The Flower Bridge

Down one of the less-used sideroads in the valley is an old narrow one-lane iron frame bridge over the Beaver River, and someone decorates it with hanging baskets of flowers every year!

There's a garden centre, Riverbank, just off to our left, and they specialize in hanging baskets of flowers, so every year they hang baskets along both sides of the bridge.  The bridge itself is the kind you slow down for, a lot, and drive over quite slowly, so it's easy to appreciate them.  The first time you see them it's a delightful surprise!

 

As far as I can recall, the baskets are all the same, and all are looking very luxuriant at this time of year.  And as anyone who has grown flowers in hanging baskets knows, it's much more than placing the baskets there in the spring.  Baskets like these need watering virtually every day to stay healthy and keep blooming.

The bridge itself is interesting, with it's old iron support framework, and on this day the pattern of shadows on the deck - but it's the dozen hanging baskets of flowers that make it.

And this section of the Beaver River is a popular canoe route too, so passing canoeists see the flowers as much as motorists.  In fact on this lightly used sideroad, I expect there are more canoeists some days than there are drivers.

If you live locally you can see the flower bridge on the first gravel road to the west south of Heathcote.  It's worth the short detour to see it.