by Peter Nelson , Nelson's Water Gardens, Katy, TX

Picking a fountain for a home in the Houston area can in many cases come down to more than just what looks pretty. Houston is hot! (as if we need to remind you) And hot dry weather equals a lot of evaporation. So when choosing a fountain for your yard you want to make sure it has the capability of running effectively when we get our hot dry stretches of weather. First off, lets define what a fountain is: A traditional fountain is an arrangement where water issues from a source, fills a basin of some kind, and is re-circulated or drains away.

As you can imagine, there are now many types of fountains available in the non traditional style. These would include free-standing fountains, tiered fountains, waterfalls, spitters and disappearing fountains among others. Whatever type you decide, you do want to keep a few things in mind in addition to the aesthetics of the fountain itself:

1) Does this fountain splash? Or more importantly, is the amount of splash acceptable? Nearly all fountains splash, therefore if this is going to happen, what will this splash affect?

2) How quickly will my fountain run out of water? Most people would consider having to fill a fountain every day to be too much maintenance, and in reality, most fountains on the market have to be filled at least this much. What is suitable to you (and never isn't an acceptable answer)

3) How effective is this fountain in terms of meeting my expectations? Most people want much more water flow (which equals more splash) than the fountain was intended for. Can this fountain make the noise I want and achieve the visual I would like?...or will this become a maintenance nightmare to have it do what I want?

4) Is the splash attributed with this fountain suitable for the plants and hardscaping in the area? Will the plants surrounding suffer and die? Will the splash create a slipping hazard or stain the hardscaping around?

5) What type of sound is appealing to me? Is it water falling over an edge and hitting water below? Is it the sound of water gurgling up and rolling over the edge of an urn or stone? Water falling and hitting water below makes much more splash than any other type of fountain. This is why tiered fountains are the fountains that require the most maintenance and upkeep…they have to be filled up more than all of the rest.

6) How big is the basin, the area where the pump sits? A fountain with a large and/or buried and hidden basin (i.e. disappearing fountain) will need much less filling up than a basin that is small and exposed.

Its a lot to think about, so at any nursery, try to find the guys who set up/maintain the fountains…they will tell you really quickly which ones they like and which ones to stay away from. Always make sure to see free standing/tiered fountains running before purchasing, and look for things that answer the questions above. I see too many fountains around town that have become sculptures, that is, the maintenance became so much that the owners simply let them stand there, waterless and lonely…waiting to be brought back to life.

About the author: Peter Nelson

Peter is the son of Anita & Rolf Nelson. He started working in the water garden business in 1995. Peter has a degree in Landscape Architecture from LSU, and is a member of the Nelson Design Team.