How to create a water feature

The first step will depend on what type of feature pot you’re going to use. If you have a porous pot, such as a terracotta pot, you will need to waterproof the inside. To do this, apply two coats of bitumen paint to the interior of your pot using a paintbrush. Make sure to wear gloves during the application process, and make sure you coat the entire interior surface. 

Since our feature pot is fibreglass, we don’t need to do this.

Choose where you’re going to place your water feature. Then, using a measuring tape, measure the diameter of the base of the water feature base. Mark out the same distance in your chosen spot; this is how big your hole will need to be. Now it’s time to start digging!

Once you have finished digging your hole, place the base in the hole. Use a spirit level to ensure it is level - both horizontally and vertically.

Now that the base is level, place the pump inside the chamber of the water feature base and feed the cable for the power source through the side hole. We are using a solar power source, but powered pumps are also an option. When selecting a pump, you need to consider the power (also known as “head height”), as this will determine how high the water will pump up. With our water feature, we opted for the biggest solar pump available in order to pump the water up and over the height of our feature pot.

To get the water from the water feature base up to the feature pot, we’re going to use this poly riser, which simply screws into the pump. Once that’s secure, place the base lid on.

Position the pot over the riser and connect the extensions. You can use couplings to connect poly risers together until you reach the desired height of your pot.

We’re going to use silicone to ensure the pot is watertight. Silicone is a useful material because of its durability and moisture-resistance, which ultimately prevents water leakage. Fill in the area where the bottom of the pot meets the riser.

Lay some pebbles around the pot to hide the base of your water feature and to cover the cord between the pot and the power source.

If you wish, you can lay down weed matting around the base to prevent grass from growing through the pebbles. If you don’t use weed matting, other options including laying down some crushed rock first, followed by pebbles, or digging out the grassed area, laying down crushed rock and topping with pebbles.

Choose the fountain head attachment that will give you your preferred water effect. Push the fountain head onto the riser.

Now for the final touch: fill the pot and the base with water. This make take a few minutes. You can use the time to think about styling the surrounding area - adding decorative screens, for example, or planting magnolias.

Sit back and relax with your brand-new water feature, enjoying the calming sounds of running water.

Explore our range of fibreglass pots.