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Garden Structures
Considering an outdoor structure? Here are a few tips for getting it right. Take cues from your house, echoing its style and materials for a harmonious look. You might also choose the exact opposite style of your house, which can be harder to pull off. Consider views to and from the structure, both should be pleasing. To block an unwanted view, create a semienclosed structure such as a screen house with a back wall. Mostly, plan for comfort. The farther the structure is from the house, the less convenient it becomes. So make the approach inviting.
Arbors
 
The latest trend in landscaping is to create 'outdoor rooms,' areas set off by various design elements that provide a place to entertain, or just a place to sit and enjoy the garden. Landscaping not only increases your enjoyment of your outdoor spaces, but it can add as much as 15 percent to the resale value of your property. Placement is key. Tucked away in a secluded nook and sheltered by fragrant flowering vines, an arbor becomes a romantic hideaway. Set off by itself, it can accent the garden, offer an inviting destination, or command an imposing view. Arbors have utilitarian value as well. They provide shade in summer and serve as year round screens for garden work areas as well.
Arbors, Trellis, Planters and more at Yardiac.com
The easiest way to achieve the effect of strolling from one outdoor room to another is with additions like arbors, benches and trellises. They not only help define the space, but also add a distinct design element to the yard. Some arbors can even be wired for lighting and sound to add even more personality to the landscape.
Arbors help create traffic patterns by leading people to features like a footpath or a comfortable bench. They're also perfect for establishing a grand entryway to your yard, with or without a surrounding fence. A well-placed arbor is also the perfect anchor for climbing plants of all kinds, from flowering vines to roses.
Creating outdoor rooms allows you to use more of your yard, expanding your outdoor space beyond your deck or patio and into the surrounding area. When creating your outdoor rooms, be sure to consider the architecture of your home, especially when choosing hardscape elements. For example, for a cottage-style home, a flagstone patio would look more natural than a formal herringbone brick patio.
The same holds true with arbors. If you have a traditional-style home, like a colonial, then choose an arbor with classic lines. If you live in a gingerbread Victorian, you can use a more ornate arbor.
Choose an arbor that is low maintenance and that will look great year after year.
Gazebos
Pergolas
 A pergola, borrowed for English from Italian, mentioned in an Italian context in 1645 and used in an English context in 1675, is a garden feature forming a shaded walk or passageway of pillars that support cross beams and a sturdy open lattice, upon which woody vines are trained. It may also be part of a building, as protection for an open terrace. The origin is pergula, Late Latin for a projecting eave. Pergolas may link pavilions, may extend from a building's door to an open garden feature such as an isolated terrace or pool, or may be entirely free-standing structures shading a length of walk.
Greenhouses
If you covet your neighbor's sunroom, then ready-to-build greenhouse kits may be the answer. Today, there is a wide range of fantastic greenhouse kits—they are stylish and functional, and can be constructed from various economical materials.
Greenhouse plans are another attractive option for gardeners on a budget. Greenhouse plans give you the opportunity to customize your design to fit your garden space.
Before you start researching greenhouse kits or greenhouse plans, give serious thought to what you intend to grow and choose a structure accordingly. Your climate is also a factors. For example, if you plan to grow vegetables or flowers in a cold climate, a tightly sealed, double-walled enclosure is ideal. If you are interested only in seed starting, a plastic frame and siding with good ventilation may be all you need.
Greenhouse kits range in size from 6'x8' to 16'x24', with all sizes in between. There are even balcony-size solar huts for small spaces. While there's no rule of thumb for the best size of greenhouse, experts will tell you that for the hobbyist, go for as large a structure a you can afford and fit in your gardening space.
Greenhouse styles can be classic, featuring straight eves and gable roof, Victorian with curved eves and gothic arched roof, or rustic with wood frames.
Frames for greenhouse kits can be redwood or cedar, galvanized steel, aluminum, or plastic. Plastic is popular with hobbyists because of the low cost and minimal heat loss.
The siding determines the amount of light that reaches the plants. Glass is a traditional greenhouse material but it should be double or triple-walled to insulate properly. Plastics, such as fiberglass (usually a corrugated translucent material), polycarbonate, and polyethylene are shatterproof and good insulators.
Sheds
Cedar Gardeners Tool & Potting Shed 
There’s no doubt garden sheds are incredibly useful and versatile. A small shed may be used to store gardening tools, pool equipment, or the kids’ bikes and skateboards.
A larger garden shed or small barn could serve as an outdoor office, a nice quiet place to pursue your special hobby in peace away from the house, a playroom for the kids to enjoy, or even a handy spare bedroom.
If you’re reasonably handy with a hammer and nails, you can very easily design and build a simple garden shed yourself and save a lot of money in the process.
Bridges
 
When placed over your pond or japanese style dry river bed your garden bridge will add a graceful touch to your garden and provide a lovely place for meditation and contemplation. Arc, arch, foot, ornamental, landscape, wood, oriental, Asian, Japanese and garden bridges are just a few of the descriptive names given to a small bowed bridge, an ancient design that has been used across the ages for foot traffic and decoration.
Benches
 
A bench need not be new to deserve a place in the garden. A well-weathered bench that has aged gracefully over the years adds charm to any outdoor space. To give it flair, position your bench inside a bower of blooming roses, under an overgrown arched trellis, or beneath an arbor covered with fragrant flowers.
A Sunset of NEW Colors for Blanket Flower!
Build a bench from durable materials such as concrete, stone, or iron. Or use such expensive but long lasting and attractive woods as cedar, cypress, teak or oak. When buying a bench go for quality. You get what your pay for. Place the bench's legs directly on top of four flat, secure stones or blocks to keep it level and prevent the legs from rotting.
Build a bench around a favorite tree to use as a reading spot. Perch a bench on a knoll with a view or tuck it away in a quiet niche in your property as a haven for solitude and privacy.
Fences
Fencing & Edging from Plow & Hearth
Wether your need a fence for buffering wind, marking a boundary, or providing support for a climber, choose a material and style that harmonize with your garden and house. Consider the inital and lifetime repair costs as well as the maintenance requirements.
Informal gardens are the right settings for rustic styles, such as the post and rail, picket or split rail fence. Formal gardens are better complemented with board, post and board, lattice or basketweave fences.
Trellises
Transform a blank wall into a verticle garden with a trellis covered with climbers. You can select the traditional latticework panels or a fan shape. Or try a more fanciful type: some structural trellises are designed with tops that resemble the sun, a flower, a heart, a fountain, or leaf clusters. A freestanding trellis needs sturdy legs that can extend 12 to 18 inches into the ground. It has to support not only the structure, but also the plants. Choose materials such as redwood, cypress, cedar, iron and steel are good choices. For low maintenance, try a plastic, fiberglass, or enameled aluminum trellis in colors of white, green or brown.
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Gazebos are a thing of beauty and one can add a certain feeling to your home or garden upgrading it with style and elegance. Gazebos come in hundreds of different styles and sizes, adding a touch of romance and old-world fashion to most any property. They can add that "special something," that last touch you've always dreamed about for your property. Reminders of slower times, standard sizes are from 8 feet to 20 feet and they provide places of solace for reflection and quiet relaxation. If you're interested in a gazebo for your property, you are in good company. Gazebos have maintained their popularity over the years for good reason – they're beautiful, classy and timeless. 