Idea for archway?

tippben · Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 7:59 pm Post subject: Idea for archway?

We have a narrow path (1mx4m or 3' by 12') from our front gate to our door. It faces south, and only gets shade in the morning in winter. On one side is a Bay in the herb bed, but on the other, nothing. We removed a very large Berberis darwinii (the stump is dead, and at least 2m 6' from the gate) and left it this year to see what grew... loads of poppies, some violets, mullein, the mint has gone mad thanks to the sun!

I'd like to make an archway out of Hazel (I can cut it for free at the brother in law's farm- we do for pea sticks and bean poles anyway) at the gate and put something up it, planted opposite the Bay. Part of the plan is to disguise the bins. The other part of the plan is to make a small tunnel 8' high as an entrance to our house and garden.

I was thinking of Trachelospermum jasminoides for the evergreen leaves, winter colour and scent. Would that work in a position like that? I can adapt soil accordingly for more or less anything there. A friend has a beautiful smelling slow growing climbing rose that I could take a cutting from, but it's not evergreen, and I don't want to wound visitors!

I definitely don't want to be doing a lot of pruning, as I have a very bad back (2nd epidural recently, next stop surgery!) so I'd need something relatively slow growing.

Thoughts and suggestions?

Blowin · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:28 am Post subject:

I'm not much on plants but can foresee that hazel uprights will rot pretty quickly so, if you plant something that grows slowly, you'll have a collapse on your hands before it reaches maturity. Even replacing the (free) hazel - I appreciate the logic - will disturb the growth, and probably the root stock?

Have you thought of yew? Tough enough to support itself and you can govern the density by adjusting the spacing as you plant the cuttings (which should be free too?).

Ado 2 · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 6:58 am Post subject:

There's nice evergreen clematis !

Greengage · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 7:04 am Post subject:

If I was you I would build proper arch and plant it with Lonicera fragrantissima lovely scent when nothing else is out.

tippben · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 11:13 am Post subject:

That's a great idea for the plant, but what do you mean by "proper arch"? I intend to bend green hazel poles, straight ones about 14' long to make the arch frame, three each side, 1' apart, then use offcuts to make the bracing struts. I know that the structure will need replacing after a few years, but that's ok.

Greengage · Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 12:05 pm Post subject:

if thats what your happy to do go ahead its your garden, but i would build something to last.

Blowin · Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 7:47 pm Post subject:

If you don't mind me saying so, I think the 'few years' is going to be two at the most? Even when taken out of the ground between seasons, hazel bean sticks last a maximum of two years so, being permanently in the ground will certainly be no better I'd say.

Somehow or other I'd envisaged a more tunnel-like structure but, if you're only going to have three or four uprights, you may like to consider lengths of black poly-pipe (painted if necessary) slotted on to scrap steel rods. By the time the rods have rusted through, the vegetation will be well enough established to hold the lot together. Black pipe is cheap enough and permanent but another option is the bigger gauge pipe used to house electric cabling. Filled with sand it can be quite rigid - and also permanent.