Wine-Barrel Waterfall

San Francisco homeowner Michael Jackson has a Victorian home with small, narrow, landscaped backyard (figure A). He wants to add the relaxing sound of water but doesn't want anything too formal. Landscape designer Terry Mulrooney suggested a wine barrel waterfall, which works well in cozy settings like Jackson's yard; this rustic waterfall wouldn't look appropriate in a formal or manicured setting.

The waterfall is composed of two half wine barrels. The lower barrel is partially buried in the ground to make a small pond, and the upper one is the pool that spills into it. Together they create the sound and motion of a traditional waterfall without taking up much space.

The rustic barrels add a little charm and antique element to a yard. Barrels are easy to find at garden stores for about $22 each. Authentic wine barrels are more rustic, but you can find reproductions, too.

Mulrooney figures that a professional would charge about $1,500 for the waterfall, but do-it-yourselfers can cut that cost to about $400 for all the materials, including plants. This project is rated an easy 2 on a difficulty scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult) and can be completed in one weekend.

Step One: Placing the Pond

Although you don't need much room, clear enough space for the two barrels. Move any plants and rocks out of the way, and rake out the area smooth and level.

Place the first barrel where you want the upper pool to be, and then measure its diameter. Mark out a circle the same diameter on the ground where the pond will go. Dig out the circle, big enough for the barrel--about 27 inches across and 20 inches deep.

Step Two: Setting Up the Pond

To make the spillway, use a cable saw (available for about $3) or a jigsaw to cut out a 3- by 4-inch notch in the front top of the barrel. Lay the cut-out piece flat in the opening (figure D) and nail it in place. The lip will direct water as it flows out of the upper barrel.

Step Three: Lining the Waterfall

Before lining the top barrel, attach the recirculating system by attaching a piece of PVC tubing to a 70-gallon-per-hour pump. A pump with a low-voltage light attachment costs around $60. Keep in mind that most building codes require that fountain pumps be attached to a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI).

Insert the tube halfway into the lower barrel so it won't collect the debris that sinks to the bottom. Run the tube along a small trench underneath the upper barrel.

Place the upper barrel on the edge of the lower one and line it the same way you did the lower one. Run the recirculating tube through a pre-drilled hole near the top in the back of the barrel into the water. Cut off any extra length so that the tubing doesn't sit on the bottom.

Step Four: Easy Extras

A waterfall is easy to maintain. Keep it running so it won't become stagnant and attract mosquitoes. Also, you can add three to five small goldfish to the pond, but be sure to add a dechlorinating chemical first. The fish will eat mosquito larvae and algae, keeping the pond cleaner.

To enhance the backyard so that Jackson can enjoy his new waterfall, Mulrooney adds an outdoor light and a hammock. A 50-watt halogen light is mounted to a nearby tree. A kit costs about $50, and most building codes require that outdoor lights be attached to a GFCI circuit.

Planting: A Rustic Waterfall

Mulrooney chooses plants that are naturally found in a waterside environment--aquatic grasses and fine textured duckweed, which is like a miniature lily pad. The plants sit inside the pond on a shelf made of a small slab of slate on top of two cinderblocks. Outside the pond, Mulrooney places some moss-covered boulders and adds ferns and grasses with variegated foliage and a few blooming plants to brighten the shady area. His choices include:

• Mother fern (Asplenium bulbiterum), Zones 8-11
• Acorus gramineus 'Ogon', Zones 10-11
• Duckweed (Lemna minor), Zones 4-11