Thanks. Should I get rid of the monkey grass or trim it up ? If I trim it up, should I add rocks around it with the pine needles still there?

I have a fountain almost identical to the second one, love it, it has the water reservoir beneath. I like the monkey grass. Whatever you decide, don’t plant too close to the fountain, allow a few feet around it for some splashing, not much but you will get a little. The pumps are adjustable. A rock mulch as pictured works perfectly.

Btw, I use a product called Baquacil to control algae, non- chlorine. Buy it from Amazon in a small size, a little goes a long way.

I really like this idea with the more natural rock fountain and replace the needles with pebbles the grass would still be nice

THANKS WHERE IS A GOOD PLACE TO BUY A NICE QUALITY POT TO START THIS PROJECT? SO KEEP THE MONKEY GRASS BUT NO PINE NEEDLES? FILL THE AREA WITH ROCKS OR PEBBLES?

Depends upon where you live. I bought mine at a good quality nursery. There are fountain / statuary companies that carry LOTS of them where I live. ( So California ). You can also order online, but shipping might be an issue, they do get heavy ( the better quality ones). I’ll look online, Google “urn” fountains for a good place to start. Don’t buy too small ... go larger.

If you like the monkey grass then keep it. As you can see, a vanishing fountain needs a area of pea gravel or small stones to cover the top of the grate which covers the water reservoir below the fountain. This will make your pin area much smaller but you can put in a few perennials in say the corners or even some small boulders.