Outside drinking fountains are a unique accessory for decks, patios, and even landscaped gardens. They provide an interesting conversation piece, as well as a central focus point for landscaping, flower boxes, flowerbeds, and walkways. Relatively easy to build, especially for do-it-yourselfers, they also make drinking water readily accessible for children at play as well as those wanting to spend some quiet reflective hours in their garden. You can certainly buy freestanding drinking fountains but they are usually quite expensive and one you build yourself lends a quality of artistry and creativity to your garden artwork and landscape. So, here is one freestanding drinking fountain pattern that is easy to build with tools most do-it-yourselfers would have on hand and parts that are usually available through your local hardware store or plumbing company.

Preparation

1. Determine the location for your drinking fountain. Make sure that there is proper drainage at the base of the fountain for splash and overspray.
2. It is best to install the fountain within a short distance of an underground water line. If you are not sure where one is, an underground utilities locator can help you find one.
3. It is easiest to install this fountain on a deck that sits above ground.

Making the fountain

1. Purchase a drinking fountain bubbler from a plumbing company in your area. If they do not have one in stock, they can usually order it through their suppliers.
2. Cut a piece of 3″ copper pipe the length you want your bubbler to extend above the deck. This may vary depending on who you expect to utilize the fountain e.g. children, older adults, teenagers, disabled people, etc.
3. Drill a hole in the end of a 3″ copper cap off to one side of the center of the cap.
4. Install the bubbler in the copper cap. Secure it with a mounting nut from inside the cap.
5. Attach a length of soft copper tubing or plastic tubing to the threaded end of the bubbler inside the copper cap. Make sure it is a watertight connection. Solder the copper tubing in place or use the proper fittings to make a plastic connection.
6. Fashion a base to the 3″ copper pipe. You can use a copper flange, a brass toilet flange soldered in place, or fashion wrought iron feet like the ones shown here. Use your imagination to build a sturdy base that will be fastened to the deck.

   

   A drinking fountain can lend an element of creativity to your deck or landscaping

Installing the fountain

1. Drill a hole through the deck planking for the water line.
2. Feed the water line through the hole and mount the fountain securely to the deck.
3. Once you have located the underground water line, turn the water to it off.
4. Cut the underground water line and install a tee using the appropriate material along with a shutoff valve to the fountain. This shutoff valve should be a ground key stop and waste valve so you can drain water from the fountain piping in the winter and protect it from freezing.
5. Connect the water line from the fountain to the shutoff valve.
6. Turn the water on and check your plumbing connections for leaks.

Tips

You can finish the copper fountain with a chemical that gives it an antique green patina. Then apply a couple of coats of marine or spar varnish to protect the finish.

You can also finish the copper with a few clear coats of lacquer or varnish or you can paint it.

Make sure that all the edges of the fountain are sanded or filed smooth to prevent cuts or scrapes.

Building a pond in your front or backyard is a fun, creative project that can add years of enjoyment to your yard landscape. You can install a basic pond that is just a basin filled with water, or you can build a pond with a plant shelf for aquatic plants to add texture, interest, and color. You can also build a pond specifically for fish such as goldfish or koi. Ponds can be built from scratch or you can install a pre-formed pond liner. Larger ponds can be excavated with machinery like excavators, bulldozers, and backhoes. We will address building a pond with the use of a pond liner.

Preparation

A pond makes an interesting and beautiful addition to your landscaping

1. Spend time studying the location of your pond.
2. Take into consideration the location of trees, shrubbery, property lines, fences, and underground utilities.
3. Once you have the basic pond design worked out, lay the design out on the ground. You can use sand, marking paint, or flour to lay out the perimeter of the pond. A garden hose works well, too.
4. Dig down around the perimeter of the pond at a slight angle to the proper depth.
5. If you are going to have a plant shelf, excavate the 10″ wide shelf around the perimeter of the pond at a depth of 10″ to 12″ deep.
6. Continue excavating the center of the pond to the depth you want.
7. Clean out any stones, sharp rocks, sticks, roots, or debris from inside the pond excavation.
8. Make sure the rim of the pond excavation is level or at least reasonably so.

Pond liner installation

1. Install a layer of sand about 2″ deep in the pond excavation. This will cushion and protect the liner.
2. You can also install a geotextile underlayment product over the sand base that will further protect the pond liner.
3. Stretch out the pond liner on the ground and let it rest for at least an hour or so.
4. Lay the liner over the pond excavation making sure it is evenly disbursed around the perimeter of the pond.
5. Work out as many wrinkles and folds in the liner as you can.
6. Begin filling the liner with water.
7. Once you have the liner as full of water as you desire, trim the excess liner around the edge of the pond leaving at least 4″ to 6″ overlap.
8. Tie down the liner overlap with stones, gravel, coping stones, or slate. Whatever product you use to finish off the edge of your pond, make sure that it is clean or the dirt and debris will wash down into the pond.

Tips

Make sure the rim of your pond is at least 10% higher than the surrounding ground. This will help to prevent rainwater from washing insecticides, pesticides, and lawn fertilizers down into your pond.

If you are going to add a pump to your pond, make sure you check local codes and install all required electrical wiring in accordance with the NEC.

If you plan on adding fish to your pond, make sure that you dechlorinate the water before adding the fish. There are products you can buy to achieve this.

To add a waterfall to one end of your pond, plan on buying a large enough liner to accommodate the waterfall, as well.

