One of the simplest and most pleasing features you can add to your garden is the garden arch. Sometimes just a simple timber frame, at other times an elegant wrought iron framework it creates an appealing feature in its own right and makes an easy on the eye presence even during the winter months.
Whether forming a division between one part of the garden and another, or enticingly framing another garden feature or view, the garden arch is an inexpensive idea that adds value far beyond its relatively modest cost. Indeed many gardeners agree that when covered in a riot of climbing blossoms, there is no better way to add drama, height and beauty to your garden. Sometimes a garden arch is used to partially screen one area of the garden from another so as to reveal a different view beyond or when passing through it. Walking under a garden arch crowned with colourful jasmine, clematis, wisteria or rose blossoms, against a perfect blue sky is one of the most satisfying aspects of enjoying a garden.
When considering the design of your garden arch, remember that the size and mass of the structure will have an effect on how it looks and feels in your garden. Building too low and too can be claustrophobic so wider and taller is more spacious. You can link together a series of garden arches with wires or ropes for plants to scramble over, giving the effect of a pergola without the extra construction. At the same time you can create the effect of a small gazebo by adding trellis panels.
Whatever your style of home, from the traditional country cottage to the contemporary architect designed residence, you抣l find garden arches in a wide variety of styles and at prices to match every pocket. You抣l also find plenty of choice when you look for garden arches, with any number of ready-made wooden garden arches as well as metal garden arches, and a whole selection of kits. Those with the necessary skills can easily build their own garden arch using simple DIY tools and equipment. If you抮e considering a wooden garden arch, look out for one made from FSC-approved environmentally friendly timber from sustainable sources. Check too that wooden garden arches are pre-treated to give many years of lasting duty because it抯 just about impossible to apply treatments, stains and coatings to a wooden garden arch when it抯 covered with climbers.
If however you would like a metal garden arch, you抣l find that many metal garden arches are robustly constructed in steel with a durable and weather-resistant powder coated finish. The traditional metal garden arch however is often made from wrought iron, which can be left to oxidise naturally or be occasionally re-painted outside the growing season. Simple, practical and easy to assemble and install in your garden, garden arches are designed and built with your comfort in mind and should be firmly attached to the ground in order to ensure safety, comfort and years of trouble-free service.
