Tips for Landscaping Arbors

Using an Arbor in Garden Landscape Design

Advice for landscaping arbors. Pictures of landscaping ideas for incorporating an arbor into your home landscape design. Landscaping plant guide for arbors and pergolas.

If you erect something as large as an arbor in your landscape it is going to be a focal point. Because a garden arbor is sure to draw the eye, placement is paramount.

Use it to frame a view or to highlight a specimen plant or special piece of garden art.

The Fairfield Grande arbor shown here is nearly a piece of garden art in itself.

You would only place an arbor this size into an expansive space. It gives a grand landscape even more impact.

The large flowering shrubs planted around the arbor draw attention to it just as it draws the eye to them.

This is also a good example of landscaping with boulders. The stacked boulders act as a visual anchor. Their weight counterbalances the height of the structure.

Imagine the picture without them. Something seems to be missing.

The rocks also serve to unite the landscape with the mountains in the distance and repeat the color of the pavers on the path.

The Fairfield II is a smaller version of the Fairfield Grande. Instead of framing the view, it is here used to enhance it. A white vinyl arbor is always a great choice for the garden landscape design of a white house.

Pools of groundcover plants at its feet tie the arbor to the ground visually. The tiny white blooms echo the white theme created by the house and arbor. A brightly colored shrub near the arbor adds excitement.

In this landscaping arbors picture, the Grand Colonial vinyl arbor with wings is used to draw attention to a specimen shrub. The obvious intention of this picture is to highlight the arbor but you can see how this particular arbor could be used to frame any view or object.

The dramatic wings enhance this eye-catching effect. Imagine the arbor without the wings. It would not be nearly as magnetic.

An arbor and gate set draws more attention than a lone arbor would. It also slows you down. You've got to stop to open the gate before passing through it.

This encourages strollers to take a moment to drink in the view which, in this case, consists of long borders filled with intensely colored plants.

Ornamental sweet potato vines creep onto the path while purple fountain grass and the annual red castor bean add height.

The tan wood of the cedarHeritage Arbor adds drama to this naturalistic landscape with a soft touch.

The natural wood compliments the deciduous trees in this landscape.

The cross bars at the ends of the pergola-style top have been used to support hanging baskets of ivy geraniums. This garden arbor design has built-in "windows" which leave space for this.

Solar-Powered String Lights, White

These are lights you can use in any sunny spot in your landscape to provide night time ambiance. Five strands have been used on the arbor in the photo but a single strand on each side of the structure would be more subtle and allow for a plant to be grown on the arbor.

These lights also come in red and green for those times when you want a more festive look.

I use solar lighting in my landscape and I love it. No wiring necessary.

This Longevity Arch has been set over a path through a mature woodland. Wooden garden arbors are right at home in this kind of a natural setting.

Large pots of tulips have been set on either side of the structure to bring in extra spring color. The terra cotta pots work well here as would most natural materials. Plastic containers would seem out-of-place in this setting.

Once the tulips go over, they can be switched out for other colorful plants.

This Rustic Natural Cedar garden arbor forms an entrance to a garden room.

The color of the cedar is picked up by the peach dahlias and the flowers of the ornamental grasses. This will intensify as the growing season wears on as the grasses don their autumn earth tones.

When landscaping arbors like this simple arch arbor trellis, you will want to smother the structure in foliage and flowers to add overhead color to your garden landscape design.

An arbor can be used to add height in a small space where a tree might be too large or cast too much shade on the surrounding plants.

Plants for Landscaping Arbors

Rose Arbor

Another Blaze rose is laid on the ground and used as a groundcover rose.

If red is not your color, a yellow rose like, Golden Showers would do as well.

Notice how most of the roses on the pergola arbor are concentrated across the top. This happens because the canes of climbing roses bloom most heavily when they are in a horizontal position.

It can be difficult to get the upright canes growing up the sides of the structure to flower. One solution to this is to purchase an arbor with an interesting side design that you will want to show off. Another is to plant another flowering vine at the foot of the rose.

Clematis vines are often combined with climbing roses. The foliage and flowers of the Clematis will cover the "bare legs" of the rose and dress the sides of the arbor.

Annual vines like the Black Eyed Susan vine are also suitable for use with roses.

Avoid planting any perennial vine with a rose that might overgrow and choke it.

Sweet Autum Clematis would be a poor choice. the large-flowered but smaller Jackmanii would be perfect.

Choosing Plants for Landscaping Arbors

Large, heavy vines like wisteria require a large and very sturdy support like the Fairfiled Grande arbor at the top of this page. A pergola would be even better.

If you are landscaping a very decorative arbor, you may not want it to be completely covered by plants. In this case, annual vines like Morning Glories or old-fashioned sweet peas will not always be present. Annuals also give you the chance to audition different flower colors before committing to anything.



Unique Metal Garden Arbors
All types of metal garden arbors. Metal arbor with gate. Wrought iron garden arbor. Rustic and elegant metal arbors. Arch arbor kit.

Wooden Garden Arbors
How a wooden garden arbor can enhance your garden and landscape design. Wood arbors add height and drama to the garden more subtly than metal or vinyl arbors as they blend more naturally into the landscape. Landscaping arbors that are made of wood.

Go from Landscaping Arbors to Above Ground Pool Landscaping Ideas
Above ground pool landscaping photos. Above ground pool landscape pictures. Plants you should not use in above ground swimming pool landscaping. Above ground pool deck landscaping tips.

Go from Landscaping Arbors to Botanical Journeys Plant Guides Home Page