From tinkling steel to the hollow sounds of bamboo, wind chimes make a beautiful addition to gardens, both visually and atmospherically. With a range of materials and sizes available, each individual wind chime will create a unique sound, emitting a soft background noise to which you can enjoy the tranquility of your garden.
- Consider garden lights as your next garden accessory
- Spruce up your entire garden by choosing the best garden furniture
Traditional is best when it comes to wind chimes, which is why we’ve placed the Woodstock Amazing Grace Chime at the top of our list. The aluminium chimes have been tuned to play the opening notes of Amazing Grace, denoting the spiritual roots from which these natural instruments come from. If you believe the sound of a metal chime will be too harsh for your garden, wooden chimes are much softer, so you should have a look at our Ethical Roots Bamboo Wind Chimes as an alternative.
In addition the material, consider the length of the chimes, as the shorter they are, the higher pitch will be. Different metals also produce different sounds; hard metals, such as aluminium and steel produce a high tinkly sound, while copper is softer and produces a mellower chime.
This very traditional wind chime features aluminium tubes for a distinct metallic sound. Each tube represents a note in the opening of Amazing Grace, so you may find the tune is familiar at times. It features a removable windcatcher, which you can customise if you’re planning on giving it as a gift, while the 25” chime length should emit a lower pitch sound.
For smaller gardens or in residential areas where houses are close together, copper wind chimes are the best, as the sound they produce is mellower. The copper tubes have been tuned play a pleasing melody, while the inclusion of jade beading on the wind catcher string denotes peace, wisdom and balance – the perfect accompaniment, both spiritually and aesthetically.
With Fairtrade credentials, this bamboo and coconut wind chime is ethically sourced and made by the locals in Bali who receive a good wage and working conditions. The combination of the bamboo tubes and the wooden clapper creates a soft subtle sound in the wind, which makes it the best wind chime material for small spaces.
With its angular design and colour changing glass orb, this wind chime certainly has a striking modern edge. Solar powered, it charges during the day and lights up at night, emitting blues, greens, reds and yellows into your garden. With a length of 76cm, it’s fairly sizeable, making it ideal for that statement garden piece.
With a red wood top, bronze tubes, decorative bells and berries, this intricate wind charm features Chinese tokens of wealth and delivers a soft tinkly sound. For under ten pounds, you certainly receive a lot of wind chime for your money and with the potential for good luck, too, it may make a worthwhile investment!
If you’re a fan of unique trinkets, this solar powered multi-coloured wind chime is the ultimate decorative piece. With their intricate design and green wings, the colour-changing hummingbirds will certainly take centre stage in your garden, and with a solar powered battery as the top, you don’t need to worry about any additional wiring or battery costs.
Read more:
Why you can trust Real Homes Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
If you're after a more scientific way of keeping track of the weather, take a look at our list of the best weather stations for amateur meteorologists and gardeners.