Placing mulch in your garden or flowerbed is a premier method of controlling weeds. Mulch also has many other functions in gardening and landscaping. A good mulch helps to slow soil erosion and  retain moisture thus reducing the need for watering. The proper mulch also helps to regulate soil temperatures. Using a mulching lawnmower is good for your lawn, as well. The mulched grass clippings decompose and add nutrients to your lawn. A mulching lawn mower uses a different style of blade than a regular mower. The primary reason for using a good mulch, however, is to control the growth of weeds.

Purposes of mulch

Mulch is used to:

1. Slow down soil erosion on slopes or hillsides.
2. Regulate soil temperatures, keeping the soil cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
3. Retain moisture in the soil.
4. Prevent the growth of weeds.
5. Amend the soil.

Types of mulch

There are many different types of organic mulch.

1. Shredded newspaper.
2. Partially composted leaves.
3. Straw or hay.
4. Wood chips.
5. Sawdust.
6. Bark.
7. Pine straw.
8. Lawn clippings.

Inorganic mulches

These are primarily;

1. Gravel or stones.
2. Black plastic sheeting.
3. Lawn or landscape fabric.

Choosing the correct mulch

1. Take into consideration the specific application in which you are planning to use a particular mulch.
2. Appearance is an important consideration in choice of mulch.
3. Use a stone mulch around trees, succulents, and cacti.
4. Use lawn or grass clippings in open, unplanted areas.
5. Black plastic or landscape fabrics may not add to the aesthetic of your prize flowerbeds but may look just fine in your vegetable garden.
6. Availability of a particular mulch material may also be an important factor influencing your decision. Pine straw, for example, may not be available in your area.
7. Some mulch materials can be left on your beds year around. Most mulches, however, need to be removed and replaced annually.

Tips

If you are going to use leaves for a mulch, be sure to shred them first. You can partially shred leaves by running your mulching lawnmower over them.

Be aware that using grass clippings in flowerbeds or vegetable gardens may add weed seeds to your beds. That is why grass clippings work best for mulch in wide, open, unplanted spaces.

There are many different varieties of beautiful roses such as english, tea, hybrid tea, old garden, shrub, and once-blooming roses and they all benefit from proper pruning at the right time. Roses bloom at different times of the year depending on their variety. Hybrid tea roses need the most severe pruning for best bloom production and optimum plant health. In general, spring is the best time to prune your roses.

Reasons To Prune

1. Prune your roses to remove dead, damaged, or diseased wood.
2. Pruning helps to increase air circulation.
3. Prune rose bushes that are becoming an unruly mess with canes running every which way.
4. Shape your favorite rose bush with careful pruning.
5. Encourage new growth and flowering wood by judicious pruning.

Spring is a good time to prune your roses

Pruning Fundamentals

1. Use only clean, sharp tools for pruning.
2. Cut the stems at a 45 degree angle about 1/4″ above an outward-facing bud. Slant your cut away from the bud.
3. Remove all dead or dying canes from your rose plant. Shriveled, dark brown, or black canes are dead or dying.
4. Apply white glue to the cut ends of the stems to seal them.
5. Remove all weak, thin canes that are smaller in diameter than a pencil.
6. Remove suckers where they originate at the root of the plant.

Tips

Prune your rose bushes to produce an open-centered plant for best penetration of air and light.

Dead-heading is removing faded flowers before they can produce seeds. When dead-heading rugosa and other shrub-type roses with hips, leave all the faded flowers and simply brush away the dead blossoms by hand.

If your rose plant is weak or small, do not cut away very much material as it will hamper the plant’s food-making ability.

Finally, do not cut flowers after October 1st so they can begin hardening off in preparation for winter.

Paving bricks and stones, whether natural or man made, make beautiful and utilitarian sidewalks and pathways. Installing them properly insures that they will last a lifetime.

Laying a proper foundation for the brick or stonework is the most important step.

Preparation

1. Mark out the borders of your pathway.
2. Remove all the grass or sod with a grub hoe or square point shovel.
3. Dig out the topsoil to a depth equal to the thickness of the paving material plus four inches for sub grading materials.
4. Determine the pattern you want to use. You can lay your pattern out on paper or mark out an area on your lawn that corresponds to the dimensions of your pathway and experiment by laying the paving stones or bricks out in different patterns until you find one that you like.

Installation

1. Install the border material of your choice. You can use border strips especially designed for the purpose or you can make your own with lumber.
2. Anchor the border strips with small stakes placed inside the pathway and up against the border material.
3. Lay down a layer of pea gravel, crushed rock, or drainage rock at least two inches thick for proper drainage. Level the gravel with a 2 x 4 cut the width of the pathway or use a rake.
4. Put in a layer of clean fine sand to within the thickness of the paving material from the top of the border and level it the same way as you did the gravel.
5. Water the sand well and let it set until it is barely damp. This will help the sand to settle and compact firmly.
6. Where you begin to install the paving material depends on the pattern you have chosen. Basically, it is best to start at one end or one corner and work down the length of the pathway, aying bricks or paving stones one at a time and tamping them into place with the wooden handle of a mallet or hammer. Be careful not to tamp too sharply and break the brick or stones. If you need to cut the brick or stone, use the proper chisel and hammer for cutting masonry along with safety goggles and gloves, or use a masonry saw while using safety aids.
7. Tamp the side of the paving material to bring it in tightly to its neighbor and tamp the top to imbed the paving stone or brick into the damp sand base.
8. Level the brick or stone to itself and to its neighbor with a short torpedo level. If the pathway is on a hillside, just make sure the bricks or stones are even with the ones next to it so there are no raised up edges to trip over.
9. After the initial installation, sweep a thin layer of fine sand over the paving material to fill in any small cracks and help prevent the pavers from moving as they are walked on.
10. Give the pathway a final watering to settle the sand one final time. Let the pathway dry, sweep it off, and enjoy!