Does your garden area need just a little extra “something”? Your garden serves as a special place, where you spend hours tending your plants or simply sitting and enjoying the fruits of your labor. It’s your home away from home, so why not give it a special entryway of its own? Hopefully the following ideas will spark your imagination.
Use containers to direct a focal point. Containers of ferns, ornamental kale, flowers, or other decorative plants can be placed to create an entry point to your garden. These can be moved, or you can add to them, as the seasons change and you want to switch up the look of your garden.
Build an arbor or trellis. An arbor or trellis can be used to support vining flowers or even crops like berries and grapes. And yes, you can allow several different vining plants, which produce fruit or flowers at different times, to grow on the same structure. That way you always have something new to enjoy.
Create a gourd tunnel. If you want to enjoy something truly dramatic, create a “tunnel” from wood or heavy duty hardware cloth. Then train vining pumpkin, squash, or gourd plants to grow up and over the tunnel. In late summer the result is hanging fruits that will remind you of lanterns.
Add a traditional touch with columns. Install traditional columns, in painted wood or even cement, on either side of your garden entry. These will contribute an Old World, classical ambiance to your garden. You might feel as though you’re strolling into a Renaissance-era painting!
Install a moon gate. Moon gates, or circular openings in garden walls, are a traditional component of Chinese gardens. Some moon gates even carry spiritual meanings according to the shape of the gate and materials used to build it. Your moon gate can be composed of metal, stone, wood, concrete, or really any material you can think of. Some are created for the purpose of supporting vining plants, adding even more intrigue to the style.
Repurpose old materials. Find an old wrought-iron fence gate, and install at the entrance to your garden. It will contribute an antiquey, romantic Victorian feel to your landscape. Or, go for a picket fence gate for a vintage farmhouse appeal.
Are you feeling inspired by these garden entryway ideas? Check out our Pinterest page for more decorative gardening inspiration, and call us if you have any questions about incorporating your garden area into the overall landscape of your yard.
