Photo gallery: Show us your fountains and water features
Like monsoon rains on a roof, the sound of trickling water is a soothing addition to any desert yard.
We're collecting readers' photos of fountains, rain chains, fish ponds and other water features. Send your photos to eds@tucson.com and include the photographer's name and a brief description.
Be sure to check out the collection at tucson.com/gallery
Pond at night
Eddie Hoggan has built this pond and others around Tucson.
Cowboy boot fountain
A fountain modeled after a pair of real cowboy boots brings the Old West to a Tucson yard.
Best of both worlds
Can’t decide whether your fountain should have water or plants? This fountain on the northwest side of Tucson includes a variety of plants in containers: red verbena, petunia, bougainvillea, rosemary, salvia, aloe and vinca.
Copper rain chain
Rain chains such as this one can be soothing and decorative — yet practical when combined with a rainwater harvesting system.
Koi pond
This beautiful pond features koi fish and calla lilies.
Blue bridge over pond
"I built these ponds myself without any instruction," writes Gail M. Barnhill. "And in 1999 founded a water garden club to help others."
Pond with gazebo
"I built these ponds myself without any instruction," writes Gail M. Barnhill. "And in 1999 founded a water garden club to help others."
Pond with fountain statue
Eddie Hoggan built this and other ponds around Tucson.
Shady pond
Eddie Hoggan built this and other ponds around Tucson.
Nighttime light show
Eddie Hoggan built this and other ponds around Tucson.
Japanese-style pond
Another view of a pond built by Eddie Hoggan.
Fountain at St. Philip's Plaza
This fountain at St. Philip's Plaza was shot by Debbie Angel of Heavenly Images.
Reid Park waterfall
This waterfall at Reid Park was shot by Debbie Angel of Heavenly Images.
Water garden with bench
Here's another view of a pond built by Gail M. Barnhill.
Koi pond with waterfall
Ron and Kim Dove of Vail sent us this photo of their koi pond.
Natural pond
Ron and Kim Dove of Vail sent us this photo of their pond.
Desert stream
Ron and Kim Dove's water feature resembles a natural desert stream.
Blooming waterlilies
Ellen Sidor’s water garden features waterlilies and a fountain. She lives on the northwest side.
Waterlilies
Ellen Sidor’s water garden features waterlilies and a fountain. She lives on the northwest side.
A home for goldfish
Joan Sandin’s backyard ponds feature plants, flowers and goldfish.
Colorful blooms
Blooming waterlilies and flowers give Joan Sandin’s backyard ponds a burst of color.
Closeup of waterlilies
Dappled sunlight plays off the blooming waterlilies in Joan Sandin's backyard pond.
Yerba mansa bloom
Jacqueline A. Soule, the author of many books on Southwest gardening, sent in this beautiful photo. "This is my favorite pond garden plant — yerba mansa (Anemopsis californica) — which is anti-microbial, thus helping keep the fish healthy,” she writes. "Uses are discussed more fully in my book Father Kino's Herbs: Growing & Using Them Today.”
Author's favorite pond plant
Here's another photo of Jacqueline A. Soule's favorite pond garden plant — yerba mansa (Anemopsis californica). She is the author of many books on Southwest gardening.
Gorgeous pond
Janice Gruver sent in this gorgeous photo of her pond.
Pond in bloom
Here's another view of Janice Gruver's pond. Beautiful!
Rustic barrel fountain
This rustic-looking homemade fountain plays a starring role in Tom Howard's herb garden.
Rocky waterfall
Katie Wong's backyard has three components: this beautiful trickling waterfall; a butterfly, hummingbird and tortoise area; and a dog run.
Homemade pot fountain
Cindi writes," Here is the fountain that we made for our backyard. We bought the pot at a discount store, purchased the brick coping to match the pool from a brick yard and bought the pump, (which has a cool LED light in it that makes the water and bubble glow at night), and the plants from Home Depot.
"The rest of the planter was made from leftover blocks to build the base wall and support the pot. We used 3 stacked blue storage tubs for the water basin, leftover metal fencing to help support the pot, leftover stucco, pool tile and house paint for the outside of the base and gravel from the yard around the plants and pot on the top. This was a win-win for us because we were able to get rid of building supplies we had just laying around taking up space and saved $$ also.
"As an added bonus the birds love the fountain and we enjoy watching them."
A grand-canyon inspired waterfall
"I built this waterfall and fish pond in my back yard with the help of a friend," writes Bob Cummings.
"The pond is lined with plastic overlain by concrete inset with river-run cobbles, and is lighted at night. The waterfall layering was inspired by the stratigraphy in the Grand Canyon — igneous rock at the bottom representing the inner gorge with layers of flagstone representing the sandstone and shale units above, and limestone representing the Redwall and Kaibab formations. The flagstone along the front edge is ripple-marked, evidence of ancient water flow when the flagstone was a muddy floodplain.
"The water is potable and supports various fish species, snails and other aquatic life. The pond is visited frequently by many species of birds, lizards, and even squirrels. The waterfall is powered by a 1-inch pump that is hidden behind a fake rock in an alcove, and discharges at three locations that are adjustable to provide either a concentrated or dispersed cascade. The inlet float is also hidden beneath a detachable fake rock at left."
Waterfall surprise
Mikki Gries sent in a photo of a water feature with a surprise guest — one of three bobcats that visited regularly over the summer.
"We had Sonoran Desert frogs, eggs and tadpoles, too," she writes.