Buying an arbor

9 years ago

I'm thinking of purchasing an arbor for some annual flowering vines to climb up. But I'm noticing that with some of the models I'm seeing online, the vertical slats/rails on the sides stop a foot or more from the top/ceiling portion of the arbor (except for the two outer slats that form the corners of the arbor). Once a vine's stems reaches the top of these central vertical posts, how can they get to the roof/overhead portion of the arbor? It seems they can only climb up the four corner posts. Here's an example, from an online catalog. It's gorgeous, but what will the vines do once they reach the top of the decorative finials? How do they get to the ceiling slats?

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Comments (3)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
Any healthy vine could bridge a gap of that size without any problem. Some will be putting on several feet of growth in a season. They will wave about until they encounter a support and off they'll go.
Rick (zone 6b, MA)
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Right, of course; thank you. Vines 'waving about' would be crucial to the whole process of reaching the top. Do you typically put two different species on the two sides and then have them meet at the top for an interesting combination? Or do you give over the entire arbor to two plants of the same variety, or color? I guess it's a personal preference, but I'd be curious how others populate their archways and arbors?
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
It absolutely is personal preference. There is no 'right' way of doing it. But if you choose two different species you will probably want them to be of similar vigour so one doesn't overwhelm the other.
Rick (zone 6b, MA) thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK