Front Yard Beautification

Here is a little project we are working on.  We want to make the previously ugly entry area into our front yard a little more attractive.  First I put down cardboard to block the weeds then I put down landscape fabric over the cardboard.  I put river rock and boulders over that to look like a dry river bed.  That was the creative part so I like doing it the best.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out which rock would look best where.  I want it to look "natural".

I bought the bridge from the internet. It is six foot long and cost a few hundred dollars.  I shopped and shopped for bridges and this was the best quality for the lowest price.  It is important that it is made well because it has to take the weight of people walking on it.  If I remember right this particular bridge is able to handle several hundred pounds without a problem.  The bridge came disassemble but was easy for my husband and I to put together. It would have cost me 70 more dollars to have them stain it so I stained it a redwood color myself (a color that I already had) before we assembled it.  We placed the bridge "over" the rock (there is not any rock under the bridge).  This new path will guide visitors to the driveway.

The rocks and bridge have a useful purpose because the way it was before, someone would have had to walk in over the drainage path for water runoff from our property.  After (and during) rain, this area is wet and muddy.  

I still need to add the rocks to the other side of the bridge and plant some more plants around it.  I am also going to add some stepping stones and solar lights to light up the path at night.  These kind of projects are labor intensive, especially when working with stone but I would much rather do it myself. That way I get the look exactly the way I want and we save a lot of money on labor. 

It isn't finished yet but I like it already.  Thanks for visiting!