|
We're
taking a look at bridges, and hoping to provide you with some useful
ideas by suggesting ways in which they can be successfully incorporated
into gardens.
At
the top of the popularity stakes this year are water features. We
all want one, and with a long list of options, from cascading urns
to streams and ponds, it's possible to introduce a water feature
of some sort into every garden.
For
those of us lucky enough to have children old enough for open water
not to be a safety concern, nothing links the pond area to the rest
of the garden more successfully than a bridge - and nothing is more
inviting!
The
urge to cross it is irresistible, giving us the opportunity to view
the water at close quarters - and the rest of the garden from a
different viewpoint.
Believe
it or not, bridges also work well as a feature in gardens with no
water, using the 'dry river bed' idea.
We
recently had to design a seaside garden for a retired couple, and
by shaping the lawn around a pebble river to echo the beach at the
end of the road, we were able to install a wooden bridge over the
'river bed' to link two sections of path around the perimeter of
the grass.
This
instantly gave the garden a focus, and provided gentle height interest
at a time when the planting was very new.
Pebble
or slate river beds are very easy to build - just allow the stones
or slates to drift in a gentle curve, leading to a water feature,
perhaps, or a group of special plants.
Plant
groups of plants into the pebbles or slate - I used 3 each of Nandina
domestica 'Firepower', Miscanthus zebrinus and Euphorbia x Martinii,
and the surrounding pebbles contrasted perfectly with their colourful
foliage.
It
may be important to you to try to fit the style of bridge into the
surrounding landscape so that it looks as natural as possible.
In
a wild garden, for instance, you may opt for a couple of railway
sleepers slung across the narrowest point, or a flat timber construction
with simple handrail.
A crossing
formed from old stone lintels, supported on hidden blocks, would
blend in with a stone cottage.
Try
to make the trip to the other side worth the effort by planting
with attractive marginals and background specimens worthy of a closer
look, or perhaps by installing a sitting area on the other side.
There
are different types of bridges associated with different design
styles. For example, if you have a Japanese theme in mind, go for
a 'camelback' (or highly arched) bridge, painted red.
Simple
stepping stone crossing points, at which the stones appear to float
on the water, also blend in with the environment within the most
modern of designs, and at the opposite end of the scale, brightly
painted arches demand attention and create dramatic focal points.
For
a grassy planting scheme, consider a boardwalk made of planks around
the edge of the pond, culminating in a wooden crossing.
|
