Pergola Blog

New! Raised Bed Plans Out Today

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:26:51 GMT

Fancy having a go at building your own raised bed? Here are some really easy step-by-step plans with lots of ideas, which can be adapted to any size, height or style to suit your garden. Once you have built your raised bed, plant with amazing flowers, herbs and vegetables for a wonderful display. See how to do it here...

Pergola Romance

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:32:43 GMT

Find out how to achieve a feeling of romance in your garden.

Pergola Shade

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:19:10 GMT

A pergola can be an ideal way to create shade in the garden, with either plants or fabric.

Height and Interest

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:42:44 GMT

Height is an important design feature in a garden. Find out how you can Create interest using pergolas, arches, arbours, gazebos and other features.

A Journey Through The Garden

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:59:11 GMT

Use a pergola, arch, trellis or a combination of these to create an interesting journey through your garden.

Fantastic Offers

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:20:00 GMT

Great pergola bargains and other fantastic offers on garden and diy!

Have You Seen These Great Garden Offers?!

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:17:29 GMT

I've just been searching for any offers you might be interested in and found these. Greenfingers often have excellent discounts on various items, but these are the ones that caught my eye. The convertible hand trolley is listed as 21.99 but in actual fact is on offer for 14.99. Amazing! I use my trolley for for moving bags of sand, cement and compost, and wouldn't be without mine. In fact I have two: a sack trolley and a flat-bed trolley. The one shown below does both: and I paid 60.99 for mine! This one will save on storage, and is a much more flexible for use in my garden. There are lots of trolleys, easy pull tubs and folding barrows on offer, too.

I've shown the snow shovel as, last year, you couldn't get one of these for love nor money. I'll be prepared this time! The snow grips are also an excellent price and work really well, too. I don't know whether you aerate your lawn, but the aerator sandals make much easier work of it, especially if you have a large area to cover. Aerating a lawn keeps it healthy by increasing drainage, which reduces moss and weeds. There are also push, barrel aerators on sale that make the job much easier, too. If you're into planting herbs and veg, they have a great range of raised beds on offer, as well as a potting table, plant stands for patios and staging. Well, that's half my Christmas list sorted! Have a good one! To see the other offers...

Get more ideas for the Pergola Arch and Seated Arbour.

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:30:56 GMT

I thought I'd let you know that I've added some 3D drawings to give a better idea of what the pergola arbour might look like. It's amazing what a few accessories and climbing plants can do! If you're thinking of building a pergola from these plans, see the new drawings here...

New Simple Pergola Plans Ready To Download

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:47:51 GMT

I've added another pergola design style to the simple pergola plans page for you to take a look at. Both designs can be built very quickly and easily! The new design can be fully adapted to fit your space. Take a look at the choice of rafter tail templates, too. Here it is...

Climbing Plants for your Pergola

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:24:26 GMT

Advice on beautiful climbing plants, for colour and scent, to grow over your garden structure.

Exclusive Plant Voucher Code For This Weekend!

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 09:19:14 GMT

Just wanted to share this with you, as it is a great time to plant, while the soil temperature is still warm and the moisture conditions are ideal, promoting root growth. 20% off soon adds up! The offer covers all plants including trees, perennials, climbers, roses, shrubs and bulbs - in fact anything in the plant section. Find the voucher code here...

New Offer Updates

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:17:31 GMT

Here are the latest bargains. And there are some great ones to be had! It's the end of the season and it's a good time to prepare for next spring with highly discounted pergolas, arches, garden furniture, tools, sheds, etc. Find the links here...

Metal Pergola

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:52:52 GMT

Choose a metal pergola kit, in a variety of designs and styles.

Need to Adapt the Corner Pergola Plans?

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:09:06 GMT

Ray built this wonderful corner pergola adapted from the plans. It looks really great! Read his story here...

New! Asian Pergola Plans

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:08:24 GMT

This wonderful asian pergola has oriental style curved rafters and will make a stunning feature in your garden! The plans can be adatpted exactly to fit your own situation, and are a step-by-step guide for beginners. To start building this fabulous pergola, read more about the plans here...

