The UK's bestSolar Water Features2022 Review

A reasonable price tag, the appearance of real stone, and a charming little scene. These are the initial ‘takeaways’ from this Ornamental Umbrella Fountain Solar Water Feature.

If you’ve got quite a traditional garden, or you just like the look of stone ornaments, this water feature has got the look of a classic fountain/bird bath but everything’s just a bit more practical.

It’s made from resin which requires no maintenance, and weighs a very manageable 9.62 kg. As you can imagine, it’s therefore a lot easier to move around than a real stone fountain would be, and it’s cordless as well.

As mentioned, a sweet ornamental tableau makes up the centrepiece, and this is what makes the style quite ‘cute and traditional’ when compared with more modern, minimalistic designs. Water comes out the top of the umbrella, trickling down the ‘spokes’ and cascading past the models of a little boy and girl.

It might not be to everyone’s tastes, but it’s a very sweet item for anyone who enjoys this type of feature.

The solar panels are incorporated into the unit meaning there are no trailing wires to hide and everything is self-contained. Given that it needs to ideally be placed in direct sunlight, the light-weight, portable nature of this fountain means it’s even possible to move as the sun changes position.

Whilst some solar-powered items charge a battery store when it’s sunny, that’s not the case with this particular fountain. Therefore, it won’t run at night time, and there will also be cloudy days where it doesn’t have much strength.

In terms of assembly, it’s incredibly easy to put together and can be ready to go in less than ten minutes. The resulting gentle sound of running water is relaxing, and the whole fountain is easy to maintain; it will just require topping up with water every now and then and perhaps the odd wipe clean.

Fountains can add a lot of ambience to the garden, and even more so if they can run at night like this Traditional Barrel Solar Water Feature. The battery store charges up during the day, and can power both the fountain and four LED lights when there isn’t enough sun.

This results in a pretty versatile water feature as it can be a centrepiece in the garden during both the evening and the day. The water cascades from the top tap into a small ‘barrel’ and from that container into a larger one.

Although it’s all made from heavy-duty plastic, the finished design is sufficiently rustic to look stylish in the garden instead of cheap. It stands at 61 cm tall in total and can be placed in any area of the garden, regardless of electricity access, due to its solar panel.

It does need to be placed in quite a sunlit area, as this will also help with charging the battery as well as powering the solar panels. When there isn’t enough sun, providing the battery has benefited from sunlight during the day, the fountain can continue running for around four hours.

As mentioned, there are also LED lights that sit in the bottom bowl of the of the water feature. These can be turned on at the push of a button, illuminating the fountain at night time.

Whilst this particular model may seem quite expensive for what it is, given that it’s made of plastic, it creates an attractive focal point in the garden, is low maintenance, and can run when there’s no sun.

This Pitcher Cascade Solar Water Feature is made of durable resin that gives the appearance of dark terracotta – it’s perfect for creating a Mediterranean feel in the garden.

Given that it’s solar powered, there are no wires to worry about and it doesn’t need to be connected to anything. The water continuously cycles around the feature, only needing topping up when it evaporates.

There’s also a battery that stores solar power, meaning the fountain can even be used on cloudy days or in the evening. When fully charged, it can store enough power to continue running for around six hours without sunlight.

Though made of resin, as mentioned, the design is not ‘plasticky’, and the cascading terracotta pot composition wouldn’t look out of place on the terrace of a Spanish villa. If your garden has a Mediterranean theme, it’s an excellent choice, but it’s also one of the best solar water features for any style of garden.

The overall construction is lightweight, weighing 6 kg without water, and it can be moved around as required which is useful for winter storage. Like all things solar-powered, it works best in direct sunlight, but it will also continue to trickle (without using battery power) on some overcast days.

There’s only one small thing to criticise, and it’s a minor aesthetic observation at that, but the solar panel is square in a circular bowl so it’s not well concealed; it’s easy to spot in the top of the pitcher.

I imagine few of us are willing to commit to buying genuine bronze furniture for our garden, given that it’s both heavy and expensive. However, it’s still possible to get bronze-look items, like this Dancing Couple Birdbath Solar Water Feature, which provide the charm of bronze, without the fuss.

It’s light weight, made from weather-resistant resin, has a built-in reservoir, and doesn’t require any mains power.

In fact, setting it up takes as little as 10 minutes (including getting it out the box), and it can be easily moved around (which can’t be said for real bronze fountains!).

In many ways, its design is similar to the Ornamental Umbrella Fountain also featured on this page, but with one fundamental difference: the depicted scene. This one portrays a couple performing a ballroom dance under a pavilion, and the water cascades from the top of the shelter over the sides.

