Garden arch brings out your inner child

By Maureen Gilmer, Scripps Howard News Service

Published August 29, 2008 at 3 p.m.

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Children teach us much about spatial design.

They love tunnels and arches and everything they can go through, under or over. Open space doesn't impress them, nor do grand vistas.

Children prefer to become integral with the space, to interact with it. And this, my friends, is the essence of why arches in gardens are so fabulous. The child in every one of us subconsciously loves them.

The arch is a powerful tool for organizing space. It can direct your attention to any point by framing it. It can lure you down a path or send you into a whole other garden room.

Arches also can act like blinders on racehorses by forcing the viewer to a central point while ignoring what's on either side. This is valuable when the side views are unattractive features, such as a neighbor's RV or an ugly garage.

Arched tunnels compel us to move forward. The arch lures us to follow a path to surprises beyond. Sometimes this makes them linking portals that also define space. For example, a side yard bounded at each end by an archway separates the narrow area into its own space separate from the front and back yards.

Think of the arch as you would transitional spaces in the home, such as the opening from foyer to living room.

Arches also can be combined with hedges to act more like doorways, particularly if the arch contains a gate. Line up a series of arches to create a tunnel, and you have a hallway.

Arches come in many styles and sizes, but remember that strength is paramount. In regions with heavy snow, a vine-encrusted archway can become quite heavy. If it's too weak, it will collapse. Cheaper thin iron kinds may be suitable for mild climates, but under strain they can become misshapen or bent over.

The most reliable are simple forms composed of two tubular steel arches about a foot apart, separated and supported by braces. This double arch is stronger than even the thickest single arch because the base is wider. Above all, the arch must be well anchored in a concrete footing to keep it solidly in place.

These arches originally were created for roses and come in many different sizes depending on the diameter of the opening at the base.

It's essential to match the scale of the arch with the space provided. If it's too narrow, you'll have difficulty fitting a garden cart or lawn mower through the opening.

Four feet is minimum, but for larger sites 6 or even 8 feet may be needed.

Larger arches can be more difficult to find but may be special-ordered from a garden center. For special applications, have one fabricated out of reinforcing bar or heavy pipe by a welding shop.

Maureen Gilmer is a horticulturist and former host of "Weekend Gardening" on DIY Network.

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