Plants for strengthening the river bank. How to strengthen the banks of a pond at your dacha yourself. Method #2

How to strengthen the shore of a pond or other body of water with your own hands? This question worries everyone whose homes or cottages are located in close proximity to water. The water is gradually destroying the shore, creating a threat not only to homes, but also to people’s lives. Life in a house or dacha on the shore of a lake, pond or river is beautiful and picturesque, but if you underestimate water element and not taking precautions in time, this can lead to disastrous results. The gradual erosion of the soil by water leads to the collapse of steep banks on which trees can grow and stand. residential buildings. To avoid tragedy, you need to prepare in advance to combat the destructive power of water. To do this, it is necessary to strengthen the bank.

Design diagram for strengthening flooded slopes.

Ways to strengthen the banks of a pond

There are various ways bank protection:

Strengthening the shore with an anti-erosion mesh, which is highly flexible and durable and light in weight. Particles of plant soil fill the anti-erosion geomat, and root systems bind it to the ground. This strengthens the vegetation layer and turns it into a reinforced field.
The use of a coconut mat consisting of woven cords of a fibrous structure of uneven density. It is located along the edge of the pond.
Using reinforcing mesh and tumbled or rubble stone to strengthen the pond bank.
Application of geogrid. With this method you can make a comfortable, non-slip descent to the water. The grid cells can be filled with marble chips, sea or river pebbles, as well as other colored materials.
Strengthening with gabions, which look like box-shaped retaining walls. This method is used when other methods are ineffective or unsuitable. Indispensable for strengthening sliding banks and blends well with the surrounding landscape.
The most capricious and troublesome method of bank protection is strengthening with the help of biological objects of plant origin. When using this method, good knowledge of the necessary plants is required, which are selected in accordance with the characteristics of the soil. Plants must be resistant to flooding and have a strong branching root system.
One of the popular and most ancient methods is to strengthen the steep banks and slopes of a pond with the help of oak and larch. This method is the most environmentally friendly and does not require additional maintenance throughout its entire service life.
For steep banks, reinforcement is used with plastic, metal or concrete piles.

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Application of geogrid

Scheme for strengthening a ditch at a summer cottage.

Among all these methods, the most optimal one is always selected for each specific case. The most popular, reliable and in an inexpensive way is strengthening using geogrid. To strengthen the bank in this way, it is not necessary to resort to the help of companies specializing in this. All the work can be done with your own hands. How does this happen?

First, let's prepare the tools and materials you will need to strengthen the bank:

shovel;
crushed stone;
geogrid;
pneumatic stapler;
scraper;
L-shaped anchors;
frost-resistant concrete;
non-woven geotextile.

Scheme of fastening the slope of a reservoir with bushes.

Bank protection work begins with the removal of surface soil. Then the surface is leveled, and non-woven geotextiles are spread on it, acting as a drainage layer. After leveling, a geogrid is laid on the surface, which must be tensioned and secured with anchors. The anchors should be staggered, and the geogrid, when expanded, should take the shape of a rectangle. Adjacent geogrid modules are connected using a pneumatic stapler and reinforced with common anchors. The grid cells are filled with any soil material: frost-resistant concrete, soil, crushed stone, pebbles, etc. You can use multi-colored materials, which will allow you to create a mosaic that will be unique to you. Such a finish will stand out favorably against the general background and will give the shore beautiful view.

An artificial pond made by yourself is a pride and decoration summer cottage. However, over time, the soil from the banks may begin to slide, which leads to cloudiness of the water, accumulation of silt at the bottom, and also opens the unaesthetic walls of the reservoir, covered with a film.

The banks of the pond can be strengthened in different ways

Let's assess the situation

Before deciding how to strengthen the banks of a future or existing body of water, many factors should be taken into account. Among them:

soil type – clayey, sandy;
how flat or steep the banks are;
lifespan of the pond;
the location of areas from which the soil has begun to crumble;
location of the reservoir, its functional features;
climate, probability of precipitation, soil freezing depth.

Reliable and proven methods

If you are in doubt about how best to strengthen the walls of a reservoir, choose the most affordable and proven methods. Most often, the walls of the reservoir are strengthened using mesh structures. As a rule, geogrids are used. Gabions are also effective, as they also perfectly keep the walls of the pond from crumbling. Let's discuss each of these methods in more detail.

