Rustic ArchwayTwig Arches for Your Rustic Country GardenA rustic archway can be the ultimate focal point for a rustic country wedding in your romantic garden. Archways made of twigs and over grown with Clematis and annual vines make a perfect rustic accent. They also symbolize the solemn act of entering into matrimony, as the bride and groom pass through the archway to enter the sanctuary to say their wedding vows.A rustic arch can be part of a larger structure such as a twig gazebo, or in a sequence along a pathway, a technique often used in old time potager gardens. A tunnel of trained vines or trees is mysterious and romantic, and was used in medieval times to prevent the sun from scorching the tender white skin of the ladies walking beneath. Many very old archways have pretty much rusted or rotted away, leaving the hornbeam or Tilia trees forming a natural archway.
How to Build a Rustic ArchwayTo build an archway, I usually start with a form made of re-bar. A length of 20’, or about 6 meters will make the perfect sized form. This will give you enough to insert about 10cm into the ground to hold it, and the top of the archway will give enough clearance to even very tall people. The twisted twigs and grapevines are carefully added to disguise the metal and wired into place, and grapes, Clematis, Ipomea (morning glory vine) and other vines can be planted at the base, or in pots to grow up the archway. Place a rustic archway at the entrance to a special part of the xeric garden, giving a signal of changing theme or levels. An archway can change the pace of visitors, giving them a chance to stop and look ahead. Use archways to frame a view, or give a glimpse of what’s ahead, waiting to be revealed. You can create that lure of the mysterious with rustic archways, making your visitors want to see more.
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Rustic Crafts with hardy and tender succulents...
...go together like a hand in a glove
Xeric gardens, due to the fact that at times the plants look a little tired of never being watered, benefit from really unique focal points to take the eye away from the bedraggled plants.
Here are a few rustic crafts that I showcase my succulents in:
Find all the pages about rustic crafts on the Rustic Crafts Site Map.
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