I dislike both words but still transpose them occasionally when chatting to someone about their garden design – which can raise an eyebrow if talking about their small inner city courtyard design!
Pergolas (and ever Pagodas for that matter) can look rather constructional when first erected in the garden. Their long boxy look can be almost ‘Japanesey’ if you leave the long cross pieces overhanging and shape the ends, or they can look like the skeleton of a shipping container. Either way, the clematis, rose, laburnum or wisteria plants go in at the base of the columns and you sit back for what seems like years (it is) and know that your pergola will look great eventually (and it will).
I have picked up a few white flowering wisteria to grow up the six fir trees but as the wisteria, once established, will want to explore and explore, I have roped together the tops of some pollarded trees to provide them with a climbing frame along the top terrace.
Not desirous of a very formal pergola along this terrace, I have bent down the branches of both Ash and Willow to form archways, fixing them in position using some plastic television aerial cable as this withstands weather and can be easily moved along branches so as not to constrict growth. The informality of this tree archway contrasts the structures planned to support the White Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis ‘Alba’) at the other end of this terrace.
I know I will be ‘sitting back’ for what will be an ‘age’ till this setting looks as I have designed but I also feel that by working with nature and avoiding the pre-pack factory look, Nature and me, will have combined our strengths again on another shareable facet of the HoBB Gardens.
Waves ~~~~~~~~~ (whilst caring for growths) ~~~ <+))))))))>< ~~~ Grant
Just one neglected Bull Rush or rather Reed Mace and your living room gets it! Each winter we always remember to bring in the dried seed heads and give them a good dose of hair lacquer but this year, a few seed heads were overlooked.