Victorian Rose Arbour

Gardens of all sizes need vertical as well as horizontal stimuli to reinforce our experience of three-dimensionality and depth. Arbours take up very little ground space, and yet they are tall enough to provide the perfect support for climbing and rambling roses with their extravagant clusters of blooms. It is true that ramblers look sensational when growing freely up trees. However, this is possible only in larger gardens, usually in the countryside. Owners of smaller urban gardens, where trees may be smaller if they exist all, will need to look for alternatives – a pergola perhaps, or a pavilion, an arcade or an arbour. As well as being strong enough to bear the weight of fully-grown climbers and ramblers, these supports will also help to prevent the plants from becoming wild or unkempt.

Once a year at least, it will be necessary to prune your climbing and rambling roses. Now and then radical pruning will be necessary, not just to prevent the plants from taking over the garden, but also to give them an attractive shape. Likewise, the lines and contours of your plant support will help to determine the silhouette your roses create.

Delightful opposite attraction

What adds, perhaps, to their fascination is the interplay between a metal frame – hard and unbending, sombre in colour, designed by human hand – and the roses that grow on it – flexible and playful, colourful, a gift of nature. It is a contrast which speaks of the attraction of opposites, recalling the story of Adam and Eve, of the Garden of Eden, that very first garden which is still a paradigm for gardeners today.

By choosing the Victorian Rose Arbour, you can add a hint of paradise to your garden, creating a peaceful space to withdraw to and relax. No less attractive, but inspired by the architecture of a different era, is our Romanesque Villandry Rose Arbour. Whichever style you prefer, Classic Garden Elements has something for every taste.