20 Charming And Cheap Mini Water Garden Ideas For Your Home And Garden (2024)

One of my favorite things in the world to do is to work on my landscaping.

Whether I’m planting flowers or involved in a huge DIY garden project, I just love being outside and improving my outdoor living spaces.

Plus, you know that the more work you put into your outdoors, the higher your curb appeal, right? If you ever decide to sell your home, anything you do outside can seriously help you to increase your listing price.

So with that said, I wanted to share with you these 25 charming little mini water gardens that you can make to spruce up your outdoors – or even your indoors if you prefer.

1. Wine Barrel Mini Pond

A wine barrel cut in half makes a gorgeous mini pond and gives your deck or garden area a lovely rustic look.

You can find wine barrels at a lot of flea markets and thrift stores – or a winery if you have one close. Just cut it in half and then add your garden essentials to customize it.

Source/Tutotial: scapeclub

Goldfish pond tutorial:

2. Tabletop Rock Mini Garden

This tabletop water garden is made from a ceramic bowl and has lovely rocks to give it dimension and character.

You can easily set one of these up, with or without the mini fountain, and just add your favorite water plants to give it greenery.

You can find this one on Etsy for under $50 if you don’t feel like making one yourself.

Source/Tutotial: etsy.com

3. Stock Tank Mini Yard Pond

If you have the space and want to go a bit bigger with your water garden, you can use a stock tank to create a raised-yard pond.

I love the idea of just setting up a tank and then adding water and plants, and you could even paint the tank if you’re so inclined.

You can pick these tanks up at any tractor or livestock supply store.

Source/Tutotial: penick.net

4. Galvanized Bathtub Mini Pond

An old metal bathtub, kitchen sink, or just about any similar structure would be perfect for creating your little mini water garden.

Just set it up and then add your water and whatever flora you want to include. Add stones or glass items to add character and even a little fish or two if you want.

Source/Tutotial: bhg.com

Turn an old metal bucket, which you can pick up at any flea market or yard sale for really cheap, into a beautiful and very rustic mini water garden. Just add a small water fountain kit and then fill the bucket with rocks.

You’ll hear the wonderfully relaxing sound of trickling water whenever you’re near the bucket and this is a good one to do if you don’t really want to add plants.

Source/Tutotial: onsuttonplace.com

6. DIY Clay Pot Water Garden With Fountain

Clay pots are also a wonderful way to add water features to your property.

And, they’re pretty cheap at the Dollar Store. Just grab a few in different sizes and set them, adding a fountain to the mix.

You can add plants to the pots that aren’t upside down and fill the bottom with river rocks or glass stones. This is a great one for the deck or if you choose smaller planters, you could even put this one inside.

Source/Tutotial: diyncrafts.com

7. Easy DIY Container Garden

So, container water gardens are the easiest way to add a water feature without going all out yard pond.

You can even use plastic containers, which you can get at Big Lots or the Dollar Store for under $20 in most cases.

Then you just need to add your plants and even a few small fish if you want them. You can build this gorgeous outdoor mini water garden for less than $40 total.

Source/Tutotial: whatsurhomestory

8. Contemporary DIY Water Garden

I love the contemporary look of this little mini water garden and you can build it for less than $30. You’ll need a watertight container, a fountain pump, some concrete pavers for the edging, rocks and your water plants.

Just dig a hole big enough for your container to sit in and then work it like a regular pond. It’s a gorgeous little mini pond that will definitely add character to your garden area.

Source/Tutotial: thegardenglove

9. Hypertufa Fountain Mini Water Feature

I love this hypertufa stacked millstone fountain. It would be so perfect for the garden area and you can pick it up on Etsy for less than $200. It’s made with Portland cement, peat moss, perlite, hypertufa and concrete.

The fountain is perfect if you want that running water sound and you could decorate it with plants around the base if you wanted.

Source/Tutotial: etsy

10. Easy DIY Mini Pond Box

If you don’t have a structure to use for your mini water garden, just make one yourself.

This box is really pretty and really easy to build. It’s made from cedar and the entire look is just so gorgeous.

With a section for rocks and plenty of room for your water plants, this is sure to be the perfect mini water garden for your deck or patio.

Source/Tutotial: bhg

11. Repurposed Enamel Wear Mini Water Garden

If you want a repurposing idea for creating a mini water garden, why not put all that enamel wear or those old metal cooking dishes to use? You can just fill them with water, add your plants and then sit them wherever you want them to be.

This is a great idea if you want a really quick, and really rustic looking, mini water garden. You could sit these all around your flower garden or deck.

12. DIY Indoor Mini Water Garden

If you want to add a mini water garden to your indoors, you can do so with a glass container.

