Arbor Accents
Arbors are often added to your front fence to create an entrance or accent, to frame or shade your gate, and for those with a green thumb to provide the perfect structure for plants to grow over. Arbors have been around forever. While thought to have originated in Egypt, they had a place in ancient gardens in England, Italy, Poland, India, Japan, France and Portugal.
Historically they provided an area in the garden to sit and rest, however, today the term, arbor, is interchanged with pergola and trellis where shade is provided by a structure that gives plants support as they grow and climb yet it is smaller and doesn’t provide a seating area.
Arbors are generally made with two or four posts and built using timber, iron, steel. They may be an entry way into a house and garden or a transition between sections of a garden. You will also see these used as focal points in garden designs.
Arbors can be paired with a gate or stand alone as a door-less portal.
How do I choose an arbor that’s the right size, scale, and style?
Firstly, consider the style of your home, garden and fencing and choose a design that will compliment these. With gables a common feature of many Queensland homes you will often see this feature picked up in the arbor at the entrance of a home. An arbor with straight lines may be more complimentary with a modern home with straight lines.
Consideration of the size of your arbor is also factored in so that it does not dominate the setting. Materials used will provide strength and durability depending on your plans which may be to paint and leave or to grow climbing plants over the structure.