Reinforcement with geogrid - a modern, inexpensive, reliable solution

In order to properly secure the geogrid, you should properly prepare for installation. In addition to the main material, you will need a geotextile fabric for drainage, fixing elements - metal or plastic anchors, as well as stones or other material for filling the cells.

Before performing work, you must remove top layer soil and level the surface. Geotextiles are laid over the entire prepared area, with a grid on top. The individual lattice elements are fastened together to create a continuous layer of coating. Then the grate is filled with crushed stone, broken brick or cement mortar.

If the cells are filled with soil and then plants are planted in it, the roots of the plantings will provide additional fixation of the soil.

Gabions

Gabions will provide effective strengthening of the walls of the reservoir. They are installed along the banks of the pond, connecting each other and fixing the corners. The work will be cheaper if you make the gabions yourself. To do this, you need to purchase a roll of galvanized PVC-coated mesh, 2 m wide. Boxes can be made from this material maximum dimensions 500x500x1500mm. To prevent the box from falling apart, the corners of the structure are fastened with scraps of wire from the same mesh.

Gabions - practical, durable, relatively inexpensive solution for the pond

With the help of such boxes you can not only strengthen the walls, but also decorate the pond. The mesh structure filled with crushed stone harmonizes perfectly with the natural design of the reservoir - water lilies, greenery. Gabions allow you not to worry about preparing drainage, since they themselves have drainage properties. In a year or two they become even more reliable support for the coast, due to filling the space between crushed stone with sand and soil, as well as the growth of plantings.

Eco-fixation

You can strengthen the soil along the edges of the reservoir using environmentally friendly methods. For example, plant plants that reinforce the ground with their roots. Selecting plants with the appropriate root system is not easy. In addition, it takes time to wait until they grow and entwine their roots around the banks. There is a risk that the plantings will not take root. If you still decide to cope with the task in this particular way, pay attention to the following plant options:

cattail;
red currant;
sea buckthorn;
marsh iris;
sedge.

Coconut mats can be lined with stones or plants can be planted on them to hold the soil

Another eco-friendly way to strengthen banks is coconut mats. With their help, the walls of the reservoir will look smoother and more aesthetically pleasing. This method is suitable even for the steepest slopes, but the slopes must first be leveled. The mats are laid overlapping, covering at least 20 cm of the adjacent one, and they are attached to the pond waterproofing film assembly adhesive. Then you can do this: line the edges of the pond with stones, or pour a layer of soil and plant plants.

Piles are a professional way to strengthen banks

Strengthening the slopes of a reservoir using piles - reliable and effective method, which has been known since ancient times. However, installing piles is a rather labor-intensive process. The supports need to be driven deep into the ground, for which special equipment is used.

There are two types of piles that are used for ponds - wooden and plastic:

If the material from which the piles are made is wood, you should remember that it is susceptible to rotting. This deficiency can be partially corrected with the help of moisture-repellent impregnation. Over time, the treated piles begin to rot, so it is best to use larch as a base. This material is resistant to water, it only becomes stronger over time, and does not require additional processing.
Today, PVC piles are used as an alternative to wooden ones. This material is resistant to moisture, so the supports last for decades. However, like wooden ones, they need to be installed using special equipment. In this regard, pile reinforcement of the walls of a reservoir is not used for small ponds, only for large reservoirs.

In order for the pond at the dacha to remain beautiful and aesthetically pleasing for a long time, it is better to take care of strengthening the walls of the pit at the stage of its construction. It’s even better if this problem is solved landscape designer. He will take into account the client’s wishes, as well as the properties of the soil, the depth of the reservoir and the steepness of the slopes.

You can absolutely correctly plant beautiful aquatic plants, perfectly decorate the coastal zone, but ruin everything by sloppy design of the border between the pond and the garden. A professional approach to this issue will solve not only the problems of decorating a garden pond, but will also eliminate the possibility of bank erosion.

There is a huge amount of information on the Internet about the installation of a reservoir, the choice of materials for waterproofing and edging, the selection of plants, but the technology for designing the border between water and the shore is not sufficiently covered.

