Okay, where were we?  Oh, yes – I was counting the ways in which our outdoor furniture is extraordinarily gracious and obliging; and this, naturally, includes our garden structures, outdoor décor, home accents, and accessories.  As I pointed out, this is not just a fair-weather stance, as much of it is designed to stand up to the even the harshest elements of winter; and a lot of it is stylish enough for indoor use.    

 Moreover, during the holiday season, we all need the cooperation of everyone and everything around us; and that’s another way in which our furniture will help.  Besides the outdoor dining tables, porch swings, bar and bistro sets, hammock chairs, kids’ picnic tables, and settees that you can proudly use inside to accommodate guests at your holiday parties, there are many items that lend themselves to your outdoor displays.      

 Among the leaders in this category are arbors, trellises, and pergolas.  I’m not sure, but I may have mentioned these before; but even if I have, they deserve more press.  After all, they’ve been garden favorites for centuries, which means that they have endured the test of time, and passed it with flying colors.  In fact, they’re famous for flying colors, which are usually those of the gorgeous flowers that climb and envelop them.

 Of course, at this time of the year, the colors may be emanating from Christmas lights, which look equally stunning on planters, planter trellises, and planter benches with lattice backs.  You can also get very creative in decorating our wheel barrow planters. 

 Another way to light things up brilliantly is by using our solar-powered post caps, which come in Tiffany-style, clear, and solid-colored glass.  On fences, gazebo railings, and garden bridges, they’ll enhance your holiday displays, and make your yard absolutely spectacular all year long.  

 Indeed, our outdoor furniture can assist with many of the details of your Christmas decorations.  Speaking of details, there’s one other thing, of which I was reminded while watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special (don’t bother snickering, because I know you still watch it, too!).  Although your dog isn’t as sophisticated as Snoopy, he or she still deserves to share in the holiday fun; so don’t forget to decorate the dog house! 

 Yours Outdoors,

 Kathy

It’s interesting, the way that people tend to make associations about things.  Sometimes, it can involve colors; everyone develops ideas about which ones go together, and, before they know it, they have these unbreakable, personal rules.  That’s not really a good thing, because it can get them into a rut.  What’s even worse is when they take the advice of so-called experts who tell them what goes with what, and end up adopting someone else’s senseless views as their own. 

The same is true for food and beverage pairings.  While, undoubtedly, these usually stem from our own preferences, they are also notoriously dictated by self-proclaimed authorities who profess to have educated palates.  Unfortunately, these blowhards are everywhere, telling us, for example, that there’s only one specific wine that simply must accompany a certain dish, and if you serve anything else, you belong in a doghouse.

Sometimes, we relate things to particular seasons, and can’t envision them in any other context.  Garden structures, for instance, have long been connected almost exclusively to the warm-weather months.  While they have always looked spectacular in the spring and summer, covered with colorful climbing flowers and vines, pergolas, arbors, and trellises were often left looking forlorn and lifeless in the winter, standing dejectedly in a corner, entwined with a few dead branches.

Luckily, however, this practice is also becoming out-dated, as millions more people each year are realizing that their garden pergolas, planter benches, trellis screens, arbors, and arbor extensions can be fantastically integrated with their holiday displays.  In fact, in many cases, these structures, as well as planter trellises, garden bridges, and, of course, gazebos, can even be the main attractions, when adorned with strings of lights, holly, tinsel, and other ornaments.

Even beyond the New Year – in the time that’s known as the dead of winter – outdoor structures can bring new life to your landscape and brighten your outdoor décor.  Moreover, there’s no standard way to use them; they lend themselves to creativity, so you can show off your own, individual style.

Remember, the only rule that everyone really should live by is the Golden Rule. 

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

You have tons of options for designing your garden.  On top of the endless varieties of flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs, there are countless types of mulch, as well as decorative rocks, stones, and gravel, in every color imaginable.  Selecting from among them can be difficult and time-consuming; in fact, it may take so long that you could actually miss planting season. 

When everything on that lengthy list, from the necessities, to the accessories, is finally planned, picked out, planted, and placed, you can begin to make decisions about the ideal garden structures to complement your motif.  Once again, you’ll have an incredible assortment from which to choose. 

This, however, does not have to be a long, wearying process, if you know where to look; and that, of course, is right here at CedarStore.com.  Our unparalleled collection of cedar, treated pine, vinyl, polywood, and wrought iron backyard structures includes arbors, trellises, pergolas, and garden bridges, in dozens of sizes, and styles that range from simple, to sensational.   

For example, along with our plain arbors, we have arbors with gates, swings, benches, and extensions.  If you want more than a basic trellis, you can choose an elegant planter trellis, a garden obelisk, a classic five-spoke trellis, or a single, double, or triple garden screen.  We also have planter benches with lattice backs.            

