Show Me Your Arbors, Pergolas, etc.....

A few years ago, my DH made an arbor out of cedar saplings, and ever since, the arbor has been the focal point of our yard. The birds nest in it, and the grapes feed them and us. They stripped the bark off the posts for nesting material, and it has continued to be an inspiration for the rest of our garden.

Our arbor is rustic, but there are a lot of different types of arbors and pergolas out there. Show us your arbors- store-bought, home-made, whatever! Let's see your style...and your vines and climbers!

That is so cute. I love the look.
Linda

Thanks!

Now my brain is working overtime. Can I talk my DH into making one and where can I put it. LOL.

LOL!

I bought the grapes a year before the arbor got built. I think perhaps it would not have been built if I hadn't already planted the grapes! DH and I had a difference of opinion about how big the arbor should be, resulting in me having to move the grapes after 2 years.

Ours replaced a giant wild rose plant (not a nice pretty rose, but an invasive one that still has children all over the neighborhood).

I actually wanted a more formal arbor, but now I wouldn't trade it for anything. I think it is much more like us.

It is soooooooooo beautiful. I wish I have one to show but I don't. Now it looks like I need to come up with one for my yard!LOL!! Thanks for sharing.

We bought this arbor from ''Hardy Lawn Furniture'' in Iowa City, Iowa. The things they build are made by the Amish in Kalona. I just planted Blanche Sandman honeysuckle in the corners today.

My husband built my pergola for me the year my dad got sick to help me along. It was a great inspiration to keep me going.

I love it! What a talented kind husband.

This is an old picture, but here is my "garden room".

Our entire 1/2 acre is shady, and I just got so sick of gardening in the shade(the dark!), so built this in the only sunny spot amongst all the trees, for all my vines and sun-loving stuff.

It was made with scrap porch metal from a flea market that we got for an incredibly low $100, and the "fence" is an old balcony, which was a gift from a friend(they were going to put it in their home they were building, but unfortunately, divorced half-way through :0(.

We still haven't put a roof of any kind on it, but we still enjoy it like it is... There is a swing to the right, and a bed/swing on the left. A fire pit(a walmart clearance $40 cheapo) keeps it inviting in there, even when the season is over.

It certainly fulfilled my chronic desire for everything "shabby chic", while providing me with a chance to garden in a little sun, and provided a much needed focal point.

I love it! It's very homey and inviting.

Here is another (and much smaller) pergola that my brother helped us build a few years ago.

It used to get so hot on the front door(which faces due south) that the door knob got extremely hot, and would burn your hand.

Now, it is much more pleasant to enter the front door, lol...(that is if you don't get stuck and stabbed by a rose thorn, lol)
-T

oops!...didn't mean to make anyone get a crick in their neck, lol
-T

LOL! Nice! Pretty rose too!

Sorry about that...here is another one... right side up
-T

Thank you, Billy.
-T

Wow! Talk about inspirational! You guys all have such beautiful arbors and pergolas. Isn't it interesting to see what people come up with? Very nice, everybody.

They are all very nice. I'm copying Ivy's by the way, LOL! We just picked out some trees for it the other day. Just waiting for my DB to have time to cut them for us. I'll have to take pics when we get it finished, it'll prolly be a while so don't hold your breath for the pics!

My Dad and I built this pergola and the fence. I have something like 50 Clematis so far, though many are young. He came up with some of the triangular pieces for aestetics, I saw the post idea on a pergola in someone's yard while I was fertilizing their lawn.

Pergola:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Cultivar/My%20Landscape/?action=view¤t=PergolaPatioOnyx.jpg

Each post is surrounded for the vines to have something to cling to:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Cultivar/My%20Landscape/?action=view¤t=RoseumElegansJune03.jpg

Then the fence - for vines!
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Cultivar/My%20Landscape/?action=view¤t=LongBedJune12004.jpg

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Cultivar/My%20Landscape/?action=view¤t=June12004LongBed.jpg

One more of the pergola:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v280/Cultivar/My%20Landscape/?action=view¤t=ViewofStuff.jpg

And a Photo from a few days ago: A Clematis I once knew the name of now blooming like mad. (I thought it started with an "F" - 'Fantasy' - 'Pink Fantasy' - Or it could start with anything! I forget!)


Dax

Grape arbor :)

Keep it coming guys--this is a downright inspirational thread.

Conifers, Your pergola and fence are great...so is your garden. I checked out your pics at photobucket...very nice.

On your fence did you use 4 x 4s for your upright posts and landscape timbers for the horizontal supports? That's very original.

Thanks for sharing.
Heather

Thanks heathrjoy,

The entire fence minus the gates is actually landscape timbers for both the upright and horizontal bones. I happened to be at a Lowes Store and saw they were charging 99cents a piece for them (8 foot long) - so I took a drive over to Menard's (both are home improvement stores here) because I knew that they would meet any competitors price, + take off an additional 15% or something like that. So I got their price for like 80 cents a log or something.

(I dreampt it up on one of those winter days where the mind is searching for projects to do).

Thanks again!

Dax

Dax,
Sending you a d-mail so I don't go too ot here, which I have a bad tendency to do! LOL!

Great pics! Fishknees- I love the pots at the base of your arbor- and the topiary! I just placed some boxwood at the entry to our arbor. Had some in the front yard that I was training into chicken forms, but gave up when DH kept wanting me to trim them into balls.

