Over & above

Arbours and pergolas are design tools that help frame, envelop, shade and shelter – they really are exceptional at elevating our green spaces

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Plane and simple

Garden designers Tom and Jenny Williams planted and trained a quadrangle of plane trees to form a living pergola in their Georgian walled garden in Wales. Jenny explains: 'Six, winter planted, four metre-tall, bare-root plane tree whips create the vertical framework topped with a lightweight, thick bamboo trellis. Training involved "brutally" pruning off the leader and side shoots, tying in just three remaining branches, followed by annual winter pruning – it’s easier to tie branches in to complete the structure when they are bereft of leaves. We watered for the first three years, to help develop the desired canopy, which was realised in about five years.'

Bridging the divide

An artisanal, weathered-timber pergola bridges floriferous perennial borders and creates a strong focal point for the Sundial Garden at Wollerton Old Hall, Shropshire. The pergola acts as a shading portal transitioning from the English-style cool blue and pink long borders to the fiery, hot-hued, more tropical planting of the Lanhydrock Garden. 'I wanted an airy structure with a gothic feel, in keeping with the Elizabethan style of the old house,' explains owner/designer Lesley Jenkins, who describes the three-acre garden she made with husband John as 'a formal modern garden on an old site'. The green oak is a strong, hard-wearing timber, resistant to moisture and the elements, making it a naturally long-lasting, renewable choice for garden structures.

Natural habitat