Glorious Garden Fountains

A garden fountain is one of the most delightful accents you can add to your landscape. The sound of trickling water is well-known to be soothing and relaxing. Many people even buy machines or CD’s to listen to the charming sounds inside their homes. The sight of water dancing in the sun is just as enticing and peaceful as the sound. It’s easy for just about anyone to add a fountain to your patio or garden, and there are so many styles on the market that finding one to suit your taste will be an easy task.

Free-standing fountains are available in many designs and sizes, including traditional three-tired fountains as well as olive jar, Venetian, slate waterfalls and amphorae—just to name a few. More contemporary designs include stacked blocks, stacked triangles, single bowls, and cascading bowls. Some trickle, some gush, some tumble and some run almost silently down the rock wall.

There are many wall-mounted fountains, too, including the waterfall and the traditional lion head. Wall-mounted fountains are recommended in homes with small children or dogs, as water is almost irresistible to both. They can be installed on the wall of the home, or a patio or courtyard wall.

There are many different water features out there, some of which use still water. If you wish to have a running fountain, that means you will need a pump, and a pump means electricity. There are two basic types of outdoor garden fountains; both use electricity.

The first is wired. The traditional method of installing a fountain was to hire an electrician to dig a trench and install underground wires leading to your breaker box. This is still the preferred option by some people. Many fountains today are sold as do-it-yourself kits, and come complete with pump, fountain, and cord to plug in to an outdoor socket. Of course, you need to dig it into the ground or try and hide the cord in the landscaping or under the mulch. This isn’t always very pretty, or very practical. For example your fountain may be located in a flowerbed in the center of the garden, or surrounded by walkways.

The other type of fountain, which is relatively new, is a solar fountain. Like other solar garden accessories, solar garden fountains rely on the sun to charge the solar batteries, which then provide power to the pump. The advantages to this type are that there is no labour to install underground wires and no worry about someone tripping over it and they are usually quite compact compared to fountains with seperate pond pumps. They are supremely easy to install, and only need a few hours of sunlight a day to provide power for the pump.

Outdoor garden fountains come in various materials. Concrete, resins, terra-cotta and other potteries, and cast stone are the most popular. Terra-cotta and pottery are normally used for small fountains, as they are not especially durable. Cast stone garden fountains are one of the best buys, as they are not costly, but are very sturdy and long-lasting. They hold up well to the weather, and don’t tend to chip as concrete can after a few seasons of cold and heat. Cast stone looks like the real thing, but at a fraction of the cost. It is available in both wired and solar garden fountains.