Drilled Boulder Fountain

• For a modest area, like the edge of a small patio or an entryway, a pondless, recirculating fountain is a good choice. An interesting boulder is drilled through the center so a pipe can be slipped into it. The pipe ends just at, or a fraction before, the surface of the boulder and is attached to a pump concealed in a buried water reservoir beneath the boulder. Water bubbles out the top of the boulder and over the sides, drains into the hidden reservoir below and is recycled by the pump.
  
  

Stacked Stone Wall Fountain

• An ordinary brick wall in a backyard or garden is covered with a facade of stone arranged to look like a stacked stone wall. Mounted on the facade is a cast stone spout in an animal or gargoyle shape. Water pours from this figure into a shallow shell bowl, also mounted on the wall and made of cast stone. A real stacked stone basin at ground level catches the water, and its pump sends the water back up through the pipes behind the facade and into the fountain. The stone facade and fountain turn a pedestrian brick corner into a softer, Mediterranean-style oasis. The pool could support a water lily or a few small fish.
  
  

Urban Oasis

• A tiny urban courtyard paved in stone turns into a country retreat with the musical accompaniment of water. The small space off two French doors at the back of a garden apartment is entirely paved in flagstones, surrounded by thin strips of moss and scattered black river rocks. The yard is enclosed by an old brick wall, tall enough to provide privacy in close quarters. Vines are trained over the wall, and containers around the edges of the space hold ornamental grasses and foliage with variegated leaves. But the back vista is dominated by a stone lion's head with a copper spout mounted on the vintage brick. The fountain pours water into a tipped stone urn where it spills onto the river rock and paving stones before vanishing into a hidden water catchment.
  
  

Birdbath Fountain

• Add a birdbath fountain to your terrace, and enjoy the music of the bubbling water mixed with birdsong. A cast stone birdbath stays clean and algae- and mosquito larvae-free when a small stone sphere sits in the middle of it hooked up to a concealed pump. The globe has a hollowed center for a slim water tube which burbles water out the top. The water disturbs the birdbath, aerating it and preventing stagnation. If the birdbath bowl is shallow and wide with a slightly raised rim, birds will perch on the edge to drink, and you may even attract some butterflies on warm, sunny days.