Trends in water features

In the hectic, overstimulated, digital lives we lead these days, I have noticed more of my clients are craving serenity in their outdoor living spaces. One of the things that I find is so helpful to creating as space is the addition of the sound of gently moving water. It doesn’t have to be much, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, I’d say the trend right now is that simpler is better.

I love this little water feature for exactly that reason: it is so simple and so peaceful. All it is is a metal trough with three bubblers. They surrounded the trough with black beach pebbles, and behind it there are a few ornamental grasses to sway in the breeze. It couldn’t be much more peaceful.

But what about saving water, you ask? I think a small fountain like this is completely appropriate for a waterwise garden. Did you know that if you compare 100 sq.ft. of lawn to 100 sq.ft. of the exposed surface of a swimming pool or fountain, you lose more water from the lawn? In both cases you have some water loss from evaporation, but the lawn also transpires, pulling water out of the soil and losing it through the pores in its leaves/blades. Plants that are more drought tolerant use a lot of tricky methods to cut down on water loss from transpiration, but turf grass didn’t evolve that way.

So if you want a very waterwise garden, consider getting rid of the lawn, replacing it with some fantastic outdoor living space, and allowing yourself (and the birds, too) a small fountain.