What is a Garden Arch?

I like the arches that give the effect that they are in fact the doorways to the gardens. An arch like this makes the garden appear like a contained environment, separate from the surrounding area. In other words, the garden is like an outside room. This effect is best created by the heavy and sturdy wood arches.

You can find simple plans online detailing what you will need in terms of lumber and tools to make one of these types of arches. Actually, I prefer to get one already assembled or one that fits together with little work. You can also find plenty examples of these types online.

Garden arches add another element to a garden. I think variety is what makes for the most attractive and interesting gardens. With a little help, I have been able to build and erect several garden arches over the years.

There are many ways to erect your arch. The important thing to remember is to make sure the foundation of the structure is well supported. I used four saplings, which I cut from a wooded area on my property, to form the skeleton of my last arch. I dug almost a foot into the ground to make a hole for each of the four saplings. This is deeper than I needed, but I like to err on the side of caution.

I was able to bend the saplings so that two of the trees formed an arch in front of the second two, placed slightly in back of the first two. The second two formed a separate arch. When I attached the trees to one another with wire and then covered them with bundles of sticks and twigs to fill out the arches, I had one arch with more depth, instead of two. Once the ivy I planted grew and covered the arch, the structure looked perfect, and natural.