Fine Garden Fountains

With the numerous styles and sizes of outdoor fountains that are available, you will not have any difficulty finding one to suit the size of your garden.

The sight and sound or falling water is very soothing and enhance the ambiance of the garden. If you have a large backyard area, you might want to look at the free standing fountains. There are also styles that attach to a wall and smaller models that will fit quite well on your patio.

Depending on the theme you want to create, you can actually make your own outdoor wall fountains (http://www.garden-fountains.com/florentine-fountains/the-wall-fountains-of-florentine-sculptors-home.htm) using natural materials. You may want to make the fountain into a space where birds will come to have a drink.

You may want to recreate an old-fashioned scene in your garden, in which case a barrel trough made with an old-fashioned pump and a cast off whiskey barrel will create the look of a country garden in your backyard. By using two or three of these barrels, you can actually create a small waterfall in which water trickles from one level to the next.

Some of the wall mounted water fountains (http://www.garden-fountains.com) can be attached to an existing pond on your property so that you don’t have to disturb any or your water pipes or tear up any landscaping to complete the installation.

You can tuck the fountain into a bed of flowers or arrange the flowers around the outskirts of the fountain and install a bench where you can sit and enjoy your scenic surroundings in peace and quiet. A tabletop fountain is perhaps one of the easiest fountains to set up and will stand for many years on a table on your patio or porch.

Outdoor fountains must be made of durable material in order to withstand the outdoor environment. Most are made from precast concrete, but if you really want to have a natural look check out the fountains made from reconstituted stone.

To avoid having the fountain look out of place try to replicate the natural stone of your region as closely as possible. If you want to further enhance the fountain by adding fish, you should stay away from old world wall fountains that contain lead because this is hazardous for fish.

There are many retailers, online and off, that sell outdoor fountains in many different varieties. If you visit your local garden center, you should know that it is impossible for one location to stock every kind of fountain. If there is nothing there that catches your eye, ask whether or not the store has a catalog from which you can order or a website where you can browse the many styles and place your order online.

Freestanding outdoor fountains are usually the focal point of a garden and should be placed where they can be easily seen. Such a fountain requires a submersible pump in the pedestal portion and you need to be able to get at it easily to clean it from time to time.

During the fall, you should drain all the water from the fountain and the pump and remove the pump to protect it during the winter. If you are not able to store the fountain itself indoors for the colder months of the year, you should take care to wrap it so it won’t suffer any damage from the ice and snow.



By: Sarah Martin

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Indoor Garden Fountains

Ornamental fountains, outdoor statues, and other garden accessories are becoming very popular in the United States. The soothing, breathtaking beauty of garden fountains is enhanced by aquatic plants, as well as the play of light and shadows reflected in the water.

Fountains and large statues can be found in private estates, public parks, hotel landscapes, mall courtyards, restaurants, apartment balconies, and even inside homes and apartments in areas with colder climates. Fountain and garden designs have become extremely artistic. Some prefer to extend the view of the water into their living rooms where observing the calming water flow becomes a restful evening activity.

Research conducted on ornamental garden accessories has been few and far between until recently; therefore most of the information at hand is taken from related research categories and practical observation.

Location of the outdoor water features is critical, not only for the owner’s enjoyment but also to maintain and properly manage the structure. For something a bit more complex, such as pools of water, sunlight is necessary for photosynthesis by water plants including algae, which allows oxygen for the pool. Abundant oxygen means a steady and reliable environment for fish and other creatures in the pool.

Position your pool to avoid harsh sunlight during the day, especially in the warmest months. Fish can be affected by elevated temperatures unless shade is provided by water plants. For indoor pools, lights are available allowing simulation of natural daylight.

Several advantages to placing pools and fountains within view of the home are:

• To boost human enjoyment

• To make supervision of children playing near the garden fountain or pool easy, make sure to always control children’s access to these areas as well

• To aid in keeping away predators, such as raccoons, birds, deer, snakes, or even human thieves

• To lessen the expense of pipes and pumping which are usually lower for pools and outdoor waterfeatures built or placed close to the home

Pools are generally expensive to construct and maintain, although many rookies begin with little expense by using an old bath tub or wading pool. Labor costs for most pools typically range from several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the pool’s particular features and how long construction takes. Building costs can be reduced by doing the work yourself or acting as back-up labor for the professionals you hire. Better yet, you can choose the more affordable option, outdoor waterfalls or garden fountains!

Part of the fun in being the owner of a garden fountain or an ornamental pool is creating the overall look of the outdoor water feature and its surroundings. The objects used can be as limitless as your imagination. Consider stones of different colors and sizes, large waterfalls, windmills, bridges, water plants, and surrounding flower scenery. Some garden artists create spaces using arches, gates, small roads and paths, and gazebos.

The beauty of fountains and pools is that even though they are mass produced, what you decide to do with them, where you place them, and how they are perceived, is left solely in the hands of the owner. The possibilities are endless…now is the time to get started!



By: Sarah Martin

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Outdoor Water Fountains