Enhance Your Garden with a Water Fountain: Tips & Tricks

Any good landscape designer will tell you that your yard isn't done without a water feature, no matter how lush and beautiful your plants are. Flowing water doesn't just add beauty to your outdoor space; it brings a sense of vitality and peacefulness that you can't get any other way. The water feature itself is very important, but the sounds created by the flow of water as well as the watery reflections created by sunlight and fountain lighting add a whole new dimension to your garden.

Bringing a fountain into your exterior space will give it a fresh new feel. The addition of any water at all will do a world of good, but you can maximize the benefits of an outdoor fountain just with a few simple tricks. Here are some of our favorite ways to enhance your yard or garden with a water fountain.

Place the fountain where it can be enjoyed both from outside and through a window from inside your home or business. Unless you spend a large amount of your spare time in your yard, you won't be able to enjoy your fountain very often if it's not visible from inside. Placing it where it can be enjoyed both inside and out will give you twice the benefits.

Maximize the beautiful, tranquil reflections that are cast off the moving water with other reflective objects. Glass or stainless steel sculptures, wind chimes, gazing balls, stained glass garden ornaments and other decorative accents will catch that watery reflection and multiply it, making your garden feel like there's more water present than there actually is. This works best with low-profile fountains. If your fountain is placed up against a wall, hanging an odd number of small mirrors on the wall will reflect the water and make your garden appear larger. Just be sure not to crowd your fountain with too many surrounding objects; simplicity is best. Try out a variety of different reflective objects and pick your favorites for best results.

Stagger the height of plants around your fountain for visual interest. Just as you would in a flower bed, you should have taller plants placed behind your fountain, medium-height plants placed around the base of the fountain and low-growing plants in front. Vary the texture and color of the plants as well to achieve a striking focal point that will truly make your fountain the most exciting part of your yard.

Illuminate your outdoor fountain at night with the right type of lighting for the fountain and the effect you're going for. You can get more details about fountain lighting from our previous post, Designer Fountain Lighting.

For a wide variety of beautiful outdoor water fountains, see the Garden Fountains category at KineticFountains.com.

Pictured: San Remo Pigna Garden Fountain (top), Copper Cascade Solar Fountain