Do you think my new pergola/arbor is to busy?

warart

13 years ago

I wonder if I put to many layers on it. It straddles a brick walkway that leads to my front door.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Some other photo's

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Comments (5)

lily51
13 years ago
I think it is lovely!
User
13 years ago
Hi. Really nice arbor you have there.

And I think that is Confederate jasmine growing on it?
Yes, indeed, that plant will not take long reaching the top and your question will not need an answer at all. It took ONE such plant to turn a 4x4 8' tall post into an evergreen column thick as an oak trunk on Government Street! And every May and June, it is covered in lovely white star shaped blooms.

In Italy they use this plant to cover wire fences, grow up and along the arched doorways in Tuscany. Nice thing is, it stays evergreen in our climate, it keeps leaves all along its stems from top to bottom. Which is different than the Carolina jessamine, which creates leafless stems at the bottom and top growth of leaves with its poisonous yellow flowers. Depending on whether you want an open base showing your support columns, with greenery on the top alone, or the whole thing covered in time with really lovely growth, the message is: you won't be able to see the details of the top woodwork in a couple of years.

To show you what I mean, I'm uploading a picture of a much larger pergola near the pool of the villa where we stayed in Italy. The gardener trimmed these star jasmine (as they call it outside the south) on the pergola, as well as on a jasmine HEDGE. What they did with the jasmine was an inspiration to me. So much so that I am now planting jasmine to cover a new 7 foot chainlink 100 foot long fence so it will become a really pretty privacy fence in about two years.

I'll also put a link below to my album of the house and gardens in this villa near Orvieto so you can see how their garden plants are SO MUCH LIKE OURS IN ALABAMA. Hope you agree.
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This one shows the hedge, the arbor, and how they relate to the pool
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Here is a link that might be useful: Italian Villa near Orvieto
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Julia WV (6b)
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I would have not put the top row of 8 rafters and just finished with the cross rafters and perlins for the top. For me, it would be too busy. For others, they may like the extra layering of rafters.
Either way, it is a great job you did.
warart
Original Author
13 years ago
juliany, I agree and even though I like this one, I do wish I had use a little less structure. I think Maybe once it gets some vine growth over the top that it will look a little better. If I ever build another one though, I will build it a little lighter on top.
sib5
13 years ago
once the plants grow over it it won't be seen ... but, you probably could have done without that very top layer.

Do you think my new pergola/arbor is to busy?

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lily51

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Do you think my new pergola/arbor is to busy?

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