 | Most of us dream about sitting outdoors on a beautiful sunny day, listening to the gentle trickle of running water. Apart from being relaxing, a Water Feature can add interest and a touch of class to any garden.
You may be under the misconception that you need to have a large, landscaped garden to enjoy a Water Feature, which requires, a bridge, cascading waterfalls and brightly coloured koi carp, when, in fact, you don’t even have to have a garden at all to appreciate the delights of one. They come in all styles and to suit all budgets and you can have one in a small back yard, on a balcony, or even indoors in the house or conservatory.
Most Water Features operate by electricity and use a pump. Pumps vary in size and the size you need, will depend on the size of your water feature. There are endless kits to choose from, which gives you the advantage of being able to buy the whole thing at once with the correct pump, without having to go looking round for one separately.
If you fancy something completely different, you could buy a mist maker. These are ultrasonic units, which vibrate water to create a rising mist out of virtually any water container or vessel. Coloured lights can be added to create a truly amazing effect.
If you prefer, you can make your own feature, using a pond liner or suitable vessel. Alternatively, you can choose from a wide range of ornamental features on offer, which range from stone features, bronze figures, stainless steel effects, pebbles etc - some even have a light attachment that sits just inside the water outlet, allowing you to appreciate your feature day and night. You can also buy floating pond lights, or aqua lights – these are completely submersible and come with interchangeable coloured filters.
Some Water Features are operated by solar power and can be bought separately, or as a kit. Many of these only work in direct sunlight, but you can now purchase some, which contain a battery back up that will allow the water to continue running for up to twenty hours. These are particularly suitable if you don’t want the trouble of messing with electricity, or you simply haven’t got a suitable electricity source nearby to connect to.
Indoor Water Features are now becoming very popular and can be very beneficial to you and your indoor plants too Running water and ‘mist makers’ act as an ioniser and humidifier. The increased humidity produced by ‘mist makers’ can help to combat the arid atmospheres from modern heating systems that many of us endure on a regular basis.
Once you have familiarised yourself with what is available and have an idea of the sort of feature you would like, it is time to run through some important points to decide on suitability and location:
- You must first decide whether your feature is going to be a permanent fixture, or whether it is going to be something which you could move, if the position turned out to be unsuitable for some reason – remember that you may also have to consider power points.
- If you consider a fountain, you will need to avoid a windy aspect, or the fountain will continually blow over the side of your feature, slowly draining the water away.
- Avoid placing under, or in close proximity to trees – particularly in the case of a pond - as this will give you an endless leaf problem, which will contaminate the water if left unattended.
- Consider the space you have to play with and the style of your property – a huge stone fountain, for example, would not suit a small, modern house amidst suburbia.
- Decide whether it will be easy to see and appreciate from where you like to sit and, if using lighting, can you see the lights clearly at night?
- If you are going to keep any fish in it, you will need to have running water to oxygenate it and it will also take more maintaining. Ponds will also need to have at least five hours of sun on them every day.
- If you have children, you need to think carefully about the safest type of feature, as you will not be able to watch them all the time when they are near it.
- If you decide on a solar feature, without back up battery, it will need to be in full sunlight all day long.
Apart from lighting, you can add a number of other things to your feature to make it more attractive, such as aquatic plants, water lilies, fancy stones or miniature figures – you could even design it with a theme in mind to match other landscaping in your garden, or décor in the house. Whatever you choose, it will most certainly give you hours of pleasure and could possibly be a major talking point for anyone who visits the house.
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