Making Your Home Beautiful

Garden structures improve the usability of your yard while also adding a major design element. A structure like a pergola, which is typically an overhead lattice cover supported on corner posts, is both a focal point and a support structure in a garden's design. 

1. Dining Coverage

If you love to dine al fresco with a bit of bright sunshine, a pergola allows for filtered sunlight thanks to its open coverage design. A standard pergola with an overhead lattice of timber will provide filtered sunlight for your outdoor dining. Adding climbing vines will further filter the light and add a curtain of soft greenery overhead. If the weather is a concern in your climate, glass or acrylic panels can be installed over the top of the pergola to block moisture while allowing light through. 

2. Shaded Walkway

The hottest part of any yard tends to be along the paved sidewalks. A pergola overhead still allows in sunlight but provides just enough shade to counteract extra heat.

3. Vertical Gardening

Do you wish for more space in your garden? If so, one or more pergolas can extend the growing space upward. A variety of plants can be trained to grow up and over a pergola. Roses work especially well with small pergolas, while quick-growing vines like morning glory or hops are attractive on both small and large models. You can even plant vining edibles, such as runner beans or grapes. 

4. Swing Support

A nice bench swing can be a wonderful place to cozy up in the yard, and a pergola can make it even more comfortable. A small pergola frame can also be the main support for a garden swing. The pergola can provide some shade, or it can be covered in climbing plants to create a romantic getaway in your own backyard. 

5. Eaves Extension

An interesting use for pergolas is to install them around the eaves of your home, anchoring them to the roof and to posts in the border beds against your home's exterior walls. The pergola extension will filter sunlight, providing some shade to the home's windows without compromising natural light. Eave pergolas aren't suitable for climbing plants, as you don't want them on the roof, but you can hang flowering baskets from the pergola for some eye-catching color pops. 

Contact a company like Lawn Escapades & Custom Patio Covers LLC for more information about pergolas.