Create A Beautiful Tiered Planter Out Of An Old Garden Fountain

If the stone fountain in your yard does not match your design aesthetic — or if the plumbing broke down and you're unmotivated to fix it — you may have just found the perfect base for a showstopping garden feature. A tiered fountain gives you abundant space for plants while taking up a smaller footprint than if the plants were in raised beds or multiple large containers. And, with its vertical shape, the display will add eye-catching allure to your garden.

To repurpose the fountain into a planter, you must make sure that any medium you place inside drains properly. If the fountain has a drain plug, remove it to allow for drainage. Then, if needed, drill additional holes into each tier. This is especially important if your fountain is exposed to rain — if the soil becomes waterlogged, your plants will be susceptible to root rot. 

To drill through concrete, use a hammer drill with masonry drill bits, which can break through concrete with minimal cracking. Diamond-tipped bits are ideal for drilling through nearly any type of stone, while carbide-tipped bits are suitable for softer stone. Drainage holes typically measure 0.5 to 1 inch in diameter. Patch up any cracks with a waterproof adhesive like Gorilla 8010003 Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive, or waterproof caulk, like Gorilla Waterproof Caulk & Seal, depending on the fountain's material. Always protect yourself with work gloves, ear and eye protection, and a dust mask, especially when using an adhesive that emits harmful vapors. With the drainage holes in place, your tiered planter is ready for soil and plants. 

Before you go wild at the plant nursery, think first about the big picture. Do you want to stick with one type of plant — succulents, herbs, vegetables, fruits, or annuals — or showcase a variety? Think about your climate, the location of the fountain, and its exposure to the elements. Does it get full sun? Full shade? Partial sun or shade? Will all the plants have similar soil, water, and light needs? If each basin of the fountain is shallow, choose plants that don't have extensive root systems. Succulents and herbs grow happily in shallow soil, as do flowering plants like nasturtiums, pansies, and petunias.

If you live in a climate where succulents thrive, these plants are an easy, yet dazzling, option. Consider ghost plants (Graptopetalum paraguayense), low-maintenance Jade plants, or Echeverias — one of the beautiful succulents that hummingbirds can't get enough of. Experiment with sizes, colors, patterns, and textures to find a balance of cohesiveness and variety. Choose a succulent to dramatically cascade off the lower tier of the fountain, such as string of dolphins, donkey's tail, or ruby necklace, a low-maintenance trailing succulent. 

Use soil that allows for good drainage and aeration but is suited for the plants you choose. When filling the fountain with soil, keep a few inches of space between the surface of the soil and the edge of the basin. This way, the medium doesn't overflow when watered or if your area gets heavy rain.

Designing such a large-scale planter may be overwhelming, but a popular landscaping technique may help simplify the task. For aesthetically pleasing proportions, choose thrillers, fillers, and spillers. Thrillers are plants that add height and drama, often placed in the center or back of the container. Foliage plants or grasses, like the 'Rubrum' purple fountain grass pictured above, are popular thrillers. Fillers are lower in height and fill out the container. In the photo above, ornamental kale and peppers add texture and visual interest as fillers. Spillers, like these 10 trailing flowers for hanging baskets, do exactly what their name implies; they are planted near the edge of the container to cascade over as they grow. For a tiered planter, watch out for spillers on top levels that might hide or create too much shade over plants in lower levels.

If you have an assortment of plants, create cohesion by incorporating the same one or two types into each level, and then filling in the spaces with other plants unique to each tier. Think about what sort of color scheme appeals to you. Do you want to use contrasting colors or variants of the same color, such as reds, pinks, and fuchsias? Do you want each tier to have its own color scheme? Before you set everything in stone — er, soil — arrange the potted plants around the fountain and adjust them until you're satisfied with the overall design. For added intrigue, place decorative items, like small gazing balls or solar lights, around the plants.