Landscaping, Pool Remodel & Iron Arbor

Iron Arbors and Their Place in the Landscape

Will an iron arbor clash with my vegetation?
At face value, you would probably assume it would. However, the opposite is true if it is built with the right proportions, and properly integrated into the surrounding stonework and vegetation of the landscape. A wrought iron arbor can lend an elegant touch to any garden, walkways, patio, or swimming pools.

How do you integrate iron into stonework and vegetation?
One way you can do this is to use flat stones to create a walkway leading up to the arbor. You can plant flowers, monkey grass, ferns, or any number of indigenous plant species in and around the steps to create the look and feel of a natural pathway. Planting larger ferns, shrubs, or vines around an iron arbor can also help it achieve a greater organic synthesis with natural elements.

Wouldn’t a wooden arbor look better by the pool?
That depends on the type of atmosphere you want to create around your pool. If you are given to formality, a wrought iron arbor is definitely a refined, Old World element that can make your pool area look just as much a place for conversation as it is for fun and swimming. This is especially true for homeowners who host private black ties at their residence, or frequently host dinner parties and wedding receptions at home. All of these events are much more effectively catered with the type of European sensibility often symbolized by wrought iron fences, arbors, and trellises.

Is an iron arbor comfortable?
Yes. In fact, it can be even more comfortable than a wooden arbor. Heavy wooden structures will often block a summer breeze and create hot, stagnant pockets of air within. Iron beams and joists, even though thinner than wooden equivalents, are much thinner as well. This allows for much more Spartan, minimalist designs that you typically visualize when you picture ironwork of any kind in your mind. Even the slightest summer breeze has no difficulty passing through such a structure, and amenities like ceiling fans and interior lighting can be installed in iron structures just like that can in wooden arbors.

What else can iron be used for besides building an arbor?
Wrought iron is an excellent material to use in fence work, particularly around a swimming pool or stone patio. This is what we ultimately created in one of recent projects for the Macalister family in Houston, TX. Another structure you can add is a garden trellis, which we also built for the Macalisters. When positioned across a patio or yard from an arbor, and iron trellis covered with ivy can provide a wonderful structural compliment to the sculpted designs and geometric form of an iron arbor, gate, or fence.

If you are interested in any high-quality landscape services, Exterior Worlds has been providing the high-end residential landscape services and garden design services discussed above for the Houston and the surrounding areas including the Memorial Villages, Tanglewood, River Oaks, area since 1987. Contact us at 713-827-2255