Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

The word “pergola” has a dual Latin-Italian origin, hence several meanings: canopy, guide, extension. Argued that this is an arched connection. But often there are structures with a flat overlap. In any case, this structure is designed to support the plants, protect them from the sun and bring aesthetic pleasure to people. And a pergola with your own hands will also provide an opportunity to enjoy the creation of the beautiful.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

The purpose of these buildings in the suburban and garden plots

The history of the creation of pergolas goes back to ancient times. Most sources indicate the Roman origin of the structure. The abundance of grapes in this climate zone required vertical supports for the vine. At first it was just wooden poles with cross rails. Then they began to use structures with stone basic elements. Later there were metal arches under the grapes. At the same time, the simplest variants were used – thick ropes between the trees.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

Purpose pergola for many decades has not changed. They are built, if necessary, to create climbing conditions for development. Non-ceiling constructions can perform the function of barriers of separate sections from the winds or divide the backyard territory into zones. It is possible to create a green corridor between separate buildings located on the land plot.

Almost from the moment of their appearance, pergolas are decorative structures, therefore they are often used as recreation areas. In such cases, they are complemented by garden furniture. The main purpose of pergolas can be considered:

  • maintaining climbing plants;
  • barrage from winds and sunlight;
  • creating transitions between sites and buildings;

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

  • shading alleys;
  • site zoning;
  • creation of landscape design;
  • registration of outdoor recreation areas.

Pergolas are large and small in size, can be detached, attached to a building, adjacent to two objects and forming a kind of corridor. The form and the presence of the upper overlap of the structure can be divided into the following types:

  • pergolas without overlap – trellis;
  • pergolas with arched overlap;
  • pergolas with a flat top overlap.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

The shapes of these decorative buildings can be very diverse: usually rectangular, square, triangular, sometimes zigzag, round, they can have several levels. If the purpose of this structure is only the creation of conditions for the growth of climbers, then the trellis is the most suitable type. This is a convenient option for annual vines. Cloth gratings are made of thin bars, rails, pipes, which are attached to more durable vertical supports.

Such lightweight structures are used, for example, for annual plants: Ipomoea and sweet pea. Flowers during the season reach 2.5–3 meters, develop well in the vertical direction, decorate and shade the plot. Sometimes, collapsible structures are made for such plants, which are dismantled for the winter period and stored in a storage room, and are exhibited in the spring.

Often this type of pergola is used for clematis. A perennial flower, the maximum length of shoots – an average of three meters. It turns out not only convenient support, but also a beautiful blooming “wall”. It is easy to make a pergola for clematis with your own hands. The flowering of this plant is abundant.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

Cells should preferably be at least 25 cm to ensure adequate ventilation. Photo pergolas for clematis do-it-yourself demonstrate a variety of designs, among which you probably have the opportunity to choose the appropriate option.

Pergolas are widely used for roses. More often, these are structures with overlapping and rather powerful supports. This plant has many shoots, greenery, flowers. It is better to make the crate cells small, no more than 25 cm, so that the rose trudges along the outside. This is of particular importance if the pergola is overlapping, especially if it will be used as a recreation area.

Helpful advice! Making a pergola for climbing roses with your own hands, you should correctly choose the thickness and shape of the batten. This plant has no tenacious tendrils, so the shoots must be fixed so that they will not be blown off by the wind and they will not fall.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

The difficulty in choosing a suitable design is that it is necessary to observe a combination of decoration and functionality. Photo pergolas for roses with their own hands will help to make the right choice, allowing you to realize the desire and get the expected result.

Cultivated grapes, which can often be found on household plots, besides being able to use its vine for shading and decorating, also produce fruit. The best grape pergola is the arch. This form extends the structure, giving more opportunities for the development of shoots.

Support for grapes is usually made of metal, as the vine with fruits is quite heavy. Successfully combines wooden poles and metal crate.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

Cultivated grapes need care – proper pruning. Sometimes part of the shoot is removed, which violates the integrity of the green cover. If there is a desire to be in a zone completely covered with greenery, it is better to use wild grapes, which will tightly close even the upper overlap. In the photo of the arches under the grapes, different variants of designs, combinations of materials, ways of laying the vine are presented.

Helpful advice! When planning to make an arch for grapes with your own hands, you need to choose a durable material that will not require constant care. Removing the grapevine is difficult and possible only at a time of year when weather conditions do not allow painting or applying other means of protection to the material.

The success of any project depends on the level of training. Before you begin to act, you should definitely consider each step, assess the potential, calculate the forces and means.

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

It is necessary to begin construction of even the simplest object from the project, otherwise in the course of the work, unrecorded parts, discrepancy in size or inconsistency of materials will be found. In order to accurately understand how to make a pergola, it is necessary to investigate the installation site, select a shape, calculate dimensions, determine materials and even future plants (if they do not already grow).

Based on the calculations and other data, you will need to make a pergola drawing. It can be done manually or using Autodesk AutoCAD computer software, Ascon Compass. Having in front of you a schematic representation of the future structure, it will be much easier to carry out the construction process.

The choice of location is one of the most important tasks in the construction of the pergola. Proceeding from the free territory, it is necessary to take into account what the general perception of the landscape will be after construction, whether the soil suitable for planting is suitable, whether there is enough sunlight. In addition, it should be considered whether a pergola will not be built, for example, a canopy for grapes, which traditionally has a large size, to the detriment of other plants on the site. When choosing a place for construction, it is necessary to consider the following factors:

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

  1. Defining a priority goal: supporting plants or creating a resting place.
  2. Location in relation to sunlight: if sunlight is covered for most of the day by basic house building, plant development will be difficult.
  3. Organic in the overall design of the site. A building in an inappropriate place (among raging greens, in an unreasonable and considerably remote area) would be more likely to interfere than to complement or decorate the site.

Other characteristics are largely dependent on the choice of location. On a small square you should not place a pergola for grapes. If there is a lot of space, then the small format will be lost. For pergolas located near the pool or pond, you must carefully select the material, because it will be constantly exposed to moisture. The proposed photos of pergolas do-it-yourself at the cottage clearly demonstrate the location options: buildings adjacent to the house, canopies, detached arches in the depths of the garden, pergolas, gazebos on the lawn.

Surely a certain landscape style has already formed on the site, which should be followed when choosing the form of pergolas. It is compliance with the existing design features that determines the shape and additional details of the design. The main landscape styles:

Pergola do-it-yourself: support for plants and a place of comfortable rest

  • classic (regular);
  • landscape;
  • country music;
  • modern;
  • high tech.

Taking up the manufacture of wooden pergolas with their own hands for the classical landscape, it is better to give preference to square or rectangular shapes. The arches used should be extremely geometric, with a minimum of thread. The simplicity, symmetry and openness of the space – the features of this style.

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