The Winter Garden - Create a Garden that Shines Through the Forgotten Season - For many gardeners, winter is simply a season to endure while planning for the coming spring. The rich floral splendor they’ve enjoyed has given way to dull browns and grays tipped by lonely snow-capped branches. But that doesn’t have to be: there are so many easy and inexpensive ways to add real winter interest to any garden. Two hundred color photographs show the diverse possibilities, along with site-specific design plans. There are suggestions for selecting and caring for a broad assortment of flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees that boast dramatic winter flair, plus professional choices for cold-hardy container plants. Smart tips include using colored stones, adding bronze and wood accents, and maximizing the effect of winter light on plants.

Arbors are old fashioned favorites that have become popular once again. I love them and use them throughout my garden to create some lovely borders and shade with some very gorgeous climbing flowers and vines.

An arbor can be large, with a grid overhead and enough space for a sitting area. Sometimes arbors are long and narrow, designed to follow a path. And sometimes they are only wide enough to accommmodate a bench or porch swing or other modest seating.

The most common type of arbor looks like a little doorway. And that’s exactly what it is, and attractive entry to a place at the beginning or end of a path or even to straddle a path somewhere along its middle.

Avoid the common mistake of plunking one of these doorwaylike arbors in the middle of the garden - - that’s like putting a door in the middle of a room!

Arbor Materials
Arbors are made of a variety of materials: wood timbers, lumber, metal and vinyl. Wood is a favorite, and an excellent material, but it presents a maintenance problem because an arbor, with its intricate design, can be hard to paint.

Many gardeners leave the wood unpainted, perhaps treating new wood with a deck sealer. Others add a traditional coat of paint, or use a stain to give the wood color while preventing the peeling problems that occur with paint.

Erecting an Arbor
large arbors can be securely mounted in concrete to prevent settling. Small arbors can benefit from being seated on concrete pilings, too, though teh cnocreate can contribute to rot problems with wood structures.

Kits are available that secure the arbor to the ground with chains and ground screws. One of the easiets ways to secure a wood arbor so it doesn’t settle or blow over is to screw two sturdy flat steel strips or stakes a couple of feed long onto each of the four corner legs and insert teh stakes securely into the soil.

Popular vines for arbors and trellises:
Black eyed Susan
Chocolate vine
Clematis
Jessamine
Morning Glory
Moonflower
Passion flower
Climbing roses
Jasmine, star
Sweetpea
Trumpet honeysuckle