Saturday, May 5, 2012

Backyard Bling #3 - A Bridge to Somewhere


Several years ago I built a dry creek bed in my backyard.


The creek bed serves to catch water from several downspouts connected to underground drains that empty into the creek bed.   This year I had to reroute the tail end of the creek bed and transplant a Japanese maple whose roots were being exposed because of soil eroding away from the water running through the sometimes not-so-dry creek bed.

As I finished the creek bed revision, I thought, it sure would be cute to have a little bridge going over the creek bed.   I have been coveting admiring the little blue bridge in the woodland garden of Deb's Garden.  With the garden tour date quickly approaching, I figured there was no time like the present to add even more backyard bling to my garden.

So I got online and found just the bridge I wanted from DesignerBridges.com.    It came unassembled, but after the recent construction projects my husband and I have tackled, we knew we were up to the challenge.   They had already predrilled all of the holes for us AND they had written instructions to follow.   This was going to be a piece of cake!  And it was!!

Here is the finished project :-)



A flagstone path leads through my shady backyard.  The bridge connects the flagstone walk as it meets the dry creek bed.




One of my favorite shade plants, Farfugium (Leopard Plant), is in the foreground, and the transplanted Japanese maple is in the background.  



The bridge is made out of red cedar, but I added a natural cedar stain to the bridge after we assembled it to give it more protection from the elements.

This concludes our construction projects, but there is still more bling to come...

Please visit again to see another "tweet" addition to our garden.

Toni :-)

P.S.  I have not been paid to endorse DesignerBridges.com, but I have to say, I was very impressed with the quality of this product.  The online ordering was a snap!  The materials arrived in a very short time.  The cedar lumber was excellent quality, and the instructions were simple to follow.  I am so happy with our new little bridge, and I would highly recommend this company to anyone!


21 comments:

  1. Your bridge looks like it's been there forever. It's simply fabulous and sits perfectly in this spot over the dry creek bed. Great choice.

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  2. Love your latest addition! It fits perfectly into the landscape.

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  3. Oh Toni! I love it! It is a wonderful shape and color. What a nice addition!

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  4. Your garden just gets better and better!! Love the bridge!

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  5. Wow, that bridge put additional character in that area. And i laughed at my new learned term "backyard bling", haha. How i wish there is something like that here or a handy carpenter who can make it for me, i also wanted one like that here in ours!

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  6. Oh, Toni, I would be so jealous if I didn't already have my own! Yours is fabulous and fits perfectly into its setting. The Japanese maple looks great, and I also love your leopard plant; I must add it to my list. Thanks so much for mentioning my blog!

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  7. You are going to WOW them, on this tour!

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  8. Toni - I was loving your dry creek bed, all by itself; then I saw the charming little bridge and I was done for. Your designs are breathtaking and it's always fun to stop by to see what's new.

    Sa-weeeet !!!!! :D
    (Sure wish I lived closer to 'crash' that garden tour!)

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  9. Gorgeous! At first I thought it was a miniature, it looks so tidy! I agree with Shyrlene--if I lived closer, I'd stop over and check it out! :)

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  10. Very nice Toni... I do like dry creek beds and the bridge complements it nicely... Larry

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  11. Hi Toni, The bridge and the dry creek bed are another really nice addition to your garden. You did a nice job of mixing rocks in the creek bed. It looks quite natural (which is the best kind of compliment, isn't! )

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  12. The bridge looks great! I hope you next post is about the garden tour. I am curious as to how your garden survived an invasion of strangers.

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  13. Your garden is so beautiful. I love the dry creek bed.

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  14. Toni, Your garden is fabulous. The dry creek bed and bridge are awesome. I am your newest follower.
    Beth
    p.s. How did the garden tour go?

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  15. Hi Toni, I am so far behind visiting, but I just had to let you know how much I've enjoyed your last posts about the poppies, the new arbor and the gorgeous bridge. Bling, indeed, and what a perfect addition to your beautiful garden.

    I saw a video on TufaGirl's blog and felt like I was 'there' in person. I'm sure the video barely scratches the surface of your lovely creation. I bet the compliments on your garden were non-stop during the garden walk. Do you have any more planned this year?

    We're in the midst of trying to finish the projects we started when you were here but it is slow going. The first walk is June 7 (oh my) which is early for us. And no, good ol' Aaargh is no further along. Oh, well. I just hope it doesn't rain; can you imagine me cramming a few dozen people in our little hut??

    If I am ever in Texas, rest assured I will be calling you for a tour!

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  16. Lovely, and a wonderful success!

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  17. The bridge is a perfect addition to a lovely naturalistic creek bed. The color draws you eye through the greenery. Perfect.

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  18. I love it and I agree...it looks like it has been there forever. It fits in so well.
    Hey, do you think Leopard plant (Ferfugium) would do well in Houston? That is a cool looking plant.
    David/:0)

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  19. Toni,
    WHAT a lovely garden! WIsh I had an ounce (or 16) of your garden in my yard. Lovely lovely lovely. And the fact that you recognize the Creator of all that beauty makes it that much more valuable. Thank you for sharing!

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