A glass mug works really well, or you could use a small bowl. Just add your plants, and you can leave them in their growing containers, maybe some peat moss and then your water.

These are so easy to maintain and give you the lovely look of the outdoors right there in the house – which is perfect for the colder months when you’re really missing your outdoor garden.

Source/Tutotial: radmegan

13. Easy Indoor Pond In A Jar

Here’s another beautiful indoor mini water garden that you can put together in no time.

You can use any larger glass container like a glass flour jar or old fish bowl. Just add aquarium rocks or small river stones to the bottom and then fill with water. Top off with your favorite water plants and you’re all done.

Source/Tutotial: experimentalcraft

14. Cement Planter Water Garden

This is a great idea if you want to add a mini water garden to your deck or patio.

Just take a large planter – you can get these at the Dollar Store for around $5 or so – and add your water and plants. You can do these in any size, although the larger ones do allow for more plants so if you want water lilies and all sorts of other plants, opt for the largest planter you can find.

15. Gorgeous DIY Water Terrarium

I love the look of this water terrarium, which you could put indoors or out depending on where you really want it. It’s just a really large bowl – like a large rounded fish bowl – and it sits on a metal base, which you could easily build yourself.

I love the idea of planting just one plant and watching it grow but you could just as easily add multiple plants if that’s what you want.

Source/Tutotial: scrapandsalvage

16. Square Planter Water Garden

So, when you’re choosing the container for your mini water garden, don’t necessarily overlook square planters. While traditionally shaped planters are the go to for the most part, these lovely square shapes can add wonderful character to your garden or deck.

They fit perfectly into deck or patio corners and they’re just as easy to set up as their round counterparts.

Just add water and your favorite water plants and you’ve got a lovely mini garden that’s a bit more contemporary but just as beautiful as a round garden.

Source/Tutotial: midwestliving

17. Upcycled Stump Mini Water Garden

I guess you could call using an old stump an upcycle?

Anyway, this is such an innovative idea and a great way to give those unsightly stumps a little decoration.

Just hollow them out and turn them into mini water gardens. I love this idea, mostly because it’s the greenest way I know to get a water garden and it’s just a beautiful concept, isn’t it?

18. DIY Sunken Mini Pond

If you have the space in your yard, a sunken mini water garden is a great idea.

You don’t even have to have a large space, just large enough for whatever container you plan to use to house your pond. You can even dig a few holes and plant small planters in them to create a pond, create a little pond area and cover the space between your containers with river rock or plants.

Source/Tutotial: bhg

19. DIY Water Garden Inside A Rock

I absolutely adore this mini water garden that is housed inside a rock. If you have a large rock, you can hollow it out a bit – if it’s not already – and place your pond inside.

The rock will be naturally waterproof so there’s no need to worry about your water trickling out.

This is a great way to use up those larger rocks in your garden area without worrying about having to move them.

Source/Tutotial: gardeners

20. Mini Wildlife Pond

If you are planning to put your mini water garden outdoors and you have the space in your yard, why not turn it into a gorgeous mini wildlife pond.

You use the same concept as container gardening but you put the container in the ground.

Then add your rocks and plants and anything that will draw in the wildlife that you want to see. This is even a great little pond for ducks if you have a few and kids will adore seeing all the wildlife that will come to your little pond for a quick splash or a drink.

Source/Tutotial: rollercoaster-mum

Conclusion

I love the water, which is why I adore any type of water feature. These little water gardens are so perfect for adding a decorative touch to your patio or they’re also great for the yard. And, they’re the perfect water feature for smaller yards that just don’t have the space for full-sized ponds.

The great thing about these little gardens is they are very cheap to make and you can use a lot of recycled or otherwise repurposed things to make them.

If you do have the space and want to go all out for your water garden, take a look at these 30 creative water features that you could totally DIY in your open space.

I love having a large garden area but I fully understand that not everyone has the space for full sized gardens and water features.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t add some beauty where you do have space, though, and these 20 mini water gardens are the perfect touch. Some of these can easily be placed indoors, too which gives you a wonderful home décor idea. Some of them can even hold fish!

Now, if you don’t have a large garden area and you want to add a gorgeous water feature, this is definitely the list of ideas you need to see. Also, if you need some more ideas on how to turn small spaces into beautiful garden areas, be sure to check out these 40 space savvy small garden ideas.

Now that I have you all excited to add some beautiful water gardens to your life, let’s take a look at these amazing ideas. You can make many of these with things that you probably already have around the house, which makes them even better. Take a look and as always, let me know which one is your favorite. I can’t wait to hear how you’ve beautified your outdoors with a mini water garden!