Are you stuck deciding on a few options for a new beautiful water feature? Fountains Galore is here to help you make up your mind! As Melbourne's water feature experts, we've assisted tens of thousands of our customers decide on the perfect fountain. The sound of running water is known to boost our mental health, an understated benefit in our busy world.
1. Understanding Your Style & Intent
The first step to your decision is understanding the style of your house & garden, if you have a newly built modern home, you should consider a modern fountain as it will suit your established style. However, don't be afraid to add contrast to your garden with something more classical. There's no wrong answer, but your landscaping intent should be communicated clearly.
Some examples of styles:
Photo by Andrew Buchanan
Classical - A classical western style garden is often inspired by Ancient Rome and Greece. They combine architectural elements of carefully planned layouts with natural components. Symmetry is used to emphasise focal points, which will typically be a concrete or cast iron water feature, or an urn on top of a pedestal, full of beautiful roses.
Photo by Pehrsson Scott
Modern - Modern gardens are defined by sleek minimalist designs, with a focus on functionality. When it comes to water features in modern gardens, we're looking at simplistic shapes like bowls, balls, and columns. Fountains with LED lights transform your garden into a beautiful landscape at night.
Zen - Often draws inspiration from Japanese Zen Gardens with an emphasis on peace and tranquility. Common decorations for Zen Gardens are: still or slow moving ponds, natural rocks, bridges, stone lanterns, and carefully maintained plants. Attention to detail is the key to an effective to creating a peaceful atmosphere, balancing natural and artificial decorations.
Photo by Family Handyman
Natural - A natural styled garden seeks to mimic the look and feel of natural landscapes, using pre-existing plants and trees to their advantage. Natural style water features can be used to landscape your garden into an oasis. Native plants and trees can be planted asymmetrically to achieve the look of a natural landscape.
2. Consider Your Budget
The most limiting factors for purchasing water features is budget, tabletop water features can start around $150, while custom-built fountains can reach up to $5,000. It's important to do research and set your expectations to be realistic, we want you to avoid disappointment if your dream fountain is outside of your current budget.
3. The Sound Of Your Fountain
Are you looking for a fountain with enough sound to drown out sounds of traffic, or neighbors? Or are you looking for something silent that looks beautiful? It's important to ask these questions during the purchase process, as you want to make the right choice from the beginning.
The sound coming from your water feature will come from the flow rate and how much it splashes. A trickling water feature will not make a lot of sound, while a heavy flow coming from a projecting sheer will generate a loud sound. If you're looking for something silent, we recommend a checking out wall water feature, especially any of the designs that flows across the wall design. If you want a water feature that makes a lot of sound, we recommend classical tiered style fountains, as they have multiple cascades.
Abstract Copper Wall Fountain, a fountain that runs silently.
Monaco Fountain, a fountain that generates a lot of noise.
4. Installation & Space
Before deciding on your perfect fountain, it's important to measure the planned space in your garden. Compare the dimensions listed in our product pages against your planned space before you purchase. Do not judge a fountain only by the photo and/or video, as products may be smaller or larger than they appear. If you are located in Melbourne and want to take a look at a particular product in person, contact us, as we may have the product in our showroom.
Most water features are quite simple to install, requiring just connecting the provided submersible pump to the fountain tubing, and filling it with water. However, for the larger designs made from materials like Concrete or Cast Iron, it may be worth looking into getting a professional to install your fountain. We recommend contacting a local landscaper or handy-man.
5. Fountain Maintenance
Knowing what's involved in taking care of your water feature will give you the confidence in your decision. It's important to run your water feature regularly, circulating the water will prevent stagnation, which will keep bacteria & insects from contaminating the water. It will also provide oxygen to any plants & fish that you've introduced to your water feature.
If you want to keep your fountain's water clear from green algae, we recommend PondMAX 3 in 1 Pond Solution, this product is safe for pets.
Polyresin fountains will require a coat of clear sealer to prevent the paint from fading and flaking in the harsh Australian sun. This will need to be done every 6 months, which you will need to keep the fountain dry as the sealer binds to the paint.
If your pump fails and it's outside of warranty, you can simply replace the water feature pump. The easiest way to find the right replacement is to visually check the pump for any description on it's flow rate, which will be described in LPH (Liters per hour).