Garden arch — tips and instructions for building with your own hands (120 photo ideas)
The arch is a decorative and functional architectural element. People have been creating arches since ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Rome. Garden arches are used to support climbing plants, to create shade, arches decorate parks and recreation areas.
In this article we bring to your attention photos of garden arches for every taste, we will tell you what materials are used for arches and how easy it is to make a garden arch with your own hands.
The arch will decorate any space. An elegant and light or solid stone arch – any one will become a special element of the landscape, attracting views. It will add mystery to the garden, help to design a cozy recreation area, divide different parts of the green space of the suburban area.
Several arches can be arranged one to another, in one row or create a shady gallery. The arches create a wonderful impression above the entrance to the site, as if inviting you to enter the mysterious magical world of nature. In the photo, the garden arch creates a sense of magic and celebration.
An amazing design in itself, the arch is also used for plants in the garden. It is decorated with wild grapes, climbing roses, and convolvulus. Other plants suitable for this design are clematis and honeysuckle.
It is possible to decorate the arch with a luminous garland. This version of the decor will become especially relevant during the winter holidays.
The size of the arch
The arch to the cottage can be of any size. A miniature arch will serve as a decorative element, while a large one will serve as a support and is good for creating shadows. The arch is possible without decoration. To create a northern landscape, a suitable material for the arch will be wild stone.
The simplest construction will be a wooden arch, since it can be built on the site from improvised material – branches cut from garden trees.
Plants such as adiantium and rhododendron will add oriental subtleties to the landscape with an arch, coniferous trees and shrubs can also be planted nearby.
Location of the arch in the garden
These beautiful structures are located anywhere in the garden. They will not only decorate the site, they can also be used to disguise household buildings or technical devices. A metal or wooden lattice arch looks great over the gate. In this case, the company of the arch is created by pergolas – lattices.
Arches are used both for visually enlarging the space and for splitting narrow long paths into conditional parts. With the help of this design, gazebos and wonderful courtyards are created.
Located next to the bench, the arch covered with greenery will protect from the sun and create a cozy corner for gatherings with neighbors in the fresh air.
Photos of garden arches will help you choose the right option and not make a mistake in the combination of materials. The proximity of natural materials, such as wood or stone, with plastic or metal parts may not look very good, so it is important to observe a sense of proportion and style.
Metal arch
Garden arches made of metal are durable and reliable structures and are easily created with their own hands. Ready-made purchased metal arches are beautiful, durable and easy to assemble yourself. The disadvantage of such structures is that, being entwined with plants or flowers, arches made of thin rods can bend.
Arch made of wood
Wooden garden arches are inexpensive and affordable, very decorative. They require special surface treatment to create moisture protection.
Arch made of wood with your own hands
It's easy to make a wooden garden arch for a cottage. The main thing is to decide on the design. The arch can be square, rounded and with corners.
The work begins with the preparation of the material and the necessary tools. We make an arch from a beam, the cross section directly determines the strength of the future structure. The arch can even be made of plywood with a thickness of 1 cm. If desired, a roof is made for the arch at the entrance to the site. The material can be any, plywood, plastic or boards.
The necessary tool: an electric jigsaw, a saw or a hacksaw, a screwdriver. The marks on the tree are made with a pencil, a tape measure is also needed. For a garden arch with roses, a pergola – lattice is created, with cells up to 15 cm.
It is better to make markings directly on the site, so it is easier to choose the right dimensions of the structure. First, the bars for the racks are sawed off to the right length, they are reinforced into the ground at the right distance. Thus, an idea of what will happen in the end immediately appears. The shape of the upper part of the arch is determined, the bars are cut out in the right way.
The rule is simple – the arch is symmetrical from the central axis, and then can have any height, width and depth. All parts are fastened with bars.
Metal arch with your own hands
It is more difficult to make an arch from metal, certain skills will be required here. Nevertheless, it is possible, and the result is a light and durable garden decoration.
From the bars of the reinforcement bent into arcs, it is made without welding. Parts of the structure are fastened with wire.
If a strong and reliable, solid construction is required, welding is used. You will need a round or profile metal pipe, a welding machine, metal grinding equipment. Metal products necessarily require corrosion protection, it can be just paint with anti-corrosion additives.
It is better to choose a ready-made project for work, indicating all sizes. Next, the metal parts of the arch are cut out of the desired size.
If you need a semicircular arch with smooth bends, you will need a pipe bending tool. It will also help in creating decorations and curlicues for the arch. The pipe bending can be mechanical and hydraulic, the second greatly facilitates the process.
Welding can be carried out independently, only with professional skills. The easiest way to find a master for this job is in auto repair shops. The finished arch is installed in place, the base is concreted.
Arch made of plastic
A plastic arch is another easy–to-manufacture option. Vertical frames, inclined and upper horizontal frames are connected in pairs by wooden crossbars. At the end of the assembly, it should be varnished. The finished product is dug into the ground by 30-40 cm .
The advantage of a wooden arch made with your own hands is that it can be easily repaired, moved to another place in the garden, modified. The tree looks organically in any landscape. In any case, a garden arch made with your own hands will become a beautiful and unique decoration of a country plot.
This is followed by small final elements. A curb is one of the types of such elements. It is a small border around a tree of plants of medium height, of the same color. In addition to framing trees with a similar kind of flower arrangements, other types of flower beds can be separated, they look as if they are framed.