Water fountains are a wonderful addition to any backyard oasis, balcony oasis or patio. With all the different sizes available from a tabletop water fountain that can be moved indoors or outside to a water garden fountain, you will be able to find the perfect fountain for your backyard retreat. And if you have only a small patio or balcony area there are many water fountains that will still work for your small space design.
photo credit: poplinre

For the small balcony oasis your best bet is a small portable water fountain or a mini barrel pond with a fountain. They come in all sizes and your final selection will be determined on how much available space you have. My one friend has their balcony water fountain near the balcony sliding doors. In the winter they enclose the balcony with plexi-glass and have an additional 5-foot by 8-foot living space. They have added additional heat with a small ornate electric heater that only needs to be used on nights where the outside temperatures fall below 25 degrees.

Using a small water fountain you can move it indoors if you live in a very cold climate and continue to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere it creates. The bubbling sounds of water create a soothing and tropical feel to any area, so take advantage of small water fountains. The addition of a fountain will also seem the make your space larger.

If your fountain is located on a patio you may be able to include a decorative container or mini pond and a larger fountain. Check your garden center to see what they have available. For a fountain located on the patio you will want to choose an area that you can turn into a mini retreat or almost a separate outdoor garden area. This can be accomplished by using a corner or side of the patio and a trellis or decorative fence section for more privacy. If you are including fish you will have to choose the fountain variety and how much sun the mini pond or pond container will receive during the day.

There is one other concern with water fountains. You need to place the fountain near and electrical outlet because the water pumps operate on normal household current. If the location that you have chosen for your fountain does not have an outlet nearby the next best alternative is to have an electrician run an underground wire to the pool site and install an outlet there. This step will adds time and expense to your project but it might be worthwhile to keep cords out of the way and to stop any possible safety concerns like tripping over cords.

Recently solar powered fountains have become popular and they have artistic beauty plus the benefit of not needing electrical cords to be laid or buried. You also have the benefit of using less electrical power, saving money and practicing green environmental practices. How to Solar Guide has a very artistic and beautiful water fountain shown on their site, along with several other unique fountains and lighting ideas for your backyard garden areas and backyard oasis.

There is a size and design in water fountains that will fit any garden, backyard oasis area, or urban living situation. Check out the possibilities and think about adding a new dimension of relaxation to your living space.

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 20th, 2009 at 1:53 pm and is filed under backyard oasis. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.