As the source of all life, water has long been regarded as a symbol of healing and rejuvenation. So it’s not surprising to find that civilizations from all around the world and all different time periods have incorporated water features as a part of their daily lives. Some of the most stunning water features can be found in gardens and other carefully landscaped areas. In fact, almost all of the best known and widely celebrated gardens, include one or more garden fountains that enhance their beauty on multiple levels.
While these fountains are certainly aesthetically pleasing and are often regarded as the crown jewels of the gardens they grace, their true value lies in their ability to help your garden flourish. If you’re searching for a way to breathe life back into your garden, consider adding a fountain for the following 5 reasons:
Garden Fountains Cool Surrounding Air
In the hottest summer months, you may be discouraged to find your garden wilting from the heat with seemingly nothing you can do about it. After all, you can’t install an air conditioner in an outdoor garden.
But what a fountain can do is cool your garden by absorbing some of the heat through its constantly circulating source of water. Think about what happens after the rain- the temperature usually drops several degrees. This is the same logic that applies to outdoor fountains.
While you may not be able to achieve the same sort of rapid and drastic cooling that a florist’s refrigerator can provide, a strategically placed garden fountain can disperse cooled air throughout a considerable space, shielding your plants from the worst of the heat.
Garden Fountains Provide Aerial Hydration
Although traditional water sprinklers can provide sufficient hydration for your lawn, bushes, and hardier plants, their sprays can be too aggressive to turn on your more delicate, flowering plants. These are damaged by the slightest pressure, bruising buds and crushing flower blooms or causing them to wither or fall off. At the same time, some types of flowers, such as hydrangeas, bloom most vibrantly when their flowers as well as their roots are watered. They absorb almost all of the water that reaches them, and even premature wilting can be reversed by providing adequate moisture directly to the blossoms.
Some garden owners try to resolve this issue by misting such plants daily, but this requires a significant time commitment, which not all of our schedules will allow. A more viable option is to install a fountain in your garden, which will increase humidity levels in the nearby vicinity through the water that evaporates from it.
Water fountains with multiple jet streams are particularly well-suited for this purpose because they can disperse a greater amount of moisture across longer distances. Because your fountain’s pump continuously re-circulates its water, you can rest assured that your garden plants are being perpetually misted with fresh water, no matter how busy you are.
Garden Fountains Attract Birds, Butterflies and other Pollinators
For those who aspire to cultivate large-scale gardens or those who hope to enjoy fruit from their plants year after year, ensuring adequate pollination can be a major challenge. To make things simple- your plants bear fruits and flowers by spreading pollen from its male to female flowers. Even those plants which produce “complete”, “self-pollinating” flowers with both male and female components may need a little help spreading pollen to the correct areas.
Pollen travels through the air, either carried by the wind or by pollinators, such as birds, butterflies, and bees. These creatures will naturally be drawn to flowering plants, but you can make your garden especially enticing by including a fountain. Pollinators, like all living creatures, are drawn to ready sources of water; a running source, such as that provided by a fountain, is especially attractive because it is much fresher than a stagnant source, such as a lake or a pond.
Garden Fountains Provide a Relaxing Backdrop
If you’ve ever attended or hosted a dinner party, you probably know that nothing kills the mood more than an uncomfortable, extended silence. But with the sound of rippling water playing like the subtlest of soundtracks, even this silence can seem like a respite, allowing everyone to pause and relax. You may even find that your garden fountain provides the perfect backdrop to keep the conversation flowing as your family and guests find their stress being washed away by the tranquility that fills their ears.
Depending on the weather, fountains can also add liveliness to your garden parties, delighting younger guests and garnering admiration from older ones. While they provide a beautiful sight in the day time, with the sun glinting off the water’s surface, they fountains can be truly spectacular in the evening, especially if they have LED features that cast an elegant illumination in the dark.
Garden Fountains Draw You Into Your Garden
No matter how spectacular of a garden you own, the truth is that your plants require regular attention and care to stay beautiful. If left untended, a garden can quickly deteriorate, requiring more extensive and expensive work to restore it to its original glory.
Of course, it can be difficult to remember to make time for your garden, especially when your schedule becomes hectic. But many garden owners find that the time they spend caring for their plants can be extremely therapeutic, providing a brief but refreshing break. This sense of healing can be greatly enhanced by a garden fountain. Not only can you enjoy its sounds and cooling presence while working in your garden, but a fountain will also draw you to your garden with these same qualities, making it less likely that your plants will remain neglected for long periods of time.
By stimulating your auditory senses, your fountain will gently remind you that sometimes, you need to stop what you’re doing and come out to enjoy your flowers.