Nothing adds form and functionality more attractively than wooden garden bridges placed strategically outdoor landscape appeal. This “hardscape” item can add dramatic interest to water gardens; serve as a practical (and lovely!) access across ponds, ditches, or other low areas; or simply be placed as an eye-catching focal point to highlight any area of a yard.
Material, Sizes, and Options
Less expensive wooden garden bridges come made most commonly from pressure-treated pine. If you’re willing to pay the price, however, you can also get these pretty footbridges made from such weather-resistant woods as teak, cedar, or redwood. The most popular sizes include lengths of four, six, and eight feet, but many online, as well as brick-and-mortar companies, that manufacture them also offer custom-built bridges to satisfy any specified length the homeowner requests and is willing to pay for.
Most companies that offer wooden garden bridges or footbridges also offer optional railings on their creations. This extra feature may add some to the cost, but it also provides a safer way to cross the bridge, especially if the surface of the wood becomes slippery from rain, snow, or ice. If you do not anticipate the need to ever cross your garden bridge under these circumstances, then, of course, railings are not necessary. And some people prefer the cleaner lines of the bridge, alone, without the railings, which do add a degree of cumbersomeness to beauty of the bridge.
Complementary Plantings
Wooden garden bridges are often sold as “Japanese” bridges because of the origin and popularity of the style in that country. Creating a water garden feature including a Japanese bridge, along with Japanese water plants and other ornamental plants can result in a beautiful, tranquil outdoor retreat with the right choice of plant material and other hardscape décor items. Good plants to use for this purpose would include Japanese boxwood, aralias, horsetail reed, water lilies for the pond, monkey grass (as a groundcover), and for a spectacular specimen tree, Japanese maple.
Online Sources
Many online Web-site retailers offer wooden garden bridges. A quick, online search with the appropriate keywords results in hundreds of selections – all you need do is select which one offers the best price and quality. When purchasing online, always make sure you are buying from a secure site, however, and check to see if the site offers testimonials. Asking for references from previous customers is another, perhaps even better, method of screening potential retailers to get the best deal at the best price AND to know you’re getting your bridge from a reputable company.
So whether you’re in the market for wooden garden bridges as an impressive focal highlight in your backyard retreat or if you’ll be using yours as a needed way to cross over a pond or ditch, you won’t have any trouble find just what you need. Just take some time to check out what’s available, from whom, and at what price. All the information you need is just a mouse click away.
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