Just Add Water

Landscape need that extra something? Add H2o. Gardens that pull people outside and keep them there often showcase a water feature. Of all garden elements, the most alluring is probably water. You hear water and you want to see it move and feel it on your skin. Something about the liquid substance makes you stop, listen, and relax.

Water transforms the backyard into an oasis of cool comfort. How invigorating to be splattered by a fountain or slip hot, tired feet into a refreshing pond. Water also masks unwanted, disruptive noise such as nearby traffic. And it makes a garden look good. Few sights are as breathtaking as the sparkle of moonlight on water.

With today’s myriad water features, including fountains, you can create just about any water sound you want, such as flowing, gushing, trickling, splashing, pouring, dripping, cascading, rushing, and bubbling.

Water itself is a very unusual compound, and there is no other substance like it, says Jeff McMillan, a chemistry professor at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif.  "Scientists have always been intrigued by water and have written volumes about it,” says McMillan, who has a PhD from Princeton. "Water is called the universal solvent, because so many things can dissolve in it."

That water is liquid at room temperature is also extremely unusual, as is the fact that in solid form, it floats. "Most materials sink in solid form," says McMillan. "When things solidify, the atoms and molecules generally move closer together and become denser. Water molecules and atoms, on the other hand, get slightly farther apart when water freezes, which makes ice float."

The concept of ice floating is especially important to ponds and lakes in cold climates. "If water didn't float, bodies of water would freeze from the bottom up and kill everything in the water," says McMillan. "Instead, water freezes from the top down, creating a blanket of insulation for fish and other life below."

Is there a scientific explanation for why we're drawn to water?

"Although it's speculation, I think it's an evolutionary thing that people gravitate to water," says McMillan. "Water is and has always been so critical to all life forms. Year after year, generation after generation, we have depended on water for survival. It's probably ingrained in our genes."

Whatever the scientific reasons, the fact remains that adding water to the garden will make your landscape the refuge you desire. Water adds multiple dimensions to the garden that other landscape items just can't provide.

Placing a fountain in your yard is one of the simplest and quickest ways to add water to your landscape. Keep the following tips in mind when choosing a fountain to complement your landscape.

Consider location. Where would you like to enjoy the sight and sound of a fountain? Do you want all eyes to fall on it, or would you prefer to enjoy it in an out-of-the-way location? Perhaps you want to hear it outside your bedroom window?

Determine size and placement. Measure the intended space in terms of allowable depth, width, and height.

Match your home style. Consider your architecture and color scheme. Bring a paint chip or brick from your backyard when shopping for a fountain.

Listen carefully. Hear exactly what a fountain sounds like before purchasing. Remember that the more water there is and the farther it has to fall, the louder the sound will be.

Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of seven books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening,  Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.