There is no limit to the kinds of landscaping you can do in your backyard. You are limited only by your imagination.

If you have a large back yard, give some thought to installing a water garden, with a bridge crossing over it. Water gardens can provide such a soothing vista to the eye, and the bridge over it will add a charming touch.

It's quite possible for you to buy a bridge kit from home improvement stores, and even from the internet. Such companies as Garden Bridges offer a wide variety of bridges, constructed of wood or metal, depending on your preferences. These bridges vary in length from 4 feet upwards, and from bridges with no rails to one rail, to a rail on both sides, or simple rails of rope.< > Master Garden Products is another site that offers a variety of bridges - to span masses of sand, or rock, or water.

For a bridge you need water for it to span

If you'd like to add a pond or water garden to your backyard, it's certainly possible for you to do it yourself. You'll have to make your plan carefully so that you can build it as efficiently as possible. The best thing to do is purchase a do-it-yourself kit which comes with all the materials you'll need, all specially shaped so that you won't have to bother yourself with that part of it. However, be aware that adding a pond is extremely labor intensive.

Clearwater Landscapes is a company that not only offers do-it-yourself pond kits, but also waterfalls! If a backyard pond is a great conversation piece, think of what the addition of a small waterfall would do. Pond Solutions is another company that offers a variety of design kits.

What to know before you start

Before you can start building your pond, you'll first have to check the electrical and city codes for your area to make sure you can build the pond that you want.

Then determine where you want your pond. You must give this a lot of thought, as once it's installed it would be extremely inconvenient to move. If you live in a location that gets very cold, or has lots of snow in winter, that will be a consideration as well. Because the water in a pond is always moving, thanks to the pump, it will probably never freeze...but it is important that you maintain the pump properly so that the worst does not happen.

It's only after you decide on the type of pond you'll have that you'll get the bridge to go over it!

But it's not necessary to have a water garden or pond in order to enjoy the look of a bridge. Japanese gardens, for example, quite often have a bamboo bridge simply leading right up to the edge of a rock garden. You'll want to surf the web to see all the possibilities, and then take it from there.