It fills the bowl and is cycled back through the fountain, only requiring topping up occasionally when some of the water evaporates.

The one downside to this fountain is the lack of battery; it can’t store power and therefore won’t run at night time or on cloudy days, so it’s best suited to gardens that receive quite a lot of light.

Its design is both contemporary yet traditional at the same time which makes it one of the best solar water features for either style of garden, and it’s also extremely low maintenance.

This Water Mill Solar Water Feature allows you to bring a miniature ‘working’ watermill into your garden. The mill’s wheel turns as the water runs over it, and it also illuminates at night time.

Measuring 51 x 50 x 51 cm, it’s not quite as small as you might initially expect, meaning that the decorative details aren’t lost and it’s large enough to create a pleasant sound as the water runs off the wheel.

Unlike many solar-powered features, its solar panel is separate as opposed to built in. The cable is 3 m long so the solar panel can be placed in the vicinity of the fountain, but is easy to position in order to optimise how much sunlight it receives.

Whilst it may not be the best solar water feature for sitting on its own on the patio, due to this design, it will be ideal for nestling amongst gravel beds or rockeries. It’s necessary to place this water mill somewhere like a flowerbed, with soft ground to drive the stake of the solar panel into, as opposed to a hard surface.

There is also a second solar panel, on the roof of the house, that charges a small light. At night the light will come on if desired, and there is a small switch on the panel which allows this feature to be controlled. This light is positioned inside the house, meaning the little windows illuminate from within with a warm glow.

This is both aesthetically pleasing and practical, acting as a small light source in the garden.

Whilst this water feature may look like it’s made from stone or clay, it’s actually been moulded out of resin. As a result it doesn’t require any maintenance, and will withstand bad weather without getting damaged.

Overall, if you’re after something decorative and low maintenance, this works well on both accounts, offering something different compared to your standard garden fountain. Due to its design though, it’s not going to attract wildlife in the same way that a bird-bath style fountain will, so it depends what you’re looking for from a water feature.

Whilst this might not be the case with all fountains, solar powered models like this modernistic Blumfeldt Sphere Fountain Solar Water Feature can be placed both indoors and out.

The idea of an indoor fountain may seem absurd, until you realise how easy it is to move something like this around (it only weighs 8.8 kg). It can be placed outdoors in summer, and brought in to continue running in the conservatory during winter (if you want!).

All of the components are self-contained, so the water is kept in a reservoir within the base of the unit, and continuously cycled through the fountain, there are no outside cables, and the water doesn’t splash violently out of the pool.

The water bubbles from the top of the sphere, trailing down into a flat pool at the top of the pedestal. Standing at 72 cm tall, it’s the sort of water feature which could just as equally be a bold centrepiece or an understated addition to the garden

Given that the solar panel is separate to the main unit, it can be moved around and positioned to receive optimum sunlight, and there is a battery as well which can charge through the solar panel.

As a result, this fountain will run at night as well, and there is a light that illuminates the water; it generally comes on when the solar panel stops receiving enough light in the evening, or when the battery mode is turned on.

The only problem with the light is that it seems to require relatively bright sunlight to charge effectively, therefore it may not work all that well if there was not that much sun during the day. It may also be best to manually turn it on, so that the charge isn’t used up by nightfall on darker evenings.

This Cobbled Birdbath Solar Water Feature is a great choice for bird lovers (or just anyone who enjoys charming water features!). With the decorative birds on top, and cobbled-stone-effect construction, there’s a real ‘Snow White’ feel about it, and the design is well laid out for attracting real birds to come by too.

Water bubbles out of the top basin, cascading down the lipped sides into the large lower basin where birds can sit to drink or bathe. It has a 36 cm diameter, offering plenty of space for blackbirds and sparrows to clean their feathers.

The overall weight without water is 4.54 kg, so despite the stone effect, it’s actually made from lightweight resin. This makes winter storage much easier than it would be with a real stone fountain, and also means it can be moved around as well if desired.

It also required very little maintenance, and is both UV and frost resistant, so won’t easily show signs of wear despite the varying UK climate.

The solar panel is on a separate stake, which can be placed on the ground near the fountain in order to capitalise on sunlight. This works well to provide optimum space for the birds to bathe as well, as no room is used up by solar panels within the water feature.

It’s therefore one of the best solar water features for encouraging birds to visit, and is very mobile and self-contained, making it a practical yet attractive choice. Assembly is relatively straight forward, and the model birds don’t come automatically attached, so you could choose to leave them off, if you preferred to give real birds more space.

Just one helpful thing to note, as the instructions are a little vague: the pump is positioned in the column between the big and small bowl, from there it connects via a tube to the top bowl.