ARBORS Days of vines and roses

Styles of arbors have blossomed from a traditional white-picket-fence look to ones with Gothic or New Orleans flavors. They're available in a variety of materials, too.
By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
With summer roses spilling over their elegant archways, arbors bring romance and architectural dimension to the yard and garden.
Although arbors were once made primarily of wood, nowadays garden centers sell arbors constructed of everything from vinyl and PVC to cast aluminum and wrought iron.
Loraine Griffing, of Creekside Gardens in Howland, said wrought-iron and cast-aluminum arbors are all the rage.
"Our Gothic and New Orleans-style arbors made from wrought iron and cast aluminum are very popular," Griffing said. "People like them because they offer a different look from the traditional white-picket-fence-style arbor."
Although cast aluminum and wrought iron look the same, cast-aluminum arbors cost more than wrought-iron ones because the iron eventually will rust.
"You might pay as much as $500 for a cast-aluminum arbor while a wrought-iron arbor might cost around $200 or less," Griffing said.
The arbors can be mounted on the ground or on a concrete pad.
Griffing said most are sold with mounting stakes that sink several inches into the ground or base brackets and anchors that fasten to concrete.
Vinyl option
Although Creekside Gardens customers are wild for wrought-iron and cast-aluminum arbors, Tom Drokin, a department manager at Lowe's in Niles, said vinyl arbors remain the top seller among his customers.
"We have a wrought-iron arbor in stock this year for the first time, but most or our customers are still going for the vinyl arbors because vinyl arbors have the look of a white picket fence, are maintenance-free and will last a lifetime," Drokin said.
White vinyl arbors at Lowe's cost about $125 to $225.
Drokin said vinyl arbors should be buried in the ground and then secured with concrete during installation.
"You dig holes for each leg of the arbor and then fill the holes with concrete around the legs of the arbor. This makes the arbor secure," Drokin explained.
But even though this installation method will keep vinyl arbors sturdy, Drokin said the arbors are not designed to withstand the weight of woody climbing vines such as wisteria, grapes or honeysuckle.
"Any vine with a woody base will become too heavy for a vinyl arbor once it has grown into a large plant. If you want to plant wisteria or honeysuckle, you should choose a wrought-iron or wooden arbor because they are structurally stronger," Drokin said.
Lighter-weight vines such as clematis or climbing roses work well on vinyl arbors.
Drokin said vinyl arbors should be hosed down once a year with a mix of water and an environmentally friendly all-purpose cleaner such as Simple Green.
"Other than that, there's no real maintenance," he said.
Sealed in wood
Although wooden arbors cost less than vinyl, wooden arbors require yearly treatment with a protective sealer.
"Any sealer that's recommended for decks or fences will work fine," Drokin said.
With proper maintenance, wooden arbors can last many years, but without it, wood will eventually rot.
"That's why many people don't buy wooden arbors," Drokin said. "They don't want the hassle of treating them year after year."
People who do choose wooden arbors often do so because of the lower price.
Wooden arbors cost as little as $100 and are commonly made of cedar or redwood.
Drokin said most wooden arbors are buried in the ground when they are installed, but unlike vinyl arbors, they should not be secured with concrete.
Where to put it?
Finding the perfect spot for an arbor will depend largely on what kind of vine you want to plant next to it and how much sun or shade that vine needs.
Many people use arbors as a substitute for trellises and stand them singularly in selected spots in their yards, but other people prefer to erect arbors with a matching fence.
If an arbor is part of a fence line, it might need a gate.
It's important to remember that arbors with gates need sturdier anchoring than arbors without gates because they must withstand the weight of the gate and the repeated stress of opening and closing the gate.
Most arbors do not come with gates.
Gate kits that include all the necessary hinges, braces and latches are sold separately and cost about $100 and up.