Our equally-impressive array of garden pergolas features free-standing and attached pergolas, as well as pergolas with built-in benches.  You can even use our Custom Pergola Creator to craft a maintenance-free vinyl pergola , or a decay-resistant wood pergola, to your specifications. 

Of course, nothing will give your landscape a lift like a garden bridge; and we have several styles including plank, single and double rail, picket and half-picket rail, as well as captivating covered bridges that you can customize right on our site.  This is also the only place you’ll find the spectacular Opti-Breeze™ Bridge, which is bound to astound, as its dazzling design induces a delightfully deceptive optical illusion that will throw your eyeballs a tantalizing curve.     

This is truly something that you have to see to believe.  Really, you won’t be able to get over it!  Or, uh, I mean, of course, you’ll be able to get over it; after all, it is a bridge.  However, since it’s so hard to describe, I’ll just say that it puts the focus on hocus pocus!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

“TFCSOTSPBWL OCTOBER XVIII MDCCC.” This curious inscription was carved by a stonemason, John Lewis, into a block of granite that he had lain as a support for a bridge that was being built by Timothy Palmer. Because of space restrictions, he simply used initials, instead of writing, “The first corner stone of the Schuylkill Permanent Bridge was lain on October 18, 1800.” When the bridge was nearly finished, in 1804, a Philadelphia judge, Richard Peters, suggested that, in order to preserve its trusses and extend its life, the bridge should be covered. The cover was designed and built, and the first covered bridge opened for travel on January 1, 1805.

Judge Peters had no way of knowing what he was starting. His simple idea for covering that bridge led to a wellspring of folklore, legend, myth, and mystique, that would turn the reasoning behind it as murky as the waters surrounding its original cornerstone, which, it is believed, still supports what is now known as the Market Street Bridge.

The speculations were numerous and humorous. Some people thought that covered bridges were intended to look like barns, to make animals feel more comfortable while crossing them. Others maintained that the covers were there to keep horses from being frightened by the rushing water beneath them. It was also said that covered bridges were designed to keep travelers from seeing what kind of town they were approaching, until it was too late to turn back. Although many people said that the coverings were meant to keep snow off the bridges, old toll signs that designate fares for horse-drawn sleighs contradict that notion.

Covering bridges also enabled them to be used for scores of purposes, other than getting to the other side of a stream. They were used for campaign rallies, religious services, family reunions, meetings, weddings, debates, shelter from a storm, fishing and diving platforms, and even hanging clothes to dry during inclement weather. Favorite places for couples to steal a few kisses, covered bridges were commonly called “kissing bridges.” They were also sometimes referred to as “wishing bridges” because it was believed that any wish a person made while passing through one would come true.

The most powerful effects of the decision to cover that first bridge, however, are intangible. Even for those who know none of the specific details of their history, covered bridges evoke nostalgia and stir strong emotions, while their gradual disappearance from the country’s landscape incites a growing passion to preserve them as precious, irreplaceable landmarks.

Although it’s true that the covered bridges that were built and used by our ancestors are decreasing in number every year, a new era in covered bridges is just dawning, at DesignerBridges.com. The best part is that these new bridges, which are designed for your own creek, stream, or walkway, have all of the charm of their predecessors, but, constructed from your choice of treated pine or Dura-Temp siding, many times the durability.

At DesignerBridges.com, you can customize your own gorgeous covered garden bridge in three simple steps, choosing from a variety of sizes, styles, materials, and accessories. Visit DesignerBridges.com today, and begin your own tradition of swimmin’, fishin’, whistlin’, and kissin’.

While installing a backyard pond is relatively easy (meaning that virtually anyone who is so inclined, and physically able, can do it, not that it requires little work), getting it finished and filled is just the beginning.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, it’s not imperative that ponds be stocked; but rarely do people go to the trouble of putting them in so that they may realize their visions of having backyard features that could easily be mistaken for giant puddles.

Indeed, ponds are usually created because someone is dreaming of a gorgeous backyard oasis teeming with exotic plants and aquatic life.  One of the best things about it is that, no matter which elements you choose to include, your pond is unique.  Most people, however, even those who can’t decide whether they want just plants, just fish (which is not a good idea), both, or neither, have, from the moment that they conceived of their ponds, clearly pictured them with stunning garden bridges across them.

There is no doubt that garden bridges are among the most popular landscape features, even in yards that have no water; and they’re not just there for decoration.  Besides being purely practical ways of getting to the other side, they make superb vantage points for stopping to enjoy the colorful plants and view the underwater life.

When it comes to selecting the ideal bridge for your purposes, along with the size, you should consider the style of your garden and the pond that you installed.  If it’s formal, a double-rail, picket rail, or spindle rail bridge will complement it beautifully.  In more rustic and casual gardens, plank, single rail, or simple white cedar bridges are absolutely charming.   

