Play It Safe With Home Garden Fountains

 

Well the above photograph may not be the most inspiring or artistic but I chose this very basic water fountain to demonstrate that home garden fountains need not be elaborate to be effective and often the most simple designs work the best job at creating a relaxing and peaceful ambience in which you can enjoy your garden.

In other articles we have looked at many reasons why you should consider the addition of a fountain into your garden design and we have also looked at some of the problem areas which you may face when installing one. As this article is about home garden fountains I want to take this opportunity to take a look at safety issues. In another article I made mention of the precautions you should take with getting power to your fountain but here I want to take a closer look at the fundamental question of the actual design.

A small child can drown in even the smallest amount of water and in an incredibly short amount of time. If there is the slightest chance that children will be in your yard, either unattended or even attended, I beg you to take this question very seriously. While home garden fountains can work wonders in improving the home a disaster is difficult to recover from.

The most obvious safety measure you can take is to make sure that any open water, such as a pond, is either inaccessible to a child or that, if they can get access, that the surface of the water it protected with a strong mesh able to withstand the weight of a small child. However you should really ask yourself the question if open water is really required at this time. A wonderful water feature can be little more than a mound of stones or pebbles with a spout in the center. Always remember that as soon as the child is considered old enough you can add the fountain of choice.

Home garden fountains are available for all tastes but crucial to safety is that they are firmly fixed in place. Although most disasters involve the water it can be incredibly dangerous to have a statue fountain that is unstable and could topple. Children often have a fascination with the strangest of things but nearly all become mesmerized with water fountains and the curiosity can get the better of them. Tiered or statue fountains can prove irresistible to children and they often bring out the child in adults. Unfortunately children will often want to peer up into the fountain and will often attempt to climb it, obviously a poorly fitted fountain will not be able to cope and if it is top-heavy the danger can be immense.

A fountain can be a great addition to any garden and will thrill children of all ages however, by taking the precautions mentioned above you can eliminate some of the risks of some home garden fountains. I hate to say this but it really is best to be safe than sorry!

 

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