Perfect Pergolas at home and abroad

One of the two matching pergolas at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, NC

I've seen two incredible pergolas here in the US recently, which gave me the inspiration to write this entry. The first is at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Charlotte in North Carolina (above), which has not one, but two of these wonderful features; and the second is at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden in Florida (below). Glorious additions in any garden, since they provide strong architectural interest and are an important structure for climbing plants.

The pergola at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, FL

The pergola at Vann in Surrey

Pergolas are open structures with no walls, with columns supporting crossbars and therefore ideal for all kinds of plants. They were extremely popular in Renaissance Italy where they were used as grape arbors, and became a real hallmark of Gertrude Jekyll gardens last century. Indeed, Vann (left), where Jekyll also designed the water garden, has a fantastic pergola, which makes an impressive sight in the summer months as the foliage begins to spread. Spring must be coming because Vann opens to the public in April, May and June.

West Dean, West Sussex

Gertrude Jekyll also made her mark on the garden at West Dean in West Sussex, where the pergola takes centre stage in a truly remarkable garden - open throughout the seasons - but where the pergola will leave a lasting impression on visitors. Get there in winter and you will see it reflected in the water below, while in summer it is alive and blooming.

Elsewhere in Sussex, you'll find a wisteria clad pergola at Nyman's Garden (below), adjacent to the croquet lawn and Rock Garden. I can't think how I missed this pergola before, but when I visited with my husband in a wheelchair yesterday, I couldn't help but notice it (not least because I had great difficulty turning there!)

The wisteria-clad pergola at Nyman's, West Sussex in late May

Move on from Sussex to Kent and you'll find another impressive pergola worked into the Italian Garden at Hever Castle (below). This is a wonderful place to shelter from the sun and admire the garden from afar. There's always something in bloom at Hever and the garden rooms in the Italian Garden are re-planted throughout the season, so you get a different impression every time you visit.

Hever Castle's pergola

And the pergola that sticks in my mind from a former visit to the South of France is the wonderful edifice at Villa Hanbury in Ventimiglia (below). And here it really came into its own for me because it was such a hot day when we visited, that I was only too happy to hide from the sun in the shade below. Visit any of these gardens on a sunny day, and you'll be doing the same!

The pergola at Villa Hanbury in Ventimiglia