the thick piece of bamboo, 1 inch wide. Make the first hole about 5 inches from the top of the bamboo, and the other slightly higher than the height of the small plant pot, both on the same side.

3. Fill the small plant pot ¾ full of sand, then stick the thick piece of bamboo into the sand, pushing it all the way to the bottom, so that it stands upright. Cover the sand with small rocks to the top. Make sure that the lower hole that you drilled is accessible.

4. Place the small plant pot, complete with vertical bamboo, inside the large ceramic pot, and make sure the ceramic pot is in the desired location for the fountain. Place the small pot off center, so that the bamboo extends upwards at the backside of the ceramic pot, rather than in the middle of it.

5. Thread the pump tubing up through the lower hole in the bamboo and out through the top hole. Thread the hose halfway into the thinner piece of bamboo and then squeeze the thinner bamboo piece into the hole at the top of the larger bamboo. Secure with glue or sealant, completely hiding the pump hose. Make sure the angled end of the small bamboo is on the outside, with the angle pointing downwards.

6. Attach the pump to the hose at the bottom of the bamboo, then disguise the pump and lower part of the hose under larger rocks. After the glue or sealant is dry, fill the ceramic pot with water up to about 1 inch from the top. Turn the pump on and the water will flow out the thin bamboo spout, back into the ceramic pot.

Tips & Warnings

• Fish and plants can be added for a different style of fish pond.

• Water will still evaporate from the fountain pond, even though it is circulating, so refill every 3 or 4 days.

• Make sure the ceramic pot you buy doesn't have drainage holes in the bottom---if it does, plug well with sealant before assembling your fountain.

References

• Basket Weaving: Bamboo Fountains
• HGTV: How To Make a Bamboo Fountain