More and more often, people who have grown a bit tired of their patio are choosing to build a pergola over it. Pergolas are also perfect to cover a walkway between two buildings, and for other uses as well. What is a pergola? It is an open wooden frame supported by posts at regular intervals, and beams across the top that are sometimes crisscrossed with latticework. It creates an outdoor room, albeit one without walls or a roof! It gives you a feeling of being both inside and outside at the same time, which is very pleasant. Pergolas were quite popular in Italian Renaissance gardens, often doing double duty as grape arbors. They were also used in Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
A pergola might not sound very appealing to you if you are picturing a frame of plain wood in your mind. But most pergola designs are far from being plain! The framework of the structure is perfect for the support of all sorts of climbing flowers and plants. Hanging baskets work very well with one of these structures, too. You can create a veritable bower of color and shape that will enhance your patio beautifully, making it a perfect location for entertaining in the warmer months.
There will be no worries about too much sun during a morning or afternoon party if it is held beneath your pergola! You will find it easy to choose plants that will grow to form an enchanted area of dappled sunlight. A pergola is much more versatile than just a plain patio, and it is a lot cheaper to build than it would be to tear out the concrete that makes up your patio and replant the area with sod. Place one above your hot tub, or use your fire pit beneath it in the autumn and winter. You will find that a pergola can be used in different ways, year round.
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