The Link Early Spring 2020 The Link Feb-Mar 2020 v1 | Page 10

Creating Your Garden Paradise ĂƌƟĐůĞďLJ:ŽŶĂƚŚĂŶŝƐŚŽƉ Wooden Structures in a Garden W ooden structures give height in a very confined space or the strategic positioning of a structure could even draw your eye to a designated area of the garden, should you wish it to become a focal point for any visitors. The main use of a wooden structure is in offering support to a climber, where it needs some- thing to grow up or tangle between in order to support itself. Choosing the right climber is very important; climbers are designed to grow to the top of something then flourish. Varieties like ivy grow to the top of trees. At its adult stage it doesn’t actually climb, but fruits providing food for the birds to pick. It also kills the tree by cutting out the light. The treetop vegetation then acts like a sail and the wind can bring down a tree in this state. Ivy will then seek out the next tree and climb up it. 10 When Choosing a Climber Against a wooden structure, you want to choose a climber that is a relevant size in height to the wooden structure you are putting up. Most common, a rose arch is specifically designed for roses. If you put a Wisteria on a rose arch it will swamp it, so much so that you won’t even be able to walk through it without a machete! For various climbers, in a confined space where an arch isn’t feasible, a simple post with some horizontal brackets coming off it would be enough to support a clematis, or something similar, in very a small back garden. With arches and wooden structures, gazebos that you stand under, the structure itself can help to hold scent in, so getting a rose to flower at head height allows the fragrance to permeate through your senses as you walk through the arch giving both visual and aromatic pleasure. Wisteria is the same. A Dead Tree If you have an old tree that has died off and you pollard it back retaining the main trunks, this is a great climbing frame for various roses; the Banksia rose, that isn’t prickly, will again flourish in an apple tree which is alive, as long as it doesn’t overpower it. An avenue of rose arches, or a leading point, To advertise call 01684 833715 or email: [email protected]