The Myriad Reasons to Add a Water Feature
The Myriad Reasons to Add a Water Feature The addition of a wall water feature or an outdoor garden fountain is a great way to beautify your yard or garden design. Modern-day designers and fountain builders alike use historical fountains and water features to shape their creations. You can also reinforce the link to the past by adding one of these to your home's interior design. Among the many properties of these beautiful garden water features is the water and moisture they release into the air which attracts birds and other wild life as well as helps to balance the ecosystem. For example, birds lured by a fountain or birdbath can be useful because they fend off bothersome flying insects. Wall fountains are a good choice if your yard is small because they do not need much space in contrast to a spouting or cascading fountain. There are two types of fountains to choose from including the freestanding model with a flat back and an attached basin set up against a fence or a wall in your yard, or the wall-mounted, self-contained version which is suspended directly on a wall. Both a fountain mask located on the existing wall as well as a basin located at the bottom to collect the water are necessary if you wish to add a fountain. It is best not to undertake this job on your own as professional plumbers and masons are more suitable to do this kind of work.
Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes. The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to provide drinkable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains operated using gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. Bronze or stone masks of wildlife and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create smaller variations of the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were extolled with baroque style fountains built to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational gatherings.