CHOOSING a water feature for your garden can be a bit of a minefield. Unless you’re into weeping angels, ominous stone sculptures or complicated balancing urns, you're generally quite limited.
With the prohibitive cost and the fact so many have to be concreted into place (as well as requiring a nearby water or electricity source), it's no surprise people give up before they’ve started.
- Hydria Water Feature Kit, £99.99 - buy here
But there's a new kid on the block that promises to break the water feature mould. Hydria Life claims to be both affordable AND energy-friendly, along with being portable and not requiring a water pipe.
Hydria Life claims it does this by providing a rechargeable all-in-one kit that can be placed into any of your favourite garden plant pots - as long as they're 30cm in diameter or more - with one charge supposedly lasting for two months.
- Hydria Water Feature Kit, £99.99 - buy here
But did it stand up to its bold claims? On one of the hottest days of the year, Sun Reviews was delighted to put it through its paces to work out whether Hydria Life really is a diamond geyser, or all trickle and no treat.
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Delivered in a white box, reminiscent of a certain fruit-led computer packaging, the water feature itself is pretty straightforward. But the fountain took almost six hours to plug into a wall socket and charge - important to take into consideration if you were planning to wow your garden guests within minutes of opening!
And do read the instructions; although they're simple, they're important. You may think it looks very straightforward but there are a few necessary steps to follow to prevent swearing under your breath and having to start again; believe me.
Once you've connected the cable, charged the battery and filled the container that it comes in with water - pop it in - then the fun part begins.
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- Hydria Water Feature Kit, £99.99 - buy here
It can go in a pot you own, or you can use one of Hydria Life's; there are plenty to choose from. But be sure to fill the pot with soil or a few bricks to keep it stable before you carefully place the feature into the water and then choose your fountain spout.
It comes with two different options, but the website sells all manner of alternatives, from mindfulness pebbles to elephants spraying water into the air. From there, you can customise as you wish.
If you're using a rustic pre-loved pot, you could complement it with stones from your outdoor space or local garden centre. Or if your garden has a colour theme, you can bring that shade to the pot or decorative stones.
Alternatively, you can splash (geddit) out on their mosaics. And because this fountain kit is all Hydria Life is promoting right now there are all sorts of amazing bundles, offers and suggestions on the site. Definitely worth a second look, especially, if like me, you're not that artistic and could do with a bit of inspiration.
It has a sleek small remote control that helpfully comes in a waterproof jacket. With this, you can put on one, two or three-hour timers, low medium or high pressures and green, red or blue backing lights.
- Hydria Water Feature Kit, £99.99 - buy here
Once I had it up and running, I have to admit, it looks very cool. And the fact that you can swap pots as you please, is a big bonus. The timers allow you to stretch the time between charges immeasurably - and the fact it just re-uses the water over and over is an environmental plus. I've had mine for two months now and haven't had to recharge it yet (although until recently it wasn't really 'fountain weather').
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And in terms of all-year-round use - if you choose the right pot, this actually wouldn't look out of place indoors in a bathroom or conservatory.
Leaving it outside means it will need a freshen-up and leaves picked out every so often. And I'm still not sure I've found the best location for it yet in my garden - so think carefully before you buy - so that it will definitely fit in with your garden design.
But the reasonable £99 price tag (and the fact you can customise it in any way you like) means that with a bit of sensible planning, you can have the soothing sound of trickling water anywhere, at any time with very little fuss.
Sun Vouchers is your one-stop shop for every deal and discount code currently available from your favourite online retailers. Don’t click ‘buy’ until you’ve checked Sun Vouchers for a discount code to apply to your basket.
