In November of 2021 we dedicated a new footbridge over Dry Creek. The bridge was designed by Andrew Vrana, an architect and former student of John Fairey’s. Below are Andrew’s thoughts on the bridge.
The Bridge for John Fairey is an homage to a great professor and plantsman who cultivated a beautiful garden as well as a passion for design that he instilled in many of the students he taught.
The inspiration for the form and structure of the footbridge comes from nature. Like a leaf, this bridge incorporates dynamic curvature and vectors of force within one coordinated expression. Nothing is extraneous and nothing can be removed, a true minimal structure. It narrows in the center and widens at the ends which corresponds to axial connections and lines of sight to John’s house and the continuation of the garden to the north. This gesture also concentrates material at the ends where the reaction forces are most concentrated and lightens it in the midspan for maximum efficiency. It is a hybrid system, combining a compression arch with a Vierendeel truss. The bridge is designed to be transparent to the water that flows through it when the creek periodically overflows during flash flood events.
The vibrant colors on the guardrail are a reference to the blooming flowers and autumnal foliage that we can encounter when visiting this garden throughout the seasons and in John’s own design of the architectural features he placed throughout the garden.
For a garden that has a timeless feel, it is entirely appropriate for it have a large number of Cycads, a group of plants whose lineage may be traced to the Jurassic Period. Unfortunately, almost every cycad in the wild is threatened in its native range, lending importance to the conservation efforts at The John Fairey Garden. Many resemble palms, such as the sago palms and dioons, and prefer the dry garden environment. Others, such as Ceratozamia and Zamia, prefer some shade and regular water. Zamia integrifolia, or coontie, is ubiquitous in the garden and is the only cycad native to the United States. Glossy green foliage, very attractive pinnate leaves and amazing seed cones make the coontie a real attraction to visitors.
Ferns occupy quiet shady woodland spaces, protected from summer heat by cooler microclimates. Under pines and savannah hollies, around camellias, piper and aspidistra, ferns are an indispensable component of John Fairey’s palette because of their wispy delicate texture and green hues. Visitors usually agree upon seeing the arching bronze new growth of the maidenhair fern, a new species collected in La Trinidad, Mexico. Even more spectacular is the big and blue Phlebodium pseudoaureum (rabbit’s foot fern), also collected in Mexico. Acres of pyrrosia and thelypteris, along with selaginella and ribbon fern, soften the landscape and scale down the summer heat.
