Ornate plants
By Felder Rushing
From overarching arbors and ornate pillars to flowering vine teepees, vertical structures are hallmarks of good garden design. They lift eyes and spirits, provide protection from the sun, and support vines for seasonal color.
Many homes have arbors over patios or out in the yard, complete with swings and even chandeliers. But a lot of new gardeners are opting for a simpler approach by building or buying a cut small one, then expect too much from it.
Not going to get into what garden designers call different structures, like standalone arbors, pergolas connected to the house, and tuteurs with domed or pyramidal roofs; I’m just writing about simple upright posts or pillars, usually with strong overhead connecting beams. However, a trellis is generally any smaller and wall-like variation of open or latticed framework used to partition an area or fastened against a wall for supporting vines. When used around patios, pools, or between houses, trellises are called baffles, which instantly thwart prying eyes from neighbors without being a solid fence.
Regardless of style, material, or size, the feeling they all provide is instant, and a whole lot cheaper in both price and time than slower growing trees or large hedge shrubs. Plus, you can grow some mighty cool vines on them, which both tone down the structures and give seasonal reasons to look upwards.
Great vines for sturdy arbors include native coral honeysuckle, confederate or star jasmine (often killed back in north Mississippi winters), climbing roses, native and non-invasive later-blooming Amethyst Falls wisteria, native yellow Carolina jessamine and crossvine, along with summer blooming trumpet creeper, sweet autumn clematis, and the smilax called Jackson vine.
All those take a year or more to get established; with horticulturists, the rule of thumb with perennial vines is “first year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap.” To fill in the time gap, it’s very easy the first summer or two to buttress them by adding some faster growing annual vines including gourds, hyacinth bean, moonflower, or cypress vine. And a hanging basket or two will help draw the eye upward til the perennial vines take off.
Lately a not-so-new monster vine is crushing arbors all over the Magnolia State: Peggy Martin, a climbing rose with an incredible survival and rediscover story, is being shoved into places where she doesn’t fit. The vigorous, mostly disease-free and nearly thornless beauty easily gets fifteen feet tall and wide and will quickly crush a cute but flimsy store-bought arbor and make it hard to get through garden gates.
This is the most common regret, that when folks consider adding one, they fail to consider that most end up not being high or sturdy enough for popular vines. In my garden I now go with pillars, tall posts set a few feet away from walks; they are made of stout 4x6 treated posts, twelve feet long so they stand ten feet above the ground; some are connected with 2x6 beams, some with unsaggable half-inch rebar rods for supporting draping vines above our heads.
Last consideration: If you want a comfy garden swing, remember that taller is always better - the longer the chain, the more relaxing the motion. Oh, and use oil-based stain or paint on undersides of connecting rafters to thwart wood-boring carpenter bees.
Upright garden structures do not have to be complicated, or expensive; main thing is to choose a style that suits your garden while drawing the eye upward and creating interest somewhere between wall-to-wall grass and tall trees.
And make it taller and sturdier than you first think is just right.
Felder Rushing is a Mississippi author, columnist, and host of the “Gestalt Gardener” on MPB Think Radio. Visit his blog at felderrushing.blog. Email gardening questions to rushingfelder@yahoo.com.
