There is something undeniably exquisite about a pergola. Many admire Harold Peto’s example in the gardens at West Dean, arguably one of the finest in the country: 100 metres long, with a stone gazebo at one end, a water lily pond at the other and intricate details along the way, such as a beautifully laid mosaic floor and perfectly trimmed stems of climbing roses and wisteria, weaving and spiralling around its supporting pillars.
An arbor of this size and height may not be on your shopping list, but the beauty of an arbor is that it can be adapted to fit any available size and have a similar impact. The Oxford English Dictionary defines an arbor as ‘A gazebo; a covered walkway or shelter, especially one made up of plants growing on a framework’, but that does arborists no favours as they are much more useful and versatile than the definition implies.
They can be used to make walkways more dramatic and attractive, or to create a clear division between different parts of the garden – imagine a wisteria trellis separating Gravetye Villa formal garden from the orchard. An arbor can frame and shelter a seating area or form a garden focal point, such as the one that makes the Sundial Garden at Wollerton Old Hall so beautiful to photograph. And, once installed, an arbor will provide plenty of new planting opportunities, in fact inviting climbing plants to find their way up the supports.
A series of the connecting arches can achieve much the same effect, although it could be argued that they form more of a ‘tunnel’ than an arbor. Semantics aside, there’s something irresistible about these shaded paths, so assess your garden for trellis potential and consider adding an arbor this spring.
The recommended height for a pergola is around 9 feet (2.7 m) from the ground, allowing enough room to stand underneath, allowing for hanging plants and lighting. Pergolas can be purchased ready-made from a variety of suppliers, with the most common materials being wood and metal. Other suppliers will design and make your own pergola, as will a good hardy gardener, and DIYers can build their own relatively easily. The important thing is to make sure it is well made and sturdy enough to support the weight of any plants that are bent on it, which can be considerable once they are fully grown. The last thing anyone wants is a warped structure when a patiently bent wisteria finally flowers, so it is worth building something that will last.
If you choose wood, hardwoods such as oak are more expensive but are more durable and a better choice than, say, pine, which is less durable. Whatever wood you use, help it last as long as possible by treating the base of the uprights with a wood preservative and using metal post anchors, setting them into the concrete but making sure the uprights are completely straight before setting them in place. On solid surfaces such as pavement, steel post anchors will make it easy to secure the uprights.
The timber for the supports should be at least 2×2 but ideally thicker to create a sturdy structure that can support the weight of the tree and withstand wind buffeting. The supports run through each end, usually secured with bolts, and then crossbeams can be installed perpendicular to them. Staining or painting the wood will help protect the wood from the elements and prolong its life.
Rosemary Verey’s famous Laburnum walk at Barnsley House is one of the most photographed examples of an arbour, transforming what could have been an unremarkable walkway into an iconic feature admired and emulated by gardeners the world over. By simply adding a series of wide arches and planting laburnums at their base with a layer of mauve alliums, Verey has created something that is far more than the sum of its parts.
It’s amazing what you can recreate in your own garden. Just survey the paths and see if there’s a possibility of building a pergola along them. The path doesn’t have to be in the middle of the garden, as the pergola can also run parallel to the garden boundary. Harrod Horticultural’s Roman Wall Pergola (harrodhorticultural.com) in powder-coated steel has full-length legs on one side and no legs on the other so it can be fixed directly to the wall, just like the Monet Wall Pergola by Agriframes.
flower behind death is the classic choice of hikers for these trails or tunnels – choose a sturdy plant that flowers profusely in spring, such as Wisteria sinensis ‘Full’ or W. sinensis ‘Amethyst’. Both are strongly scented and ideal for covering trellises with drooping blue-purple flowers. To mimic Verey’s Laburnum Walk, or the super-large Laburnum Arch at the National Trust’s Bodnant Gardens in North Wales, Laburnum plant x water ‘Vossii’ is the recommended selection. Its vigorous, flexible branches are easily trained up and over an arch Let the flowers hang down. Climbing roses and shrub roses are another timeless traditional choice.
More unusual options might include Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’. This is a bit trickier to care for as its stems are stiff and less flexible, but with skill and patience, gardeners at Worcestershire’s Spetchley Park have shown how it can be coaxed into covering a trellis, with the rewards coming in autumn when its leaves turn every shade of red, purple and yellow. Embrace change by looking to more exotic-looking climbers: Campsis radicans for example, in more temperate climes, or passionflower.
Whether attached to the home or a standalone feature, depending on the location of your outdoor dining area, few can deny the appeal of sitting in dappled shade under lush green trees to feel like you’re on vacation.
Stuart Garden Architecture can supply bespoke pergolas in hardwoods such as oak or iroko, or try Garden Trellis Company to be served according to their needs. Make sure the pergola is large enough to accommodate your outdoor dining furniture and that even when the chairs are pulled out, people can still sit under the ‘canopy’ of the pergola rather than feeling as though they are hanging out beyond the perimeter of the pergola.
Don’t forget about lighting to extend the life of warm evenings: pendant lights and outdoor lanterns can hang from horizontal rods, or you can hang string lights back and forth, or wrap string lights around vertical holders.
Grapevines are the classic choice here, evoking the feeling of dining al fresco on a Mediterranean restaurant terrace. The ornamental large-leaf Vitis coignetiae climbs up the pergola quickly, and its fall colour is spectacular, but if you want fruit, consider the white Vitis vinifera ‘Phoenix’ or the black ‘Regent’. Both produce grapes that can be eaten or juiced or used to make wine. Late autumn is the best time to plant.
Also, consider climbing plants that will enhance this entertaining space at night: wisteria is especially fragrant in the evening or consider jasmine star, Trachelospermum jasminoidesor Jasminum officinale ‘Devon Cream’.
For inspiration, visit the National Trust Sissinghurst Castle to see a beautiful pergola in the White Garden – its most iconic space. Here, the central metal pergola is home to a spectacular Rosa mulliganii, a climbing plant that produces large clusters of fragrant white flowers in summer. Without it, this garden would not be the same.
When designing a pergola that will be used as a focal point, try to match its materials to those used in the rest of the garden or use something that fits the character of the garden. In a sea of natural plantings, it can be constructed from rustic timber, as at Ellicar Gardens in Yorkshire, where designer Sarah Murch installed an arbour with slender vertical bars and branch-like horizontal bars to create enough contrast with the flowing mix of perennials surrounding it.
Raw wood creates a weighted accent to anchor the dreamiest of contours, while contemporary metals can create an almost sculptural effect as countless Chelsea Flower Show The beams in Darren Hawkes’s Samaritans Listening Garden 2023 gave that exhibition garden an industrial look, but sleeker metal could be useful for creating an effect on patio doors and windows.
Topiary is essential for something that will be the main focal point of the garden: a stunning rose such as white ‘Adélaïde d’Orléans’ or a honeysuckle – a Viticella such as ‘Étoile Violette’ would be a good choice – or even a combination of the two for added impact. Don’t forget the attention-grabbing power of pergolas in the vegetable garden, where they can be used to support fruit trees or climbing squash.
