Arbour
Garden Clippings for March 13, 2021
Germain Park is a hidden gem. You could drive by it a thousand times and not know it exists. Germain Park is Sarnia’s botanical garden of sorts, and boasts a wonderful variety of shrubs, evergreens, perennials and annual flowers.
My favorite feature of Germain Park is not a tree or plant but is the massive arbour that enhances the main entrance. A walk underneath the arbour gives a sense of calm, of strength and of comforting shelter. In summer, the arbour gives shade and provides a perfect spot to hang a dozen or more stunning hanging baskets.
An arbour is a freestanding structure usually built of 4 posts with a series of slats overhead. In the past arbours were placed at the entrance of a garden, and adorned with climbing vines, but these days arbours are usually a landscape feature where the gardener can perch a chair and rest a while.
What I love about arbours is they instill a sense of coziness. Arbours are a gathering spot, a place to hang out in the middle of the great outdoors.
What I dislike about arbours is they do not provide shade. The hot afternoon sun beats through an arbour with ease, and unless the arbour is covered in dense vines, it will not give relief of heat and will not block sunshine.
For those wanting an arbour to achieve shade, and don’t want the birds and bees associated with grapevines, I often recommend a solid roof with open sides. A solid roof also allows for the addition of lighting and a circulating fan.
Before building an arbour, pergola, or outdoor structure, look at where the sun rises and falls. Keep in mind that on the longest day of the year, the sun drops north of west. In winter, the sun drops south of west.
When we spend time outdoors, us working folks do so at the end of the day when the sun goes down. That begs the question if it makes sense to provide overhead shade or shade from the west falling sun.
Another consideration, often overlooked, is what an arbour will look like from the house. I rarely recommend building an arbour attached to or adjacent to the house for fear it would block views from indoors or block valuable sunshine from coming indoors especially in winter.
If possible, run hydro to the arbour. Lighting, music, a ceiling fan, or a mist fogger are easier to add during the construction phase than some time later. Ditto for a wi-fi connection.
Do your homework before selecting building materials. Since an arbour is overhead, lumber dries out quickly and will last for many years. Using the new vinyl composite lumber is costlier and heavier and may not be worth the additional expense. The weak spot in lumber installed outdoors is where the post meets the ground.
Finally, be thorough during the design phase. Consult gardening magazines and the internet before construction begins. A few carefully chosen details will make the difference between a plain structure and an arbour with pizzazz.
