Concrete water fountains are soothing and interesting attention-getters in your backyard.

Tom and I recently took a weekend trip to Natchez, Mississippi. We visited several antebellum homes dating back into the early to mid 1800s.

Each was painstakingly created to enhance the lives of its occupants, and each contained lovingly kept gardens.

One thing I noticed in these gardens was the garden statues and concrete water fountains.

While the gardens were all perfectly created English style gardens, with mazes, flowers and shrubbery meticulously tended by many hands, the garden statues and fountains placed strategically to be viewed and admired added immensely to the overall experience.

While those early inhabitants had more resources to place impressive statues and fountains in their gardens, this does not mean we must do without these items. There are many affordable choices available to us today that can create interesting focal points in our landscaping.

Look at the lovely Garden Statues at Lawn Ornaments and Fountains and you will see what a wonderful variety of choices you have for your home.

The items to include in your landscaping will depend on the overall look you are trying to achieve:

• Be certain to try for contrast, and variety in height.
• If you are placing something near light colored rocks or plantings, use darker colored statues and concrete water fountains.
• If the main coloring is darker, use a lighter shade for them.

While some items can be quite expensive, consider your budget and choose items that fit in with your theme. As a general guideline, landscapers suggest allowing approximately ten percent of their property value in landscaping. In a Southwestern Xeriscape type landscape, you might want to use horses, cowboys, Mexican fountains, or other Southwestern type items. Greek statues, or victorian fountains might look a little out of place, so choose carefully.

One of the more affordable and durable alternatives is the concrete water fountain. You may also find a nice wall fountain that would appeal to you, or a bronze statue.