Materials for designing a pond

Materials for decorating a pond should be harmoniously tied to the size of the garden and the style of the house. The most commonly used materials are natural and artificial stone, crushed rocks, pieces of marble, and pebbles. different colors, ceramic and paving slabs, wood, gravel, sand. For reservoirs with concrete base marble chips, colored glass, fragments of porcelain and ceramics are used, which are fixed to the concrete that has not yet hardened, the fragments are pressed inward with sharp edges.

All decorative elements coastline The reservoir must be properly secured in its position. Stones, ceramic and paving slabs, the brick is fixed with cement mortar, leaving pockets for planting.

Film pond edging

For a natural transition from the pond to the garden, you can use a special decorative film, which is covered with a layer of gravel, so it perfectly imitates a rocky terrain. Since the film with stones does not retain water by itself, they lay it on top of the waterproofing and carefully line the bottom of the pond so that its rocky edges extend to the shore. It is advisable to secure the edges and seams with film glue. Then large stones are placed in random order on the surface of the film along the edge of the pond, simulating a natural landscape. This film is the most good option to decorate a pond with your own hands, without resorting to the help of professionals.

Coconut mats for edging a pond

If the pond has steep walls, then when water evaporates, filmy edges can be observed. In this case, woven dark brown coconut mats are used for edging, which visually imitate the soil and do not interfere with the growth and development of coastal plants; the latter, growing densely on a solid base, decorate and strengthen the banks well.

The technology for laying coconut mats is quite simple. The mats are laid without tension, starting from the coastal part, they are placed along the border of the future reservoir with the shore, lowering bottom part skein about 50 cm into the pit, and carefully securing the top one to the shore using U-shaped brackets from reinforcement. To secure the mat to PVC, a special mounting adhesive is used. At the junction of coconut sheets, the overlap should be at least 20 cm. During installation, take into account the direction of the overlap - the edges of the sheet should not be visible from the viewing side. From the shore, the mesh structure of the coconut mat is covered with a plant substrate, and the part of the mat that will be in the water is covered with sandy soil mixed with fine gravel.

Option for laying coconut mats

Another option

In this case, you can get by with a minimal amount or completely exclude it from the design of the reservoir. This method of designing the coastal zone of a reservoir simulates the most natural landscape and is well suited for landscape style.

Advantages of coconut mats for strengthening the banks of a reservoir

1. Environmentally friendly natural material.

2. Does not require large capital investments.

3. Easy to install.

4. Protects the banks from erosion.

5. Provides long service life due to the slow decomposition of coconut fiber.

6. Promote the growth of vegetation and strengthen the soil.

7. Improves water outflow.

8. Resistant to UV/UV radiation.

9. Resistant to decomposition processes of organic substances.

10. Closes the waterproofing of the reservoir when water evaporates.

11. Serves as the basis for the root system of aquatic and coastal plants.

If coconut mats are not used to secure the banks of a reservoir, and only waterproofing is planned around it, then the edges of the film waterproofing can be hidden under the lawn to a depth of 8 - 10 cm. But this method will not help mask the unsightly film edges when water evaporates and will not save you from waterlogging and erosion coastal part if there is an abundance of it. Therefore, after the usual heavy rain, a flooded meadow will suddenly appear in the clearing around the garden pond. In the summer it’s half the trouble, but in the fall? Therefore, there is no need to skimp on strengthening the banks; simply placing a coconut mat under the lawn is enough. For growth lawn grass there will be no obstructions, the waterproofing will be closed, and the coastline will be protected from erosion.

There are no special secrets in the technology of transitioning the boundaries of concrete or stone edging with a lawn. Both stone and concrete can directly border water, soil and vegetation.

How to decorate the edges of a pond with stone

The size of the stone framing the edge of the pond should be proportional to the size of the pond itself; large stones are harmoniously combined with a large reservoir, small stones with small ones. The shape and structure of the stones should also be similar. It is not advisable to use several various types stones.

Making a pond from concrete base or a polymer form using a stone, it is necessary to prepare a substrate from the shore side - where the stones come into contact with the ground, first lay black lutrasil, cover it with sand, then gravel. Large boulders are placed along the perimeter of the pond so that part of the stone hangs slightly above the water, in which case all the edges of the pond are easily covered.

The small stones with which the bottom of the reservoir is covered should smoothly turn into larger ones towards the shore. Moreover, when laying stones along the perimeter of the coastal zone, you need to make sure that a continuous line does not form. In this case, it is better to make the edging of the reservoir intermittent, alternating stones and plants in random order, avoiding symmetry. Large stones are placed flat, slightly tilted to the side towards the shore.

