Garden Bridges

As some people want waterfalls in their garden ponds so do others want to construct a garden bridge? The idea has come from the Japanese who had gardens with ponds and bridges and everything was so artistically designed that the entire garden gave a look of serenity and bliss. This is the kind of ambience and serene surrounding that one tries to create when one builds a garden or a pond. Building a garden bridge does require some skills in carpentry and if one is not up to it then there are a number of kits available from which one can choose and order and by following the instructions assemble the bridge. First one has to decide the design of the bridge that one wants to make and is it going to be an ornamental bridge or is one actually using it. If it is just an ornamental bridge then make sure that no one can approach it or try to get on it. Secondly if there are children who will also be using the bridge then it has to be child safe. As the bridge is going to be outdoors so it should be durable and weatherproof. There are plans which are easily available on the Internet and one can get some of them free and others that one has to pay for. So for the do it yourself types there is another project waiting for you to take on. Building an arched bridge does require some skills and it may look deceptively simple but it is not.

One can also get a bamboo bridge to put across the pond. What one needs to remember is that the bridge has to be strong enough to take the weight of people standing on it and of children running across it. Some children are going to try and jump off it into the pond below. It is best to get a prefabricated bridge and assemble it rather then getting into the hassle of building it on one’s own. Garden pond bridges are traditionally arched bridges so there are curves in the wood that one will have to deal with and should it go wrong one could end up with a lopsided sloppy looking bridge. There are bridges that one can get in cedar or pine and in there natural coloring. There are smooth looking bridges and rough cut bridges. The bridge has to blend in with the garden and the space and cannot be too high to look out of place or too low to be invisible to spot when one walks into the garden. Of course it will in all probability be a wooden bridge and will not be some great engineering feat that one will get. Stone and mortar is out as that would not look natural in the garden.

First select the size and type of bridge that one wants to get and then search around on the Internet and if one cannot find anything suitable or what one likes is way over the estimates then go down to the lumberyard and talk to a carpenter to help out. A bridge can also have just the arches and no hand rails and stone flagging on it which will lead up from the garden path. All garden bridges have a slight arch in them as putting a straight bridge in a garden sort of looks out of place.

So it is best to talk to garden suppliers and get them to get one a do it yourself kit or a prefabricated bridge which will not take too long to put together. If one is constructing one on their own then be sure to choose the right wood and make sure that there are no knots in the wood and that the wood is well seasoned. Get the plans for the bridge and then follow the instructions that will be there with the plans and then build a garden bridge.