Add A Fountain To Your Rock Garden

 

A great many fountains use standard designs that look very much like the bigger, classic fountains that feature in busy plazas or in front of large hotels. However, in recent years the demands of gardeners have caused a diversity in fountain designs, currently one of the most popular types is the rock garden fountain. These fountains utilize natural materials (various types of stone) or synthetic (fiberglass and plastics) which attempt to look as close to the natural rock as possible.

Rock garden fountain designs are now seen in smaller versions for use indoors. These tabletop gardens are incredibly popular which has led to a number of interesting designs, including that of the zen tabletop garden fountains, which use small rocks, or pebbles, to create a fascinating fountain display.

The best rock garden fountain designs use small, smooth river stones to make it look more natural. When it comes to the garden you can use a similar design but instead of using small stones or pebbles you can simply substitute them with large rocks or much bigger pebbles. In garden supply shops you will find all sorts of rock garden fountains to choose from, many of the designs will attempt to look like natural shallow pools (like those found in mountain streams) with miniature waterfalls.

Unfortunately most of the rock garden fountain kits available are made from fiberglass, plastic or some other synthetic material rather than the natural stone. Although these are not truly authentic, a modern rock garden fountain can easily be made to look realistic by placing your plants around it carefully and incorporating just a few natural rocks and stones..

If you are lucky enough to have a large garden you can really go to town on your design. The faux rock garden fountains try to emulate nature as closely as possible but fail when used in larger installations where the only option really is to use large stones such as slate. A fantastic advantage of using slate is that it has a wonderful look and feel, especially when compared to plastic!

In most cases you will have used natural rock and stone in your rock garden and using this material in your rock garden fountain will ensure that it blends well with the rest of your rockery. In the previous article we took a look at having a fountain in your pond which, if you haven't read already, you may wish to if you still have any doubts as to having a fountain in your rockery. In the next article in our series we shall take a look at rock fountains which are suitable for use in a rockery or as a standalone water feature.

 

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