Before permanently fixing the stones in cement, they should be laid out in their intended places, then you need to examine the composition from all sides and correct any errors. Only after this the stones can be installed on cement mortar, deepening into the solution to 1/3 of their height. Don't forget to leave pockets for planting plants.

How to design the edges of a pond with the correct geometric shapes

Edging of strict geometric shapes garden ponds can be done using wooden boards, ceramic tiles, stone slabs, natural or artificial stone. When choosing material for decorating the coastal zone, it is necessary to take into account that after rain wooden boards and glossy ceramic tiles become slippery.

Natalya Vysotskaya, dendrologist, landscape designer, Ph.D. -X. sciences

How to strengthen a river bank with your own hands? Many people who have a dacha or house located near water (this could be, for example, a river, an area near a pond, lake or reservoir) ask this question.

River banks tend to collapse over time, so they need to be strengthened, otherwise, sooner or later, a collapse of any building may occur.

They strengthen the banks mainly before construction and in places where there are frequent landslides, because your things can go under water along with the ground.

Various ways to strengthen the shore

It is possible to strengthen the bank with an anti-erosion mesh. This is a cheap method, since the mesh is a fairly strong, but flexible and almost invisible material. Within a month, it is wrapped around the roots of plants and a fortified bank is obtained.
Coconut mat for strengthening the banks. The material is natural and durable; it is a mesh of thin intertwined ropes that will support the shore for several years.
Geogrid for strengthening banks. Inexpensive, but the most effective option. The geogrid can be laid even on an already creeping bank; it will serve you for many years, and the bank will take on a beautiful appearance. You can easily navigate it even on steep slopes, because it has a cellular texture, so it does not slip.
Strengthening the bank with reinforcing mesh. Also a good option, the mesh will prevent slopes from forming.
Biological objects that strengthen the banks. A rather expensive and short-lived method, because to strengthen the bank you will only need natural elements.
Strengthening the shore with piles. Reliable way, in which the shore is strengthened by driving in support piles made of metal or concrete, less commonly made of plastic. Ideal if there are steep cliffs on the shore.
Sheet piling bank protection is the cheapest and fastest method. The sheet pile is laid along the coastline and prevents water from washing away the ground behind it.
Plants protecting the shore. A very costly, difficult process, the results of which you will see after a few years. Trees with their roots will create a protective frame that holds the soil.
Strengthening the bank with larch. The most reliable and durable way, due to the fact that the tree is quite unpretentious and durable.
Strengthening the shore with gabions. Flexible, lightweight design that can be used to give the shore any look.

We have looked at the main methods and materials for strengthening the shore; now let’s move on to how to make such a strengthening with your own hands.

Strengthening the river bank with your own hands

Let's consider the option of strengthening the river bank with your own hands with a coconut mat. This option is quite good if there are sharp cliffs on the shore; in addition, the coconut mat has a natural and aesthetic appearance. appearance, which gives the edges of the coast beautiful outlines.

The color of the material is very close to the ground, so it is almost invisible, and in its structure it is similar to a mesh of thin but durable ropes. This shape allows plants that love moisture to send their roots to the lake through the coconut mat, entwining it and, therefore, strengthening the shore even more. Thus, over time, the entire strengthening will be covered by plants and will become completely invisible.

As you noticed, there are a lot of ways to strengthen it, but coconut mat is taken as an example because it is easy to work with when strengthening the bank with your own hands.

Materials and tools:

coconut mesh;
fittings;
shovel;
construction adhesive;
stones;
seeds of perennial grasses.

Installation should begin with upper parts coastline, you don’t need to stretch the coconut mat too much, it’s better, on the contrary, to give it a little free space and start unwinding the skein of material into the river or pond, it should lie at least 20 cm along the bottom.

The upper part is fixed using ordinary reinforcement, which, of course, can be safely removed in a month, and all other places along the slope, if it is steep, can be secured with wooden pegs, which will dissolve themselves over time, or with the same reinforcement.

On a flat bank and bottom there is no need to strengthen anything, you can only press the ends with heavy stones, and cover the rest of the coconut mesh with sand and fix it, thus the water itself will strengthen the mesh within a few days.