How To Lay A Patio

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 13:40:39 GMT

A beginner's video tutorial on how to lay a patio, including how to calculate hardcore, mortar, and paving quantities, how to build a patio and pergola combination, and frequently asked questions.

Fancy Building A Simple Attached Lean-to Pergola?

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:33:26 GMT

It may be simple to construct, but this attached pergola design looks really fantastic! Fully adaptable, with 18 free rafter tail templates ready for you to use, make your lean-to pergola look just the way you want it...

Lean-To Pergola

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:47:38 GMT

Easy step-by step, beginner's guide on building a fantastic attached lean-to pergola.

Missed an Ezine Back Issue?

Sat, 14 May 2011 11:51:30 GMT

You can read all ezine back issues, by following the link, including:

'The 3 Best Ways To Prevent Slug Damage'
'Inspirational Garden Makeover Ideas'
'Bargain Seated Arbour! and Modular Metal Arch' (still on offer)
'Are Sisters Really Doing It For Themselves?!'

Here's to creating wonderful gardens...

Did You Build A Pergola?

Fri, 13 May 2011 12:41:44 GMT

If you did build a pergola from the plans, your own design or from a kit, write about it here and give others the inspiration to have a go!

Exclusive Discount Code For Lawns

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 18:16:09 GMT

Another exclusive discount has arrived. 10% off turf, topsoil, mulches and lawn care products here. The listing is for *Rolawn Direct*. Just click the name to go there.

Outdoor Bean Bag

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:20:51 GMT

Fun and funky or classy and elegant. Relax in the garden with an outdoor bean bag. Find which colour and style are right for your outdoor living space.

Pergola Hammock

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:25:52 GMT

A pergola hammock can be great fun and relaxing too! Explore ideas on different types and styles to suit your garden.

Prezzybox Voucher Codes

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:35:33 GMT

Just wanted to share this with you as it might be useful for Xmas presents as well as garden items. *Prezzybox*
They sell an outdoor beanbag, hammock, arbour, or a range of garden accessories, and have just sent through 3 voucher codes for their site, which run until Christmas Day:

5off50
15off100
10off75

Each code shows the % off against the amount spent.(I think it is self explanatory.) They stock all sorts of garden games and accessories and some unusual gift ideas. If you can use the codes for Xmas presents too - great!

Corner Pergola

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:00:59 GMT

Build your own stunning corner pergola for beginners or buy a manufactured pergola kit.

Huge Discounts on DeWalt Drills!

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:20:31 GMT

Just had to let you know about the huge saving on these drills, as it's very rare that they come around. I don't know how they are selling them at such a good price! Dewalt are the best drills available, and I'm always on the lookout for any discounts on these fantastic tools. If you are thinking of doing projects around the house or in the garden, they are really worth having - the best of the best. At the moment they have a Twin Pack, which is a Combi Drill and an SDS Hammer Drill (if you have one of these, everyone will be borrowing it!) The SDS hammer drill is often called a 'Kango' and is used for removing concrete, stone, mortar etc. Its uses are endless. I wouldn't be without mine. My husband bought one for me for our wedding anniversary! The other offer is for an impact driver. What a piece of kit! It's a driver that uses a hammer action, which means screws go in effortlessly. Again one of my favourite tools, especially for building pergolas. What I tend to do is use the drill driver for drilling, and my impact driver for driving in the screws. Saves time changing the bits. There are lots of good value drills around but if you can afford these, go for them. They are worth it. Or as Christmas is coming up.... Anyway, here they are: 100 off Dewalt twin pack and an amazing 120 off the Dewalt impact driver (One of my favourite tools). If you want the best and appreciate the value of these products, grab these bargains while you can! They don't stay around for long. 100 off Makita 18v Combi Drill. One of the top 3 makes!

Need Galvanised Steel Corner Braces?

