Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
From the onset, 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 drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be higher and closer to a water source, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to benefit from gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to decorate homes and celebrate the designer who created it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times utilized by Romans to beautify their fountains. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. Fountains enjoyed a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exert his power over nature. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Urban fountains made at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory adornments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity helped fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational gatherings.
Outdoor Fountain Engineers Through History
Outdoor Fountain Engineers Through History Multi-talented people, fountain designers from the 16th to the late 18th century often functioned as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one. Exemplifying the Renaissance skilled artist as a imaginative master, Leonardo da Vinci worked as an inventor and scientific expert. With his immense fascination about the forces of nature, he investigated the characteristics and mobility of water and systematically recorded his observations in his now much celebrated notebooks. Modifying private villa configurations into ingenious water showcases packed with symbolic interpretation and natural wonder, early Italian water feature creators coupled imagination with hydraulic and horticultural abilities.
Exterior Wall Fountains: The Many Styles Available

The two types of water features available to you include mounted and stand-alone models. Small, self-contained models can be placed on a wall are called mounted wall fountains. Fountains of this kind need to be light, therefore, they are typically fabricated from resin (resembling stone) or fiberglass. Floor fountains are freestanding, large, and also have a basin on the floor as well as a flat side against the wall. Water features such as these are usually made of cast stone and have no weight restrictions.
Many skilled landscapers prefer custom-built fountains which can be integrated into a brand-new wall or an existing one. Hiring an expert mason is your best option to construct the basin and install the required plumbing. You will need to incorporate a spout or fountain mask into the wall. The unified look provided by custom-made wall fountains make them appear to be part of the landscape rather than an afterthought.