How to Decorate Garden Arches

Garden arches add a unique element to the pathways of your garden. These garden accent pieces are both functional and decorative as well. Garden arches come in many shapes and sizes ranging from traditional square arches to round top arches. Most arches are made of weather-resistant wood although wrought iron arches can add a simple but elegant touch to your garden. Garden arches can be decorated to enhance your garden's natural appeal or spruced up for a special occasion. Let's look at some ways to decorate garden arches to flatter your garden design and create a dramatic centerpiece for your garden.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Climbing roses
• Ivy
• Clematis
• White light strings
• Extension cord
• Peat moss
• Topsoil
• Mulch
• Shovel

1. Evaluate which plants can be best incorporated into your overall garden design and the amount of maintenance you prefer. Roses require frequent pruning to keep the plant flowering continuously through the growing season. Clematis only blooms in the late spring or early summer but have attractive leaves. Ivy creates a polished look of greenery around the arch without providing a blooming flower.

2. Prepare the soil with peat moss and topsoil on the sides of your garden arch. You'll need to provide a healthy and stable base for the plants that will become the centerpiece for your garden.

3. Plant your choices according to the grower's instructions provided by the nursery where you purchased your plants. Leave plenty of space for each plant to expand as it grows.

4. Train the roses, ivy or clematis to the garden arch as the plant increases in size. Revisit the arch to weave the plants through the trellis every few weeks. This will help create a uniform distribution of the plant up and over the arch as the plant matures. Remember that you don't need to cover the entire arch as you train the plant. Allow some of the wood or wrought iron detail to peek through the greenery.

5. Add exterior white lights to the garden arch in the interim time while you wait for your plants to grow. This creates a focal point for your garden arch by adding a simple accent to the arch. You can leave the lights in place when your plant matures or remove the lights when the plants cover the entire arch.

6. Add decorative touches for special occasions in the form of ribbons, balloons, white tulle or large bows to accent the top of the arch.