Building rustic garden structures: use sturdy tree limbs to make architectural elements with natural flair

摘要

Visitors always admired the gate I built for my vegetable garden more than I ever did. Made from cedar branches I'd collected in a neighbor's woods, it did have a rustic charm. But to my eye, the wood looked too flimsy for its 5-foot width. In fact,the wood was too flimsy--the joints eventually loosened so that the gate had to be lifted and muscled open and closed. That gate (which I've since replaced with a sturdier version) highlights an important point in constructing rustic garden structures like fences, pergolas, benches, and arbors. As with anything you build, match the strength of the structure to its intended use. In so doing, form follows function.