I notice some really beautiful plantings in Conifers garden as well.

I am especially jealous of your purple Beech!

I'm so glad you said that Ivy. I can't believe I missed it before, but I didn't notice the teddy bears and others in FishKnees pic. That is just too neat. I bet that took some time and talent! Great job!

Ivy, your grape arbor and and Seedpicker, your front door arbor are SO inspiring to me! I LOVE them...that lush, overgrown green-all-over look is exactly what I am dreaming of. Thanks so much for the pics....everyone keep them coming!!

I hate to tell you what the arbor looks like this year- we had to whack the grapes back to the roof line! They were getting out of hand... so no lush, overgrown green all-over look! Maybe in a couple of months...

Thank you Ivy:)

conifers

I luv them all! They all look so inviting!
:) Donna

This post is a little off the subject, but since ya'll are so-o-o-o creative, I thought you might be able to help.

I'm trying to think of an alternative to a patio umbrella stand so that the wind doesn't blow it over. I was wondering about a big clay pot filled with concrete. I'd sink a piece of PVC pipe into the concrete before it hardens to be able to slip the umbrella rod can slip into the PVC pipe.

It needs to be free standing (not being inserted into a table hole) and fairly easy to move around it behind a tiki type bar. Any suggestions all you creative people?

Would a clay pot work? I am wondering if the concrete might break a clay pot... does concrete shrink or expand when dry? I am not very knowledgeable about concrete though. Other than that, I think it sounds like a great idea!

I'd buy a broad pot about 2.5.' x 2.5' that's made out of that new lightweight foam "stuff" that looks like terracotta or whatever color/pattern/design you like, or maybe even a broader one and go with that.

Lower to the ground and broad would have the least amount of liklihood to be swept away.

Dax

I agree w/ Dax. I also think concrete would shrink when it dries, if it does anything. Also, it will shrink when cold and expand when hot...that's why you see expanders where bridges & roads come together. I don't know if that would be a problem in a mass of concrete this small tho.

I still don't understand why one of those umbrella holders that are filled w/ sand that are sold in stores won't work for this? Just too ugly? Hide the sand filled donut in a pot then and plant something on top of it. That's fast & easy & portable.

Why not use the papercrete method to make your own pot/umbrella stand? You could make your own pot/umbrella stand the way they make fake rocks too. I can see something natural looking w/ "pits" on the sides deep enough to hold plants...make it a little taller than you need, put inconspicuous holes thru it for air flow so it doesn't get knocked over, then you could plant something in the top also. If you got real fancy, and your umbrella is plastic rather than a metal that would rust, you could even turn it into a fountain of sorts. Depends on how invovled you want to get, how much money you want to spend and how much time you have....and your decor.

How about a big ole log...BIG log...the umbrella can rest in a hole just off center, then have seats carved into each end. I know a site that lists chainsaw carvers all over the US and other countries too. A lot of them travel constantly. It's not that far-fetched. They may even supply the log. But, I don't think that'd go too well w/ a tiki bar....LOL

I knew there would be creative answers! Thanks!

So it's emphasis on low to the ground as opposed to the weight?

Tried the sand filled and it wasn't heavy enough.......but maybe the "donut" filled with sand THEN in the clay pot (like you suggested) with a plant on top. Hmmm.

The umbrella is a thatched look (made out of plastic...kinda' cool) with a wooden pole and I want it to sit behind a teak bar w/ 2 stools to get a little shade. That's why I need to have something that you can maneuver around. Then the "bartender" can have access to things under the bar......if you know what I mean. LOL!

Heathrjoy, I'm not familiar with papercrete, but I'm a quick study with crafty things. Sounds neat, but sounds like it might get too big for what I need.......the maneuvering thing for the "bartender". The base/stand won't be seen since it will be behind the bar so something basic with weight will do the trick.

Maybe I can just get the "bartender" to stand there and hold it up. Whatcha' think?

Any other thoughts are greatly appreciated! You guys are great!

Those are all so great. I finally got my husband to help me and we got 4 post holes dug. It made me want to make it double wide, but I like the pickets on each side! Reguardless we still have 3 more post holes for the lattice screen. We've had our lumber since Feb. I hope on this long weekend we can get it done!

Dunn, your bartender could prolly do that for you, until s/he has too many drinks, then the umbrella will prolly go down w/ them.

Here's the thread on how to make papercrete containers
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/472203/
I've never done the papercrete myself, but want to soon. It looks simple enough...and like lots of fun.

You know, you could just use an umbrella stand filled w/ sand (an umbrell stand for the umbrellas people use during rainstorms). Find one that fits your tropical (or whathaveyou) theme, put your 'brella in and then fill w/ sand. It could double as an ashtray...lol. I'd fill it w/ water first to make sure it's not going to leak sand all over the place tho. Weigh it down w/ rocks if you need to, but I doubt you'll need to, that much sand will be heavy.

If one donut didn't work, why not try two? Just put both of them in a pot...then do the same thing and plant it.

Are you in a really windy area? How heavy is the 'brella? Is it blocked by anything?

I just got this arbor for Mother's Day from DH and my boys. I have planted two Henry Kelsey climbing roses on it, and after they grow in a bit, I will see if I want to add a clematis. I want to see how the roses fill in first.

Wow, that is really pretty. I've never seen one like it. Your boys must have been so excited to give it to you!

Very pretty, Meig.