-
If you want to create a garden gate that can endure the weather without having to paint or stain it all the time, then weather-hardy materials such as cedar or bamboo are perfect. Cedar boards naturally weather well and coating them with a clear stain will enhance the naturally reddish color for even longer.
Bamboo is strong and enduring, and if you have any sort of Asian theme to the plants you are growing or the style of your garden, a bamboo gate will add a fitting touch. Try constructing a small gate of 1-inch round by 3-feet tall poles. Nail about 20 of them to two bamboo poles (or boards if that is easier for you) on one side. There will naturally be different size gaps in between them due to the slight bends in their shape. Sawing off the tops of them at slightly different heights will give it a less uniform look. -
The simplest wooden garden gate can be made into an exquisite doorway by changing out the old rectangular hinge for a special hinge. A hinge that adorns the door in an overly large array of metal filigree, flowers or letters will surely leave an impression. (Think of the huge black filigree hinges on the hobbit Bilbo's round door in the "Lord of the Rings" movies directed by Peter Jackson.)
While we usually think of a rectangular shape when thinking of a gate, circular, oval and square gates can bring an unusual touch to a garden entry. - Integrate your gate right into the garden by constructing it of lattice or a trellis-like structure and planting a climbing plant such as climbing roses, ivy, morning glories or honeysuckle at the hinge side. You can train this plant to grow over the gate and it will blend the gate with the garden, creating a secretive effect. It is, however, still a gate so no matter how thickly you choose to let your vines grow on it, remember to keep them in trim so that the gate remains functional and the latch visible.
