The sound of a waterfall is soothing and the sight of one is beautiful. However, the cords and electrical bills can be less than fantastic. Choose a solar-powered water feature for the garden, They are environmentally-friendly, easy to install, and beautiful as well.
Why Choose a Waterfall for the Garden?
Waterfalls are pleasant to the ear and the eye. In a small garden, they can become the main feature of the space and all other water features can be planned around the waterfall. A large waterfall is beautiful when backed by large shrubs. A small, low waterfall integrates well into an existing pond, creating a small river into the pond.
Moving Water Attracts Wildlife
Moving water is also an excellent garden feature for birds. Birds can bathe in the moving water. Attracting birds to the garden is a good idea because birds eat insects that can damage your garden plants. Adding a waterfall to a small pond is a way to control mosquitoes. Although moving water will not likely solve a mosquito problem, mosquito larvae prefer to breed in still water.
Why Choose Solar Power for a Waterfall?
Solar power is ideal for garden features. When you place a solar-powered ornament in the garden, it is recharges itself, as long as it is sitting in the sun.
Solar power is also a solution to a common garden problem: cords. Gardeners who want to incorporate lights and moving water into the card run into this problem. The garden features are beautiful, but the cords are difficult to hide. While solar-powered water features have cords, you do not need to find a place to put an extension cord to an external power outlet.
Types of Solar-Powered Waterfalls
Smaller solar-powered waterfalls come in a package with the solar cells and the waterfall already combined. Fountains are a common way to incorporate a waterfall into the garden. Types of small solar fountains:
- Fountains that cascade from one pot into another
- Tiered waterfalls that move between faux stone ponds into a large pond at the bottom.
- Spraying fountains and falls that have an animal or angel that sprays water into a small attached pond.
- Bird baths that include a solar-powered pump. When overfull, these fountains spill over the edges and can be placed in the center of a pond for a waterfall effect.
For a larger existing waterfall, look at solar pond pumps. These pumps are the system that moves the water in your waterfall along. While most of them run on electricity, some of them are powered with solar cells. These larger pumps require a larger group of solar cells. If you have a waterfall that is close to a patio rooftop, a deck, or a quiet area of the garden that gets a lot of sun you can place the solar cells there to work undisturbed.
Adding a waterfall or fountain to the garden adds wildlife habitat and the sight and sound of falling water. While the choices in solar products can seem overwhelming, choosing a solar waterfall for the garden is ultimately a decision that leads to less maintenance and fewer extension cords in the garden.
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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