Rustic Tub Garden

San Francisco Bay area homeowners Cathy and Curt Huettinger want to enhance their wooded entryway by creating a rustic and inviting focal point amid the redwoods leading up to their entryway. To implement the project, the couple has enlisted the help of landscape designer Cynthia Egger, who explains that this particular area is an ideal location for a charming Old World-style rustic tub garden with a water feature. The couple is enthusiastic about integrating water into their landscape, which Egger says will have a calming effect and provide an attractive and inviting area for people to congregate. Egger estimates that the cost of a professional installation of this project would generally average about $750, but says that a do-it-yourselfer could purchase all necessary materials for about $250, and could complete the work in about one day. Since no hard work or heavy lifting is involved in creating a tub garden like this one, Egger rates the project an "absolute 1" on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the easiest).

• To get the project underway, the crew first clears the area and levels the space for the large pieces of chocolate-colored flagstone, which will serve as the base for the water feature. Once the spot is cleared, they use a tamper to firmly pack the ground and make it level.
• Next, the crew lays the pieces of flagstone on the leveled area, fitting them closely together to form a compact platform that will extend out just slightly around the bottom edges of the tub.

Step Two: Setting the Wine Barrel

• To begin creating the water feature itself, contractor Philip McCoy wheels an oak wine barrel into place on top of the flagstone base. McCoy says the rustic look of the wine barrel makes it an "ideal" choice for the pool of the water feature, which is designed to have a natural look that blends with its woodland surroundings.
• Then, McCoy uses a level to check the barrel and flagstone base and make sure they're not unstable or slightly tilted. He explains that any adjustments to correct these problems must be made at this point in the project.

Step Three: Creating the Cascade

• After making sure both the base and pool are level and secure, McCoy is ready to create the cascading waterfall, which is fashioned from a smaller wine barrel and an old-style hand pump. The pump will be secured to the top of a support post so that it sits just above the smaller wine barrel, which will be set on its side and tilted back slightly on the edge of the bottom pool. (Water will flow from the hand pump into the smaller barrel and finally into the pool below; two submersible pumps will re-circulate the water back to the top.)
• To create the support for the hand pump, McCoy cuts a 4"x4" redwood post to the desired height, adding an additional six inches that will be buried underground. Next, he digs a six-inch-deep hole, sets the post within and checks it with a level to make sure it's plumb.
• Then, he secures the post to the back of the wine barrel pool with a short galvanized deck screw and drills a hole in the top of the post that will later accommodate the hand pump's tubing.
• McCoy has already stained the smaller barrel a medium walnut color and allowed it ample time to dry. Before securing it to the edge of the bottom pool, he lines both barrels with pre-formed plastic tub liners. Then, he drills three holes through the smaller bucket and its liner, placing them just under the top edge with about two inches between them. The openings will allow the tubing for the pumps to be run through later.
• Next, McCoy positions the smaller bucket on the edge of the bottom pool at the desired angle, and secures it in place with two metal tie straps fastened to the back of the barrels (next to the post).
• While McCoy completes the waterfall, Egger sets to work designing the planting plan. She explains that the goal is to create a lush, colorful environment with low-growing plants that blend with the woodland setting and add interesting texture. Featured plants include:
  
  • Corkscrew Rush (Junkus effusus 'Spiralus'), Zones 6-9
  • Dwarf Horsetail (Equisetum scipoides), Zones 5-11
  • Waterlily (Nymphae 'Hermine'), Zones 4-11

Step Four: Setting up the Pumps

• McCoy places a large, 185-gallons-per-hour submersible pump in the bottom pool to re-circulate the water up to the smaller bucket, which he equips with an 80-gallons -per-hour pump, carefully feeding the attached tubing out through one of the pre-drilled holes. (The small pump will channel the water up to the hand pump on the post, which will serve as a spout.)
• Next, McCoy attaches a length of poly tubing to the larger pump in the bottom pool, and threads the opposite end of the same length up through the second hole in the smaller barrel, which will allow water to be emptied out inside it. A second length of tubing is attached to the small pump and pulled through the third hole in the smaller barrel, allowing it to be connected to the hand pump above.
• Finally, McCoy fills the bottom pool with water and plugs in the pump system to ensure that it works properly. With the water flowing, he is able to see exactly where the hand pump should be attached to the post to produce a smooth flow of water into the small barrel below. After determining the perfect placement for the pump, McCoy finally secures it in place on the top of the post.
• To complete the project, Egger arranges the selected aquatic plants in the barrels, which not only adds interest and beauty to the water feature, but also integrates it with its lush, verdant surroundings.

Other Tips for Tub Gardens

Egger says that homeowners who don't necessarily want a waterfall can still create a simple yet inviting water feature with a galvanized steel trough or even a large bucket. Simply fill the container with water and add a few aquatic plants like the ones featured here; replenish the water level every two to three weeks. Egger advises keeping the plants proportionate to the size of the container and using varieties with different textures for maximum impact.