This is the personal story of my first French Quarter apartment and its magnificent courtyard garden and fountain.  The beauty and serenity of those peaceful, genteel days spent in that garden still haunt me.  Those are days gone by now, but they inspired this site.

My love affair with

Outdoor Garden Decor Wall Fountains...

...began in the deep, deep South many years ago when I was introduced to my first statuary water fountain in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

I had just graduated from college and moved to the "Big Easy" where I'd accepted my first job.  The new job was located off Canal Street in downtown New Orleans, so I rented an apartment in the historic French Quarter and was able to walk the few blocks to where I worked.

With all the hubbub around leaving home, moving all the way across the state, and not only starting a new job, but it was that all important "first job", at first I paid little attention to the outdoor garden wall fountain located in my new apartment's courtyard.

Courtyards in New Orleans are quite popular and prevalent, I came to learn as I settled into my new surroundings, and fountains are a natural for them, especially wall fountains.

Wall fountains, even large ones, because they're located on a wall, take up very little space, yet you get the same tranquil effect of trickling, tinkling water falling into a quiet pool as you would from a regular, free standing, statuary water fountain. 

Since only one other tenant shared the premises (and he traveled a lot), it was almost as if I had my very own private courtyard, and its outdoor, garden wall fountain was mine to enjoy alone.  It was lovely and consisted of a carved, stone lion head (similar to this lion garden fountain) on the wall that spouted a good sized stream of water into a semicircular pool beneath it which was built directly on the courtyard's brick paved floor. 

The semicircular pool basin was actually quite large, and was made of a brick container wall topped with a foot wide, concrete ledge to sit on.  I spent many an hour sitting on this ledge being soothed and comforted by the soft, trickling sounds of water tumbling into the receptacle pool.

A huge Selloum plant was planted beside the fountain and some of its deeply serrated, tropical leaves dipped into the pool creating ripples when the breeze blew through the plant.  All was shaded by a lushly leaved, tall, swamp magnolia tree growing in the corner of the courtyard.  I still remember the aroma of its fruity-scented, creamy white flowers in summer. 

The homes in New Orleans' French Quarter are all built somewhat the same way.  Most are two or three stories tall, front directly on the street, and connect with the house on either side, thus sharing common side walls.  Most have a main house on the street front, smaller "servant's quarters" in the back, and a paved courtyard in-between.  This type of architecture gave rise to many wonderful, high walled courtyards perfect for vertical accents like outdoor wall-mounted fountains and outdoor wall planters.

These courtyards were the only "back yard" they had, and were usually small.  This dictated that much care and thought went into the planning of their landscaping, and some were quite incredible in their beauty and detail.

On occasion owners would open their courtyards to professionally guided "Candlelight Tours" so tourists, and locals like me, could spend an evening going from home to home and visiting several courtyards in one night.  I attended these walking tours every chance I got, and each courtyard I visited was a new architectural and gardening wonder.

The homeowners would have their courtyards delicately lighted with a multitude of candles (hence the name Candlelight Tour), meticulously clean, and usually all decked out with freshly potted blooming plants, and cascading hanging baskets.  And, of course, their prized garden accent fountain was the center of attention as it serenaded the visitors with its serene patter and splatter of falling droplets.

Each secluded courtyard was a quiet haven, and a lovely, private jewel hidden away behind locked, wrought-iron gates.  Even today the temptation to try to get a peek inside through the gates is irresistible to many.

My love for garden accent fountains has never waned since those fun, early days in New Orleans.  The "livin' is easy" beside a garden pool where the silence is broken only by the trickle of water falling gently into the basin of a graceful, statuary water fountain.

I know you will enjoy yours too.

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Be sure to take a look at the entire selection of fountains, pedestals, busts, garden planters, wall plaques, and many, MANY more outdoor garden decor accents to make your garden a showplace.

If you want just the perfect garden accent, we have it.