The best thing to do is to go to DesignerBridges.com, where you’ll find one of the largest selections of pine, cedar, and vinyl garden bridges and pedestrian trail bridges available anywhere.  Believe it or not, they even have spectacular covered bridges that you can customize for yourself right on the site! 

When you’re finished putting the crowning touch on your pond, don’t forget to go to CedarStore.com and pick out some great new outdoor furniture, such as patio chairs, garden benches, Adirondack chairs, gliders, and porch swings, so that you and your guests will be able to relax and enjoy the glorious view.  And imagine how much more rewarding it will be, knowing that you made the scenery even more magnificent just by adding a pond and a garden bridge!

Yours Outdoors!

Kathy 

In every garden, it’s important to have some kind of a focal point, whether it’s an arbor, a gazebo, a trellis, a statue, an outdoor furniture group, a fountain, or even a single garden bench. 

Garden bridges also make spectacular centerpieces; but some people think that they won’t be able to use one unless they have a pond or a stream in the backyard.  Not true.  A bridge can add a stunning new dimension to even the dullest landscape, and make the perfect accent for any garden or walkway. 

However, if you want to add a bridge and a water feature, it’s a lot easier to do than it was just a few years ago.  Then, if you didn’t have a natural source of water, the only way to get a pond was to pour a concrete shell and fill it with water.  It was a painstaking – and expensive – process to install it correctly, and to get the desired shape.  A lot also depended upon the condition of the soil, as well as the climate, because freezing and thawing often caused cracking and leaking. 

Luckily, things have changed since the introduction of flexible rubber and plastic liners, which allow almost anyone to build a pond of nearly any size or shape.  Much less expensive than concrete, they are also incredibly durable, with the higher-quality ones lasting as long as 30 years.

You can also find rigid, pre-formed fiberglass or plastic pond shells.  These work well in sandy or soft soil, as erosion and shifting won’t affect the shape of the pond.  The drawbacks are that they are available in a limited number of sizes and shapes, and that you have to be a bit more creative with your border stones and plants if you want to achieve a natural look.  At the same time, because of their geometric shapes, they are better suited for formal gardens, where you may want to use pavers, patio tiles, or bricks, as edging materials.

As for the crowning touch, which, of course, is the garden bridge, well, that’s the easy part.  At DesignerBridges.com, you’ll find all styles and sizes of garden and pedestrian trail bridges to fit nearly any stream, pond, or creek.  You can even customize your own covered bridge in a few, simple steps.  If you’re wondering which bridge is best for your purposes, just call 888-293-2339 and let one of our design consultants assist you.   

Remember, if you’re suffering from a dull landscape, you can easily get over it with a garden bridge.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Setting up for an Outdoor Wedding is one of our favorite projects.  Typically, a bride’s parents call us months in advance to plan their daughter’s big day.  Many moms have always dreamed a picturesque gazebo in the backyard, or a quaint bridge over a small creek.  Adding a gazebo or bridge to an outdoor wedding is a nice touch of class that includes excellent functionality!

What Gazebo is Best?

Let’s begin with which gazebos are best.  Octagon gazebos are the most traditional—add decorative braces, turned posts and decorative railings and you have a little piece of Victorian Heaven.

For larger outdoor wedding parties, and larger amounts of guests, I’d recommend a longer rectangular or oval gazebo.  We can increase the width of the opening, creating a stage-like entrance for the big day!  The material you choose should match your house and surroundings…in other words, a white vinyl siding house can easily add a white vinyl gazebo. 

I remember one project—A mother called us on a Tuesday, wanting a large gazebo for her daughter’s wedding on Saturday!  And she needed it built on site by our crew…No problem! (Well it was a problem, but she was so frantic, we didn’t have the heart to tell her we moved Heaven and Earth!).  So, our crew drove 12 hours to her house Friday night…and finished the gazebo just before noon Saturday morning, as the caterers were setting up and guests were arriving! 

No one can ever say we’re not dedicated! 

Outdoor Bridges

Another popular outdoor wedding accessory that has served families well is a simple pedestrian bridge.  As you can see in the picture above, it creates a unique landscape and creates a nice separation of the activities.  The pedestrian bridges are so easy to build that a couple people should take no longer than a couple hours to complete the project…though we don’t recommend waiting until the morning of the wedding to start! 

Other Outdoor Wedding Options

Some families who don’t want a large gazebo have opted to use a pergola entrance to the wedding area.  Our Kingston Arbor just seems to fit well.  It’s wide enough to fit most red carpets and bridal trains, but decorative enough to instantly set a tone of elegance and class.  

The outdoor additions make a unique setting for wedding photos and create a unique environment, all at a cost less than many couples must spend on large halls!  Call CedarStore.com for assistance, 1-888-293-2339.