Hello! And Welcome to Solar Garden Fountains!
|
I love the outdoors and I enjoy spending time in my garden. Recently, I decided to add a water feature to my outdoor retreat. In researching what would work in my yard I discovered that there is some information out there but not nearly enough, or rather what is out there is scattered to the four winds (not to mention repetitive and pedantic). This site is for people who are curious about solar products for their yards and gardens. I begin this journey with fountains as they are a passion of mine. The gentle sound of running water has been in my life for 8 years now in the form of an indoor fountain and I am now bringing the tranquility of a fountain to my outdoor space. I invite you to come with me to check out ways to improve your outdoor spaces with clean, efficient solar energy. Oh and did I mention it was free energy? GO GREEN ! -Lori |
So you’re considering purchasing a solar garden fountain for your home? With hundreds of shapes, sizes colors and styles to choose from picking the right fountain for your garden can be confusing and difficult. With this in mind I am going to break the decision process down in small parts.
Your first consideration will probably be your budget. The good news is that excellent quality solar garden fountains can be purchased for under a $100.00. Most of these models are purchased as single units that can be un-boxed and placed in your garden immediately – with the addition of a little water of course.
A second consideration for your solar garden fountain will probably be function. Yes I did say function; thinking about what you want to achieve with your fountain will help you choose the right style and type of fountain.
Is your goal to draw wildlife to your garden? If the answer is yes then consider one of the many ‘bird bath’ solar fountains available. Birds adore the running water as do many beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. A solar bird bath type fountain is among the most inexpensive of all of the solar fountains and by far the easiest to ‘install’. These fountains also use very little water and with the addition of using solar energy to power your fountain they are the most inexpensive to operate.
Perhaps your goal is to create a soothing, relaxing, retreat for the human members of the household? If so I recommend one of the cascading fountains. These are usually sold partially assembled for easy shipping, but don’t be put off, most models only require you to fit the cascade bowl assemblies directly into a pre-made form. The cascade style fountain is a little louder than a bird bath type fountain making it an excellent choice for patios and decks. the sound can serve as a type of ‘white noise’ to block out the noise of traffic, lawn mowers and other distractions contrary to relaxation. A special note here for apartment or condo dwellers, smaller models of these fountains can help you create that special place of relaxation right on your balcony; because it is solar powered your garden fountain can live anywhere outdoors.
Another use for solar garden fountains is to create a big splash. (Sorry could not resist the pun.) What I mean is a well placed and flashy fountain can immediately improve that all important ‘curb appeal’. Garden fountains are often seen as ’special’ and sometimes extravagant; this is a ‘left over’ attitude from when fountains were very expensive, not only to purchase but to maintain. The fact is that a solar garden fountain, what ever it’s size, is no longer expensive to purchase or maintain. Many of these new larger fountains rely on resins in their construction so they are no longer heavy or unwieldy to install like the classic concrete styles. If you are considering this type of solar fountian it is important to know that you can purchase fountain base and solar fountain pump seperately. In fact any fountain can be turned into a solar fountain with the availability of modern solar pumps.
Moving on, I want to discuss the size of your solar fountain. I realize that size is often dictated by the budget and in turn size will often dictate where you want to place your solar garden fountain. The rule is simple, a large area needs a large fountain, a small area needs a small fountain. Think of your fountain as an accessory to your garden or patio. Just like accessories in your home, they need to be sized to be noticed, but not to overwhelm. And like accessories, garden fountains can be collected over time and showcased in different parts of your garden and/or patio and deck areas. Don’t be put off if you feel your area needs a large fountain but your budget dictates a small one. Consider breaking up your garden into smaller vignettes and featuring a different solar fountain in each area.
Speaking of placement of your solar garden fountain, I want to be the first to bust a common misconception. Not all solar fountains need to be placed in full sun in order to operate. Available on the market today are several models that come with a separate solar panel. This means that people with covered balconies, screened in porches, covered decks and shady gardens can now enjoy the benefits of solar garden fountains. A cord is run from the pump through a sealed opening in the bottom of the fountain and the solar panel can be placed typically from 4′ to 6′ away (be sure to check cord lengths when ordering).
However, also available today are solar fountains with rechargeable batteries built into the solar panels. Unlike the original solar garden fountains these models have on/off switches so the fountain can be run at any time on battery power. The solar panel recharges the batteries on sunny days. This is great news for those of us who like to enjoy our gardens in the cool of the evening. If this is the type of solar fountain you are looking for be sure to carefully read the fountain descriptions before ordering. If you do not see the words ‘recharge’ or ‘battery powered’ consider the fountain to be of the ’sun only’ type. Also be prepared to pay a little more for these type of solar garden fountains.
I hope this article has given you some good ideas and tips for choosing a solar garden fountain for your home. For more ideas click on the links to the right to view some of the more popular (and best priced) solar fountains available. And stay tuned in for future articles I will be talking to you about creating solar fountains from existing materials and caring for your solar fountain. Who knows? We might even build a solar fish pond together….
For some great ideas on how to choose what Solar garden Fountain may be right for you head over to this article here
