Functional Wind Chimes for your Garden

Often made of hollow metal or wooden tubes, and sometimes made of solid material, wind chimes are moved by wind, striking against each other, resulting in sound. Also called a wind bell, wind chimes can be made in three different ways:

• Similar materials and objects clustered together and suspended from a center support, and moved by the wind, causing tinkling sounds.
• A bell with a long clapper that plays as the wind moves the clapper against the bell.
• A cluster of materials including a clapper, all suspended from a center support, which chime when the wind blows against a wind catcher attached to the bottom of the clapper.

Western countries now believe what Asian civilizations have known for centuries; that wind chimes may have healing properties for body and soul. The sounds created by wind chimes can relieve stress, reduce anger, promote relaxation, and create a sense of well being. Some cultures believe that wind chime melodies will bring balance and harmony to your home and garden.

Clusters in wind chimes can be made from many materials, including sea shells, pipes, silverware, glass, crystal, horseshoes, bamboo, stones, and even plastic tubing. Each material produces a different, unique sound when fashioned into wind chimes. More elaborate wind chimes can be tuned to play distinct pitches and music. But while wind chimes can produce tranquil tinkling, and peaceful resonating music, they are more than merely ornamental accents for your garden. Wind chimes also forecast the weather and indicate wind direction.

Meteorologists know that predictable wind directions are associated with specific weather models. For example, cooler temperatures occur in the summer because of winds blowing inland off of large bodies of water. Atlantic coast residents know that a storm is coming long before they see storm clouds because they sense a change in the direction of northeasterly winds. Conversely, northwesterly and westerly winds point to a cold front approaching.

Thus, if you properly expose your set of garden wind chimes to wind, you will hear the general direction of the wind. You will be able to distinguish between several directions of wind if you place a few sets of wind chimes around the perimeter of your garden, and the rate at which they twist and clap in the wind can give an estimated wind speed. If you place a chime on the north side of your garden, it will only be moved by a north wind, possibly signaling a change in weather.

While wind chimes can provide a treat for the senses, they can simultaneously function as a reliable indicator of weather changes.