Since the shore area can be quite wide, you will need to place several rolls or skeins of material nearby.

To prevent the material from spreading and the shore from starting to sag, you must make overlaps between the joints. The minimum overlap should be at least 15 cm, and these places should be properly coated with construction adhesive.

After completing all of the above operations, you need to give time to achieve the final result.

If after a week you find collapses somewhere, you will have to repeat the entire operation in this place, and if not, then the mesh will already be overgrown with the first roots. After another week, there will be enough roots to support the entire structure, then you can safely remove all the reinforcement from the ground. Now you have to take additional measures.

Additional events

These will include an artificial increase in vegetation, because the more roots there are, the denser your strengthening.

To do this, you will need to purchase seeds of perennial grasses or small trees and simply sow as densely as possible on the top of the bank and, if possible, on steep slopes.

The second stage will be decorating the shore. If the shore is sandy, then you can simply bury the visible parts of the coconut mat, and if it is grassy, then you can add more stones or earth - this will create additional strength and ensure the beauty of the entire shore.

There are many advantages of using coconut mat, here are the main ones:

The material is environmentally friendly, because it consists exclusively of natural elements.
Cheapness is one of the main parameters if you need to cover large areas.
The installation work is very simple, even one person can handle it within a few hours.
For several years the slope will not erode or slide.
The mesh structure allows plant roots to pass through it, which will provide additional strength.
The strength of the material is not lost from sunlight, contact with water and from the decomposition of natural organic matter.

As you can see, your problem with landslides from constant contact with water can be solved very quickly with the help of your hands, because no additional knowledge is required. In addition, there will be no need to spend a lot of money or obtain permits from government authorities.

By spending only a couple of hours of your time, you will forget about the problem for 2-3 years, or maybe more, because if there is a lot of vegetation on the shore, it will create tangles of roots and its own mesh, which will continue to hold the shore after the decomposition of the coconut mat. Also, after a couple of weeks, no one will be able to guess that the bank is reinforced, because the material will no longer be noticeable.

The pond on the site is a picturesque place that is a decoration of any territory. Regardless of whether you created the pond artificially or there is access to the river, the bank is likely to collapse. The line near the shore is destroyed, and there are cases when residential buildings near the reservoir are flooded. To avoid such a situation, you need to know how to strengthen the banks of a pond at your dacha with your own hands.

Main reasons

Deformation of the banks of an artificial reservoir most often occurs due to the fact that the necessary measures were not taken during its design and construction. And if the banks are too steep and the soil is loose, crumbling will not be long in coming. The walls of the pond bank in the garden should be strengthened to avoid:

deformation of the structure itself;
flooding of nearby structures;
turning a pond into a swamp.

Strengthening the bank of a garden pond will help you get rid of unpleasant things

To protect the soil from erosion, construction measures need to be carried out. In the process you can use natural or artificial material. Which resources are best to choose depends on the characteristics of the pond, financial capabilities and personal preferences.

Video “Do-it-yourself garden pond with a waterfall”

From this video you will learn how to build a large garden pond with a waterfall with your own hands:

Protection of a concrete pond

In order for an artificially made pond to serve as long as possible, you need to approach its strengthening in a comprehensive manner. Protection of a reservoir can be:

technical - involves the use of artificial resources such as geogrids, gabions, and so on;
biological - planting the area with plants that slow down erosion, for example, larch, reeds and others.

Special materials give the desired effect immediately after installation. Plants need time to grow roots, but they look more natural.

To strengthen a concrete reservoir, the following is suitable:

The special mesh is lightweight, durable and flexible. The geomat is filled with plant soil components, the roots strengthen the soil. This results in a reinforced zone.
Geogrid is a method identical to the previous one. Pebbles are used as the main material.
Coconut mat - is formed from intertwined cords with a fibrous structure.
Gabions are box-type retaining walls, used when previous options are ineffective. In addition to reliability, they perfectly complement the design of the site.

The above methods are quite effective and last much longer than green spaces. If desired, you can decorate the materials, carefully hiding their gray construction appearance.

Strengthening the film base

If the bottom of the reservoir is insulated with a special layer, a decorative film can serve as the shoreline. We recommend choosing options with gravel spraying. The material does a great job of hiding the synthetic origin of the components. Installation of the film is carried out from above on waterproofing layer. The edges are attached to the base with glue for water works.

