want to turn my fountain into a planter

that's what i want to do. question is how do i plant the plants in the fountain. do i use potting soil only? moss and potting soil? help!!

First off, maybe you can tell us what you are intending on planting in it. Then you can work on what kind of soil is necessary for the specific plants. You will definitely need to make some sort of drainage possible no matter what. Maybe drill holes in the bottom...Let us know what you are planting, I am sure we will have ideas to help-Brit

well, I want to plant firecracker fern in the top tier, change out the second tier seasonally and do the bottom tier with asparagus fern. The fountain is in full sun most of the day. There is one drainage hole per tier already. Is there any way to drain using this hole and maybe pebbles or something?
thanks for any ideas.

The problem with one hole is it could get clogged and then you would have overflow. If you only intend on using the fountain as a planter you could afford to make some extra drain holes. Ferns love moisture so they will probably do all right but I recommend putting a layer of small stones (bigger than the drainage hole) as a first layer and then, because ferns like rich organic soil, put in a humus/manure mixture (they come readily combined in a bag) . Because the mixture is filled with a lot of organic amendments, you may not need moss. But in the hot of summer, if they look dry, you could always add a layer on top. Also remember that any drainage from the upper tiers will fall onto the lower tiers which might damage your lower plants or saturate them with dirty water. Just a thought.
Just keep in mind that mostly all planters need a dose of nutrients and rich soil as the months go on. You also need to check to make sure the roots of your permanent plants don't get too much for their confined space. Hope this helped! -Brit

hmmmm... didn't think about the drainage from the upper tiers to lower. thanks for your help

You are quite welcome! :)

I would skip the layer of stones--many people think it helps drainage but it actually hurts. There's a great thread in the Container Gardening forum that explains water movement in containers--since you're not a subscriber you won't be able to read the followup discussion, but you can read the first post which summarizes the key things you need to know. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/719569/ I agree about making extra drain holes.

The other thing you'll have to watch out for is how quickly the potting mix will dry out--those fountain tiers are very shallow and in full sun in a hot climate you may find you have to water multiple times a day during the summer.

Ideally you'd probably want to plant things that are shallow rooted too or else they'll outgrow the space way too quickly. Based on my experience with asparagus fern in my garden I don't know that it would be a good plant for this type of situation--they get pretty big and spread and have a lot of roots so I don't think you'll be able to keep them in there for long. I've seen people turn birdbaths into dish gardens for succulents, they tend to be shallow rooted and can also handle being drier so you might not have to water as much with something like that.