Garden bridge in landscape design

Content:

DIY garden bridge

Garden bridge in landscape design: photo

The presence of a reservoir in the garden area - a pond, stream or river, allows you to revive the landscape with the help of a garden bridge. In addition to its obvious role as a connecting link between the two banks, the garden bridge also carries a decorative load, complementing the overall composition of the garden.

Picturesque, designed in a style appropriate to the project, this garden design object can not only facilitate the transition over a stream or ravine, but also serve as a dividing marker between functional areas or an organic continuation of the path. Sometimes, specifically in order to fit the bridge into the overall picture of the garden plot, the territory is supplied with a "dry" reservoir or stream. In addition, the bridge can be simply placed on the lawn and used as a base for a flower garden.

Garden bridge: types of structures

Garden bridge in landscape design: video

Decorative garden bridges are made of various materials, depending on the style of the garden and the preferences of its owner. However, besides the choice of material according to visual needs, there are a number of important points to pay attention to when designing a bridge.

Safety... First of all: the structure of the bridge must be strong and requires compliance with certain rules. First, the bridge frame must be able to support the weight of several people (at least 4). Secondly, the structure needs a rigid base. Thirdly, you should take care of strong railings and handrails. Fourthly, it is necessary to provide a sufficient degree of illumination of the area with the bridge. Finally, the flooring should not be slippery.
Another important point is reliability. The pedestrian surface of the bridge must be solid and safe. To ensure these characteristics, regular maintenance, treatment of the structure with protective equipment, and the use of linings will be required.
Visual attractiveness garden bridge, because the purpose of its placement in the garden is to balance the composition. This element of garden decor should be in harmony with other objects and the main motives for garden design.
Originality designs will add personality to the exterior of the garden, so interesting combinations of materials, unusual shapes and patterns are welcome. At the same time, for the implementation of the most fantastic project, familiar and familiar materials are used.

Garden bridge made of wood

Wooden garden bridges are the most popular for a number of reasons. First of all, the tree attracts with its environmental friendliness and the ability to create a feeling of comfort. The wooden structure is in harmony with any landscape thanks to its naturalness. Another advantage of the wooden garden bridge is its light weight and simple assembly. And in the presence of timely protective treatment, such a bridge will serve for many years. Even with a small budget or small footprint, a wooden bridge can be built to perfectly match the owner's intent and needs.

Traditionally, wooden bridges are built on areas where there are already other structures - houses, fences, gazebos. In most cases, preference is given to bridges made of pine, oak, cedar.

Bamboo garden bridge

The exoticism of this material makes it possible to unambiguously make a choice in its favor when decorating a garden in Japanese style.Such a bridge will look especially advantageous if there is another bamboo element in the garden - be it a bench, a fence or a gazebo. Other decorative items in an oriental style will also help to fit the bamboo bridge into the overall picture of the garden. Bamboo is a more expensive material than wood, however, it gives the bridges made of it a unique sophistication.

Stone bridge in landscape design

Stone garden bridges impress with their solidity, monumentality and durability. But you should take into account the high cost of this option in comparison with wooden bridges. Sometimes construction equipment is required to mount a stone bridge. When choosing this option, special attention should be paid to strengthening the soil.

The choice of the type of stone depends on the general concept and the surrounding materials. For example, a bridge made of artificial stone is suitable for decorating the banks of a "dry" stream. But a large reservoir will require greater solidity - granite or marble will be appropriate here. The most harmonious stone bridge will look in a garden decorated with medieval or antique motifs.

Metal garden bridges

Metal garden bridges are very popular due to the richness of their varieties. Geometrically correct and exquisitely curved, decorated with artistic forging, carved, stylized for various architectural styles - the number of options is impressive. They are distinguished by their strength and durability, and are perfectly combined with other materials. Another undoubted advantage of the metal structure is that it does not require constant maintenance. It is enough to take care of its protection against corrosion in time.

The metal garden bridge can be independently assembled from pre-purchased blanks - paths and railings.

Self assembly

Before mounting the structure, you should determine the location of the future bridge, its appearance and the materials used. The list of basic components of the bridge is limited to the deck, supports, superstructure, railings.

More often than others, bridges made of wood are independently assembled. In this case, logs are used as supports, between which a span is located. The choice of its shape is determined by the purpose of the bridge: too large an arc of the span will make it difficult to move along it.

Railings have a double function: firstly, they serve to protect people passing on the bridge; secondly, they are its main decoration.

The flooring is placed perpendicular to the supports. When choosing a material for it, you need to make sure of its strength.

Accommodation

The location in the garden is determined by the functional meaning of the bridge. A bridge acting as a crossing over a river or a ravine is located, respectively, on their banks. As a decoration, it can be found in any corner of the garden.

The most common placement option for a bridge is on the shore of a reservoir. Let's consider it in more detail.
First of all, the garden bridge needs a solid foundation - it is necessary to strengthen the banks of the reservoir with the help of a densely compacted rubble embankment. A more laborious, but also more thorough method is the construction of a metal frame or concrete foundation.

An important point that will extend the life of a wooden bridge is a special treatment and insulation of all its parts adjacent to the ground. When laying the base beams, it is imperative to take care of their waterproofing in places of contact with the ground, as well as protection with bitumen or roofing material.

The laid main beams are fixed with metal stakes and connected by transverse beams that form a span. For fastening the spans, metal staples are used.

The flooring is assembled from boards (the thickness must be at least 3 cm), fixed perpendicular to the main beams. From above, the flooring is fixed with clamping bars.

The railings are then installed - they are assembled from vertical bars and pre-sanded railings. The joints must be carefully fixed with self-tapping screws.

The most pleasant stage that gives room for imagination is the creative design of the bridge. You can leave the bridge in its natural wood color, or you can paint it in a shade that suits the overall picture, decorate the railings with carvings, add decorative details.