|
When a man's home was his castle, literally, walls had a very definite function. They had to surround the castle, be high, strong, and
permanent, able to take the shock of whatever assaults might be made
on them from outside. Today, however, the function of garden walls is less grim and
they perform their duties with grace and beauty in a variety of architectural forms. Walls are truly coming into their own, as is the choice in decor for garden walls. One choice we love is a garden wall fountain.
Today walls may form the boundary line between two properties,
or they may be the line of demarcation between two parts of the garden. The gaden wall can separate the beauty of the living portions of a
property from the useful and functional, but unlovely, service areas. Wtih a noise making wall fountain,
It can act as a sound barrier or noise-cushion between a house and a
busy street. It may be low enough to become useful as furniture-the
seat wall is now an accepted fixture in outdoor planning, or it may rise
high enough to screen out the prying eyes of nosy neighbors or curious
passersby, or to break the force of winds which might sweep the terrace. Walls may be solid or pierced; smooth or very much textured; may
sport any color of the rainbow or be unobtrusively painted to match the
house; or be left in the sober and subtle natural hues of the material of
which they are built. No matter the composition, a garden fountain on the wall is a good choice.
A garden wall may be used to retain and hold back a hillside where it has
been necessary to bulldoze out a driveway, walk, or terrace on a sloping
site. It may be used to retain the roots of a tree around which the land
has had to be sliced down and evened as living-space for which the
shade of the tree will be needed. In every case the garden wall becomes a
distinct asset to the property and by its permanence will continue to
give satisfaction for many years to come. It has a useful function, but
it can also contribute great beauty, especially with the addition of a water wall fountain.
The garden wall is a year-round joy. In the growing season it will be a good
foil for showing off your plants, your trees, and your shrubs. In winter
it will give architectural form to the winter landscape, even under the
snow, and is a background for bare branches so that their beauty can
be appreciated. Garden wall fountains should be removed in the winter, and protected from freezing. A garden with walls need never look so forlorn in
winter as one which depends entirely on plant material for its effect.
The walls are the "bones" of the garden on which the "flesh" of plant
material is hung, and, as with humans, good bone structure will make
the flesh more charming and beautiful.
|
