A few years ago I was in California and blown away by all the beautiful garden fountains that I saw. So I put together a little roundup post of all the places I could find that I could dream about going to one day to buy a fountain for our own home. Two years later, I still don't have one, but I'm getting closer and my shopper's eye has grown sharper. Here's my latest update with rich collection of sources. Enjoy!
This pic is from 2008. The fountain above is in Sara Kate's mother's yard. It's from Jackalope.
Northern and Eastern folks have only half a year to fire up their fountains, but in the more temperate regions they run year round (I found the stunner of a fountain below outside a chiropractor's office in Berkeley)...
The web really delivers. Below you'll find a list of some really good and some really diverse online shops that sell garden fountains. Note: they're not all classy. The fountain business lends itself to some pretty awful creations. You've got to self edit, but there ARE good ones among the bad.
How To's: This is your first stop. The top link, in particular, is a good one for an attractive DIY
>> DIY water fountain out of terra cotta pots from Martha Stewart
>> How to make an outdoor fountain from Wikihow.com
>> DIY three-tiered fountain using some lightweight planters from bluegrassgardens.com
>> How to build a fountain/container combination from gardengatemagazine.com
Less Common Retailers: These guys are fancy, unique or both
>> Mecox Gardens - a lot of these are unique, vintage finds
>> Elegant Earth - These people do a beautiful job with organically pigmented concrete, and have a detailed list of retailers which comprise good local leads for fountains
>> Compania Int'l - These folks are wholesalers, but have a great selection online as well as a great list of local retailers.
>> Stone Forest
>> Green Goddess
More Common Retailers: These guys have all the stuff you'd expect, but WITH some good choices.
>> Garden Fountains
>> Kinetic Fountains
>> Simply Fountains
>> Prosperity Fountain
>> Reseda Pottery
>> Lamps Plus - these guys have added fountains to their lighting selection.
>> Water Fountain Place
If you're in Los Angeles or New Mexico
If you're on Long Island
>> Marders in Bridgehampton
Solar Fountain Pumps: I wanted to include this if only to point out that solar makes a lot of sense for powering these things.
Apartment Therapy's Sofa Shopping Guide
Nikki’s Sweet and Cheery Print Studio
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Stanley Console by ...
5 Things Paris Taught Me About Travel
Recipe: Ham, Cheddar & Chive Egg Bakes
fountains and outdoor water are one of the few escapes for us city dwellers -- such a nice escape this time of year:
one of my favorite modern designs from a master
http://www.noguchi.org/well.htm
Several many years ago, Frontgate catalog featured a fountain that was a 5 foot tall very beautifully proportioned urn in a very dark finish for about $1600. It was manufactured in the Phillippines. I finally got enough money together to buy it and was told it was unavailable. I'm sure they wanted me to buy something else from them but my heart is set on this one. They would give me NO information whatsoever about it. In your searching, have you come across anything similar to my description? Do you know of any Phil. manufacturers I might try? Thanks for your help. This is a great article and it stirred me up.
For folks looking for smaller, more affordable fountain options that don't require difficult installation or a ton of space, like folks with back patios and those who live in apartments (like me), Z Gallerie has some awesome options --- http://www.zgallerie.com/c-17-fountains.aspx
Yes! Thank you so much for this post. I've been meaning to look for fountains for our new pad and this was a great start. Thanks to Paulawirth too-- I've got an ubermodern 60s house and the z gallerie options are groovy and much more affordable.
That Chioko Fountain is so serene and simple. It would be great for a condo or apt. dweller!
I live blocks from Jackalope in LA. They are the best!
Hi,
Thanks for the article on fountains! We just got in our shipment of bog plants, water plants, pumps and pond kits for all you folks out there in Brooklyn. Just add fish and water.
Rose Red & Lavender
653 Metropolitan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
www.roseredandlavender.com
Can anyone comment on the effectiveness of solar fountain pumps? I am considering one for my backyard, either the one in the picture above or one with a pump, cord and solar charger. I am unsure how big a fountain it can handle.
Yes, I have the solar fountain shown above. It works quite well in direct sunlight. If a cloud passes over the sun, your fountain will stop until the clouds pass. I don't mind this because I don't require my decorative items to be on duty 24/7. I made a lovely fountain out of two planters, the one on the bottom is a cube and a wide bowl shaped planter sits on top, with the fountain. A few different sprays are included with the lily pad fountain. Hope this helps!
Thank you!
thanks for the link to our site www.waterfountainplace.com - we really appreciate you noticing all our hard work! I work for waterfountainplace and I just happen to be a member of your blog as well! Coincidence!
If you need anything regarding fountains let me know!
These are way cool ideas! ive been looking for solar fountains for the garden and these are definitely some good ideas.