Should have drainage holes - they could be drilled...And what plants are you thinking about? These are usually quite shallow, so consider that.

Realizing how shallow the bowl is, I was thinking of succulents but need to research them more. My biggest problem will be convincing my husband to drill some drainage holes...

trickyputt is kind of right :)

But there are some beautifully planted bird baths and water fountains...

You can 'get the look' by getting a wide, shallower bowl and some king of pedestal: I would just keep eyes open for something suitable. Maybe even from salvage yard or similar place - sometimes top breaks and you can get the pedestal/leg...

Succulents are perfect for this if the planting area is shallow.

Moss is a great setting, Mini roses work well also.

rina and trickyputt: You both offer great suggestions and I may incorporate both into the design. My husband votes with trickyputt -- leave it as a birdbath!

"trickyputt(8a AL)

Well my wife now wants me to figure plugging the holes so it holds water again. "

Should be a pretty easy fix. Find a solid material like a wine cork to plug the hole or a disk of plastic to use as a manhole cover for the hole. Thoroughly clean/scrub the bath and let dry completely. Get a tube of aquarium grade silicon to seal around the plug(s) or to put around each hole then press the disk(s) into it. (A little more might be needed around the edges of the disk. Let cure for the recommended time before refilling with water.

viva vina

Gorilla glue

Epoxy grout made with latex admix on exterior primer. And you might not need the primer.

Well my wife now wants me to figure plugging the holes so it holds water again. "

Give her her own Home Depot card and say 'Go for it.'

The drilling is easy - any drill motor + an inexpensive carbide masonry bit will quickly get the job done. While it's not necessary, pouring a cup or so of water in the bowl helps to keep the drill bit cool and makes it last longer.

Lots of good ideas for plugging the holes upthread. Since I have it readily available at work, I'd use hydraulic cement. It looks like plaster of Paris, and you mix it the same way. Tape off the bottom of the hole or cover it with your finger, add water to the cement until you have a pourable paste, fill the hole, use a toothpick to make sure there are no bubbles in the material, wait 5 minutes and it's ready to fill with water.

Hydraulic cement expands while it sets and would be even stronger than the material the bird bath is made of.

Al

Hydraulic cement will expand, but best to mix it up with latex admix instead of water so that it a) has a rubber component, and b) has a sticky bond to the old cement wall.

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get the right chemical reaction if you used anything but water when preparing a batch of hydraulic cement; and, there is absolutely no need for or advantage in having a rubber component or a sticky bond. We frequently use HC to set heavy stainless steel mounts in existing concrete to install glass wind screens/railings around pools, tennis courts, etc. Once, a car drove through one of the glass screens and over a mount. It actually fractured the concrete surrounding the mount and bent a 3/4" stainless rod, but did not fracture the hydraulic cement surrounding the mount and holding it in place. It wasn't mixed with anything but water.
Al

I dont doubt it. Hydraulic has a very high ratio of portland. Admix is mostly water, with enough latex to stop seeping through the cement and plaster and more crystal components of hydraulic. Sticky is a side benefit but I will still use a bonding agent or primer because batches vary.