Garden Arbors

Example of a Garden Arbor - Casablanca

Casablanca Garden Arbor

Arbors are an Easy Way to Enhance Any Garden or Yard

If you enjoy backyard gardening or landscaping, no doubt you spend a good deal of time working in the yard every week. Planting, tending, and weeding the garden beds takes time and effort, but the beautiful results are worth it. Increasingly, many homeowners are choosing to add decorative elements to yards and gardens to enhance outdoor spaces even more. Garden arbors are just one example. Garden arbors are structures, often made of wood or metal, that serve as an attractive focal point in a backyard or garden. They allow you to establish an appealing entry or gateway to a garden retreat or quiet backyard corner. Arbors are an easy and inexpensive way to spruce up a yard or draw attention to a carefully tended garden.
Common Features

Most garden arbors feature side panels that double as a trellis for climbing plants and vines. The tops of these structures vary greatly — some feature decorative arches while others have flat, pergola-style tops. Together, side panels and tops come in a wide variety of styles to complement different gardens and personal tastes. For example, arbors can bring an Asian, Moroccan, or Mediterranean flavor to gardens, but they can also bring traditional charm. Many arbors offer the addition of a gate or a bench. Those that feature benches make cozy private retreats; just add a comfortable seat cushion and throw pillows made from all-weather fabric, and you can relax while enjoying the beauty of the garden.

Before choosing from the many garden arbors available, be sure to measure the width of the path or area where the arbor will be located to be sure that the style you prefer is not too narrow or too wide. One particularly nice feature available in some arbors is the ability to adjust its width to best fit the desired spot where it will be placed. Another beneficial feature to look for are concrete anchors that allow you to secure the structure to the ground and prevent it from being accidentally overturned or blown over by strong weather.

Materials Used

Most garden arbors are constructed from metal or wood. Metal arbors often feature beautiful scroll work or other intricate designs along the side panels. When choosing from the variety of metal arbors, look for durable rust-free cast iron construction. Alternatively, wood garden arbors bring a warm, natural element to gardens. When choosing from the variety of wood arbors, look for quality wood, such as western red cedar or eucalyptus wood. Both western red cedar and eucalyptus are hardy woods that naturally resist moisture, decay, and insect infestation, and they continue to look good over time with very little maintenance required. Whether you choose metal or wood, look for arbors that are sturdily constructed so that the weight of heavy vines and greenery growing up the side panels and over the top are well supported.

In sum, garden arbors add a decorative as well as functional element to yards and gardens. They allow you to extend your garden upward, and they create a focal point that draws the eye toward a particular area of interest. Garden arbors offer an inexpensive and easy way to further enhance the look of any outdoor space.

About Trey Collier

Avid Do-It-Yourself-er. Love's being outdoors. Helped push the shade sail market into one of the fastest growing outdoor shade structures product in North America.

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