Bridges are useful for adding height on a small scale to sites where a taller structure would overwhelm. Bridge designs vary from flat decks with optional handrails for height and security to gracefully curved bridges that may not be as easy to walk across. Both can be bought as self-assembly kits, or designed and constructed as a DIY project.

If you have already planned a pool, then this is the obvious place for a bridge. One of its delights is the fact that you can gaze directly into the water's depths, so make sure that you can do this from at least one side of the bridge. It needn't be across the middle of a pool; it can be built at one end, with a bog garden on its other side to continue the theme of wet ground beneath your feet. And if you don't have a pool or stream in your garden, then create an illusion with a channel of lush plants planted in a rocky groove for a flow of plants rather than water.

Alternatively, site the bridge over a dry stream bed containing rounded stones and pebbles, or over a narrow bed of gravel that's raked in lines to mimic water-flow, Japanese-style. There's no need to keep the stream bed completely bare, and an edging of overhanging plants adds to the effect. Choose plants with bold foliage such as hostas or ferns to contrast with the stones.

Wherever you decide to site your bridge, do make sure that a path leads to and from it, otherwise its presence is practical and visual nonsense. The path needn't be conspicuous - stepping stones set in the lawn suffice - but there has to be something to lead your feet and eyes to the bridge itself.