Garden and landscape design is a relatively recent art form in a modern sense that dates back to the 14th century Italian villas of the Renaissance for its cognomen and spiritual center. Designing a good garden requires knowledge of several disciplines, including topography, land usage, horticulture and architectural elements.

Designing for a small, urban space requires focusing a design on one or two aspects, and aiming for the overall goal of a harmonious composition of topographic, architectural and horticultural elements. Because an urban garden lacks the space to subdivide it into "natural rooms", and may have several competing elements from the surrounding city, wall fountains are a popular choice for any urban garden design.

Wall Fountains As A Design Element

Fountains are stand alone design elements (or abut the side of a building) that cycle water from a catch basin to the top, creating a sheet of water over a desirable surface - many designs include Indian slate for their backdrop, or granite, and even pebbled concrete fountains are used in some areas. The design goal of wall fountains in urban garden design is to provide the visual and auditory focus of the garden. They offer people visiting the garden an opportunity to listen to the sound of water rather than the bustle of traffic, honking of horns and the interminable chatter of cell phones carried by strangers.

Areas leading to wall fountains usually include a few key design elements - a walkway through the garden, and a leading tie in with trellis bushes and shrubs, which generally frame the garden. Planting beds, and regularly cycling through which bulbs get planted when, is a great way to keep your urban garden fresh in appearance and scent. And gardening and planting is a worthwhile hobby for many people.

Choosing good wall fountains means choosing one that can stand up to the elements of your current climate. It needs to be able to handle sunlight. If you're in a northern climate, it needs to be able to handle being shut off and drained in the winter. It's very important to drain your fountain before it gets too cold. A frozen pump or water line can shorten the life of fountains so you should therefore make sure all the water is drained and removed from the fountain prior to temperatures dipping into the 30s.

Water Fountains For You

Fortunately, buying and installing wall fountains in your garden is affordable and a reasonably simple process. Hooking up the water and getting the pump started does not take that much time and before you know it, your new water feature will be the eye catcher of your garden design project. Make sure you take into account details like the lay of the land, drainage patterns, the placement of planting beds, sunlight, wind path and shade trees (or surrounding walls) when setting up your garden as well as setting up your wall fountains.

Fountains offer the burbling of running water creating a nice peaceful atmosphere to your garden. Consider wall fountains as part of your next home and garden make over and so you'll be sure to be adding design elements that are appealing and enjoyed by all who take a stroll in your urban garden.