Frame Your Garden with a Flea Market twist…

19 GREAT Garden Arbor Idea and 2 easy projects.  The entrance to your garden is often one of the first things visitors will see! An arbor has to be the most romantic structures in a garden, and one that creates a portal,…an entry way into the garden sparking curiosity as to what is around the corner.

Joy Hale’s welcoming pathway

Joy Hale “My rose arbor is planted with the white Iceberg Climbing Roses…. The old wood came from my dad’s old woodpile, the rock pathway came from the top of Kaiser Pass in the Sierra mountain range. I loved those days of collecting! ”  The path to Joy’s rose arbor is delightfully planted with spiky, tall Foxgloves, Roses and lacy, white  Leucanthemum Daises along the edges.

Sue Langley “The entrance to my garden and the view!”

The neighbor knows I like recycled garden things and is my biggest connection for junkola sometimes!  This three-opening, metal tubular framed arbor was a treasure and perfect for this ‘intersection’ of three paths. Didn’t even have to paint it.

Fishtail Cottage’s romantic arbor gate. What is beyond?

Carol McLaughlin‎’s rustic arbor shelters a bench

Carol McLaughlin built an arbor from wood that came in from the hurricane for the wild grapes that grow in the marsh. Now, Climbing Roses and Clematis grow there.

Dandi Gentry’s arbor divides her flower beds

When visiting Dandi Gentry’s garden, you’d walk through a series of arbors and trellises that divide the space into delightful areas rimmed with colorful flower beds.  When planning flower bed shapes, plan for an arbor, too!

Kathy Hardin’s woodsy arbor retreat

Kathy Hardin  “Entrance to one of my flower gardens.  The large cast iron pot is a water feature and the fence is from a little antique shop here in North Georgia. I really needed something to keep my big dogs from walking all over my flowers so this solves that, too.  The daisies are metal and just paint and the flag is made from very old wavy tin that was used for roofing.”

Rebecca Harp’s wooden pole entry arbor was built by her sweet husband..

Linde Skipper welcomes you to her “Haven”

Where would you install an arbor in your garden?  They can sit just beyond the back entrance of your home to direct guests through, or be put in a side entrance like Linde Skipper’s.  Wouldn’t you like to come through here to see what kind of Haven Linde created?

Beth Anderson’s arbor with built in benches

Beth Anderson added old wooden doors just inside either side of this metal framed gazebo from the home store.  The awning wore out, so now it’s complete with benches on either side so you can sit and enjoy the shade. Strong enough to hold blooming purple Wisteria.

Arbor tips:

• Think out of the norm. The materials for a garden arbor can be rustic, recycled or painted wood, branches or twigs or from ornate iron or tubular metal.
• Get someone to help you set it up level. You’ll enjoy it more if it’s straight up and down, not wonky.
• Make sure wooden ‘feet’ are up off the ground, on concrete footings, gravel, or rock.
• Reinforce lightweight arbors with wooden or metal stakes.
• Set up first, plant later so you won’t damage plant’s roots.

Welcome to my garden

Billie Hayman’s entry to her picket fence garden is a sweet-smelling, Jasmine covered arbor

Billie Hayman “One of my favorite tangled up ‘messes'”

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Wendy Marett’s massive rustic arbor made of timbers

Consider the style of your garden when choosing an arbor.  Wendy Marett’s  arbor has a Craftsman look with functional seats and stained glass decoration.   The twig arbor below, is completely opposite, airy and light, made from branches and twig from the garden.

Project #1 Make a rustic rose arch

Four metal fence posts for wire fencing were pounded into the ground for supports for this twig arbor. Create an arch made of wire fencing onto the posts and secure it with cable ties.

Temporarily hold the shape of the arch across the path using some twine, and then add lots of twisty sticks and curly vine trimmings. When it’s stable, remove the twine  across the path.

Black cable ties hold everything in place, are very strong and will fade into the background with exposure to weather. This arch can last many years!

Cheryl Archer’s rusty tool arbor

Project #2 Hog panel wire arbor

Jeanne Sammons shows her hog panel arch, before and after planting

Jeanne Sammons “I used this old ‘hog panel’ to make this Arbor for some Bittersweet plants. These old panels have been lying around the property for years now then I saw this idea somewhere and we tried it!   Steel fence posts ground it. We had to do a lot of bending, shoving and I stood in the middle of it flat on the ground for a bit while he pushed and shoved to get it in shape.  Today it paid off! I am so happy!”  ‘Hog Panels’ are 3′ x 16′,…perfect size for an archway and you get them at the hardware or farm store.

Anne Beauchemin’s white picket fence arbor

It’s difficult to get more romantic than a white arbor, picket fence to enclose a cottage or vegetable garden, like Anne Beauchemin’s. The combination is perfect for just about any informal landscape — especially if you have a cottage-garden style.

Cheryl Archer’s rusty tool arbor

An arbor of salvaged, rusty tools, like Cheryl Archer’s, provides a fitting, friendly entrance for this beautiful country garden. Unlike its solid wood counterpart, a recycled collection like this offers visitors a int of the gardener’s personality. This arbor can certainly withstand winds without issue.

Diana Daily‎’s flowery arbor

Diana Daily  “Here’s one of my favorite pathways in last summers garden.”  Just brush aside the Bee Balm and come into Diana’s garden.  The arbor just hides a little, sparking your interest!

Kelly Dickinson’s cobbled together arbor‎, wild and romantic!

Kelly Dickinson “The antique rose arbor. I live in Louisiana and we had a long bad winter… but for some reason the roses seemed to be beautiful this season…really enjoying their beauty!”

Kathy Gilbert’s arbor entrance to her greenhouse garden

Trumpet vine covers Kathy’s metal framed and rustic arbor entrance. For more of Kathy Gilbert intriguing garden, see Kathy’s Gorgeous Greenhouse From Old Windows

At Flea Market Gardening, we like to make our own arbors or search for them at Flea Markets, discarded from friends or at an auction or estate sale, but if you’re not a master builder, you can buy a kit from a home improvement center that is easy to assemble.

Gate Enclosures for Arbors

Sydney Minor’s sturdy garden arbor entry

Sydney Minor “My son built the gate for me through the fence leading to my daughter’s house. It will have some new plantings up to and on it as part of my side yard make-over. It has an innovative closure. Note the Louisiana fleur–de–lis!”

Sydney Minor shows the clever gate catch her son made

Gate closure: When the rock is in its pocket, the latch is down to lock it. The rock out of its pocket raises the latch to unlock it. I was a poet, and I didn’t know it! I don’t know where Bruce came up with that idea, but he’s a clever boy.

 More DIY Arbors:

Making snazzy re-purposed garden arches

How to repurpose an old swingset for a swingin’ arbor

Barb’s fifty dollar arbor,…result—priceless!