Water Wonders

While koi ponds require more maintenance than water fountains, they will surely impress house guests.

Local experts share how to incorporate beautiful aquatic features into your landscape.

Section by Kate Miller

Sometimes, there is nothing more relaxing than the sound of flowing water. Just because the beach is right outside our backyards does not diminish the usefulness of the well-placed water feature. Here, outdoor experts explain how to incorporate fountains and koi ponds to create a yard brimming with elegance.

For Debi Bradley, manager of Laguna Coast Pottery, there is one rule when it comes to water features: the more you have, the better. She believes wholeheartedly in integrating water features in your outdoor spaceit just adds something more. The noise that fountains make is like making popcorn, she says. Its a good sound. Its very soothing for stress.

There are plenty of ways to easily incorporate water features, many of which can simply be placed and left. The easiest? A fountain or water spout. Self-sustaining, these kind of features store their own water source, one that is continually recycled. With no irrigation system and little maintenance, these features add a relaxed, elegant mood to a backyard landscape with little effort.

Debi explains that another perk of fountains is their sustainability and versatility. With the same water cycling through its system, a fountain prevents water waste, as long as the splash overflow is appropriately set.

This overflow is easy to control; your fountain can be set to a high or low speed depending on the mood you want to create, whether its a gentle trickling for pleasing background noise or a loud splashing to impress party guests.

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Water Wonders