Contemporary Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots

From the beginning, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up until the nineteenth, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water supply, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to benefit from gravity which fed the fountains. Designers thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the designer responsible for creating it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often utilized by Romans to beautify their fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his dominance over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.

Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby limiting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by replacing gravity with mechanical pumps.

These days, fountains adorn public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.

A Small Garden Area? You Can Have a Water Fountain too!

Water just blends into the greenery in your yard. People will be centered on the pond, artificial river or fountain in your yard. Small verandas or large gardens is the perfect place to install a water feature. The best way to perfect the ambience, position it in a good place and use the right accompaniments.