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:26:32 GMT

Several of you have contacted me about heavy duty galvanised steel corner braces for using on your pergola designs. They are often called corner brackets or angle brackets. Anyway, if you go to the bottom of this page there are six different sizes here to choose from. Why buy galvanised steel brackets? Because they are strong, and won't rust or stain, making them the best option for DIY pergola construction for use with wood pergola plans.

Pergola Pictures

Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:53:25 GMT

I've just put up lots of new pergola pictures for you take a look at, to give you ideas and inspiration for your pergola! They show the construction process and lots of ideas for climbing plants and accessories. Enjoy!

Now Is The Time To Plant Beautiful Climbing Roses!

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:02:38 GMT

Between October and December is the very best time to plant your climbing roses. There are some absolutely gorgeous ones to choose from. I've included more climbing rose pictures to give you ideas and inspiration for plants for your pergola. It's often a good place to start when looking for the effect you would like to create. Questions:

What are the different types of climbing rose?
What is a rambler and what is a climber? What effect does each give?
I want one to cover a pergola, tree, fence or wall.
How do I plant and care for my rose so that it has fantasic flowers each year and stays healthy?
How do I find other climbing plants that will go really well with my rose to give a wonderful combination?

Find answers to all these questions and create the most spectacular display. Anyone can achieve this with a few hints and tips!

UK Companies

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:37:59 GMT

Links to UK companies selling garden related products.

Attached Lean-To Pergola Plans

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:35:18 GMT

Hoping to get some attached pergola (somtimes called a lean-to pergola) plans up fairly soon. Many have asked for them already. If all goes to plan, I will be able to make a video recording of the pergola being made, which should be fun! Usually I am too busy building to record anything. So this will be a first. Will keep you posted.

New Pergola Pictures

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:17:10 GMT

I've put some new pergola pictures on my home page to help you with ideas and inspiration. It was such great fun building them, at the time. The sense of achievement is really fantastic, especially when the climbing plants begin to take hold. I love going back to the gardens to take pictures. The most rewarding part is knowing that the pergolas are giving such pleasure, as well as seeing the plants develop. For a relatively small amount of time and effort, a pergola really does earn its place in the garden. Hope you enjoy them!

Corner Pergola Plans FAQs

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:53:24 GMT

If you are thinking of building this particular pergola design and have questions about adapting or downloading the plans, take a look at the 'Corner Pergola Plans FAQs'.

Clematis Varieties

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:59:25 GMT

Want to choose the best clematis varieties for a wonderful display all through the season? Here are my recommendations.

Love Gardening! Ezine

Sat, 29 May 2010 16:21:36 GMT

A garden and landscaping ezine to help you create the garden of your dreams!

Spectacular Plant Combinations

Tue, 25 May 2010 09:30:09 GMT

Spectacular plant combinations for a superb summer display!

Did you see this lovely metal pergola?

Wed, 12 May 2010 08:03:00 GMT

If you missed this one and are looking for a walkway metal pergola kit to join two parts of your garden or to run along a path, it is worth taking a look. Wrought Iron Pergola It's probably so popular because of its beautifully intricate design and because it's rare to find a metal pergola that is so long!

Corner Pergola Plans Up And Running!

Wed, 12 May 2010 08:03:00 GMT

So many have asked for these plans, and, at last, they are ready for immediate download. I've really enjoyed writing them for you. I hope you have as much fun building your wonderful corner pergola! They come with 18 free rafter tail templates, which means that you can choose the style, giving your pergola a truly unique feel. "Could you please tell me when the corner pergola plans will be available to purchase. I am planning to renovate my patio area this summer and your is the nicest design I have seen."

Michelle, Lancashire

Two Pergola Plans In One

Wed, 12 May 2010 08:03:00 GMT

Have been working hard to get these plans to you, so you can enjoy your wonderful new pergola over the coming summer months! They can be used either as a pergola arch, acting as a fabulous walkway, with a beautiful and fragrant display of climbing plants, or as a cosy arbour under which to relax and unwind. Here's hoping you have great fun building either one - or both!