Work process ends decorative processing. Stones of different shapes and sizes are installed along the edge of the pond. The composition looks great like a natural landscape. To do this, you only need a few stones and a little imagination.

To strengthen you will need stones

The best materials for work

With the help of artificial resources you will provide reliable protection reservoir from erosion of its banks. Most often used:

anti-erosion mesh;
geogrid;
concrete, wooden, metal piles;

The bank can also be strengthened with plants. Their root system has a beneficial effect on the soil, filling it with useful components. Due to this, the land near the shores becomes stronger.

Coconut mats

They are mainly used to reinforce the shoreline of a reservoir with a film base. This can be explained dark color mat. It effectively masks unsightly film if the water level drops. Another advantage of this choice is its fibrous structure. Moisture-loving plants can grow through coconut mats. So the soil is not only strengthened, but also decorated.

Coconut mats are chosen for their excellent resistance to UV rays, resistance to organic components, natural composition, easy installation and low cost.

The installation technology is not particularly complicated, the main nuances are as follows:

Installation starts from the shore. The material does not need to be stretched.
The lower part of the mats is placed at a distance of about half a meter, near the edge of the pond.
The top is fixed on dry land. For this purpose, reinforcement is usually used.
The mats are attached to PVC film using glue.
The joints are overlapped.
The top mat is treated with plant substrate.
The material that is in the water must be covered with sand and fine gravel.

Finally, it is advisable to strengthen the area with stones and plants.

Plants

Representatives of the flora as shore defenders do not immediately produce an effect. But they provide a reliable, long-lasting effect. Siberian larch is often used for strengthening. In terms of performance properties, it surpasses other types of wood. The trunks are constantly exposed to moisture, but they do not rot or deform when exposed to subzero temperature. Larch has no problems with strength and durability. Its presence has a beneficial effect on the ecosystem of the reservoir.

It is quite difficult to make protection from plants yourself. Trees and bushes need to be planted in such a way as to organize a developed root system. The biological method is suitable only in conditions of not too intense flow in the reservoir.

Features of protecting the coastline with plants:

Plant shrubs and herbaceous plants above the water - sea buckthorn, willow, calamus, etc.;
Water iris and many other plants get along well under water.

Gabions

You cannot find many innovative types of material that will provide reliable protection to the banks of the pond. One of these is gabion structures. They reduce the impact of water on the shore and prevent the destruction of its walls. Gabions are large blocks, the inside of which is filled with stones.

Gabions – practical option to strengthen the bank

The material has a mesh structure and is resistant to impact. groundwater. Experts say that on average gabions last 80 years. Interestingly, over time, their strength only gains strength. Gabion structures in the complex will create a continuous fortified coastline, which will also have an attractive design.

Plants grow well through the gabions; their stems and roots will provide additional protection to the banks.

Geogrid

This method is often called the most effective when it comes to shore reinforcement. Geogrid is a structure made of polymer tapes. They are fastened separately into cells arranged according to the type chessboard. During installation, the geogrid is stretched along the slope and secured with anchors. The cells are filled with soil or crushed stone and seeded with plants. The roots of the latter are designed to further strengthen the structure.

Workflow Features:

It is necessary to prepare the ground - remove the top layer of soil.
We level the surface and cover it with geotextiles.
We install the geogrid, pre-tensioning it and securing it with anchors - you should get a rectangular-shaped structure.
Geogrid modules are fastened with a pneumatic stapler. All that remains is to fill the cells with soil, crushed stone or small stones.

Piles

In construction, reinforced concrete supports are characterized by increased reliability. However, in the field of shore strengthening, most people prefer wooden piles.

They mainly use oak, larch and other species that are highly durable. With such piles the structure will be reliable and will last at least 50 years. Ideal option– Siberian larch. It retains its original properties for a long time.

Besides functional purpose, the shore, treated with trunks organically matched to each other, looks impressive. In this regard, wooden piles are significantly ahead of their reinforced concrete counterparts.

Strengthening the shoreline of a garden pond is a necessity. Doing this yourself is quite difficult, but thanks to the impressive number of methods, there is plenty to choose from. Most best option– gabions. They are durable and easy to install, providing a high degree of protection of the shore from crumbling.