How to Design a Garden Around a Fountain

Outline the border of your new fountain garden with a garden hose or string laid out on the ground. Place a large cardboard box or bucket in the spot where the fountain will sit. Use your first impression of how you want the garden to look to position the hose and box initially, then step back and visualize how the garden will look if it has that layout. Adjust the position of the box and the hose or string until you are completely comfortable with the design's size and proportions.

Measure the length and width of the fountain garden border at its longest and widest points. Divide the measurements by the scale of your graph paper. For a small fountain garden, one square of the graph paper grid may equal 6 inches; for a larger garden, use 1 foot per square. Sketch the garden layout on the graph paper once the scale is determined, drawing in both the borders and the fountain location.

Mark a path from the garden boundary to the fountain. You will use the path to access the pump for maintenance and routine cleaning of the fountain. Mark where the water supply line is located, if your fountain uses an external source, and where the electric line is placed if you incorporate lighting into the setup.

Select the plants you will place in the fountain garden. Draw the plants onto the garden sketch, using each plant's spread to determine the space you give it on the page. An upright perennial fills two to four squares, for example, while a low, spreading shrub may fill six squares or more, depending on the scale you're using. Avoid overcrowding in your garden design, as plants may take up more room as they mature.