The Total Guide To Garden Fountains

There are three major types of garden fountain, with a wide variety of materials, power options and sizes to choose from. Each type of fountain has its pros and cons, and different claims can be made for each material. Ultimately, your aesthetic sense will be the final word on what sort of fountain you want to spruce up your garden, but read on to learn a little bit about what the world of garden fountains has to offer.

Free Standing Fountains

If your backyard or garden doesn’t have room for a pool or lake, consider a free-standing fountain to decorate the area. Free standing fountains are made from stone, resin, fibreglass or metal, with a variety of shapes and decorations. Some things to note are that resin fountains do best if the garden or outdoor area is covered. Meanwhile, metal fountains, while they add a certain spice to an outdoor space, easily corrode in areas of high pollution or moisture. Fibreglass fountains are perhaps the most popular due to their ease of upkeep, but some people don’t like the overly modern look they provide. Stone fountains are perhaps the most dependable, but if you purchase high-quality stone you may end up paying more than you intended.

Free standing fountains, along with wall fountains are the most likely to be solar powered, which is another element you should consider in deciding which fountain to purchase for your garden. Solar fountains have a stronger flow on sunny days, which is nice when you realize that sunny days are the times when you’re most likely to be out in the garden. However, because solar power isn’t that strong, solar fountains for the garden tend to be on the smaller side. Consider purchasing multiple solar powered free standing fountains if you have a large garden, and always make sure to keep them in direct sunlight.

Wall Mounted Fountains

The smallest type of fountain, wall mounted fountains are lightweight, portable and space-conservative. If you tend to spend most of our outdoor time on a patio next to your house, the wall-mounted fountain is perfect. However, the auditory and visual benefits from a wall fountain are limited to those seated immediately around it. Furthermore, wall fountains aren’t such a good idea if there are a lot of rowdy people around your house, as they tend to be lightweight and prone to being easily broken or damaged.

Most wall mounted fountains are made of lightweight resin or fiberglass materials; there are very few stone or metal wall fountains due to their heavy weight. Installation of wall fountains can be challenging, involving finding a sturdy place on the house, driving nails or turning screws to secure a spot for the wall fountain, then hanging it so it leans flush against the wall. However, once a wall fountain is installed, it adds quite a bit of class to your garden or patio, and its soothing trickle is a balm for the soul. These small garden fountains are also often solar powered, due to their low mass and light motor requirements.

Pond Fountains

These water garden fountains are perfect for people who have the space to mix the soothing aspects of water with the bountiful aspects of a garden. Pond fountains are set in the middle of small ponds, and they trickle water into the pond and draw it back up from the pond. This allows for a wider variety of designs and aesthetics, with the most prominent one known as the “tiered” fountain. Tiered fountains look like miniature waterfalls or rapids flowing down a bumpy set of stairs in the middle of the lake. This flowing curtain of water is very attractive to many people.

Many people also like to include plants like water lilys in the midst of their pond fountains, it can look very nice but be aware that these plants do not like prolonged spray on their leaves. Make sure that your pond fountain has a good filtration system though, because pond fountains tend to be the most high-maintenance of any garden fountains on the market. By making your pond fountain wild, you introduce elements that the makers of the fountain didn’t intend it to have to deal with. This isn’t meant to dissuade you from getting a pond fountain, you just have to make sure that the filtration is top notch so you don’t end up losing money on repair costs or are stuck continually unblocking it.

Pond fountains are most often made of some sort of water-resistant stone or fibreglass, depending on whether the garden is decorated in a more modern or more traditional way. Beware of someone trying to sell you metal or resin pond fountains, as they don’t tend to hold up quite as well as stone.

To install a pond fountain, you need to make sure that the area is flat and free of tree roots, and then you have to dig to create the pond. If the pond is already there, you simply have to boat out to the middle, ideally with a friend, and follow the instructions that came with the fountain to learn how to set up the various valves, tubes and main body.

Potential Discounts

If you’re looking for discount garden fountains, the best bet would be an old run-down looking stone free standing fountain. Stone fountains are a pain to lug around, and are often given away to consignment stores upon moving. With a little bit of touching up and refurbishing, your free standing fountain will look like new and take front and center in your garden. Good luck on your garden fountain search!