News: Oak Garden Arches Spotlight: Answering The Most Common Questions

03/01/2025

The Top 14 Garden Arch FAQs

What Are Those Arches in Gardens Called?

Garden arches are simply called “arches.” These freestanding structures frame walkways, entrances or garden features. They can incorporate trellis sides to accommodate climbing plants. While you may picture a rounded top, arches can feature a straight top beam, like the designs we offer here at Oak Timber Structures.

Arches are often confused for pergolas. We know why too! With upright beams and overhanging crossmember, a 4-post arch has striking similarities to a pergola. However, pergolas are larger garden structures. Because of the greater size, you can create an outdoor living space under a pergola. On the other hand, arches are smaller and are primarily for decoration.

What Is The History of Garden Arches?

Arches date back centuries, originating in ancient Rome and Egypt they were used to support vines. Early Tudor gardens (1490–1550) in England drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance and incorporated features like trellises, arbours, and framed walkways. While definitive evidence is limited, it’s plausible that early versions of garden arches emerged in England during this period as part of these design trends.

What Are Garden Arches Used For?

Arches are decorative garden structures. Like the arches of all those years ago, they support climbing plants. This is of great appeal because arches display colourful plants at higher levels to add another visual dimension to a garden. Whether combining with plants or not, oak garden arches make for a grand entrance.

Where is the Best Place to Put a Garden Arch?

Arches are commonly placed at the start of a path or opening to a garden. You can also stagger them along a pathway to create an iconic scenic walkway. Sometimes you'll see them used as a frame to create a focal point for a water feature or seating area. As mentioned, our arches don't necessarily need climbing plants to create a striking visual. The beauty of the oak alone is enough to make an impact.

How Tall Should a Garden Arch Be?

You'll want enough height in your arch so you can walk through it, so around 7 ft to 8 ft feet is a comfortable clearance. For reference, 8 ft is around 2.4 metres. Arches are popular for wedding or garden entrances, so consider the use and how any decorations or plants might reduce the clearance. On our Online Designer you can pick a clearance between 1.9 to 2.9 metres. That's around 6 ft 2” to 9 ft 5” so there's plenty of scope to pick a clearance to suit individual needs.

How Do You Secure a Garden Arch to the Ground?

Most of our structures are offered with standard posts, addtional length to be buried into the ground or staddle stones. With 2-post arches we only offer post fixing into the ground for added stability. It's important to either concrete them in completely or place a concrete pad beneath the buried posts, otherwise due to the oaks weight, the arch will sink in deeper overtime.

With 4-posts, there are more ways to secure the arch. Staddle stones act as feet for the arch, securing the structure while protecting it from standing water and moisture. Staddle stones have a steel protrusion which slots a drilled hole in the upright posts. Standard posts will be supplied simply crosscut which you can then secure using your own means such as metal post shoes or directly onto the ground surface. For installation onto a surface, ensure a metal rebar is used to stop the posts kicking out.

Do You Need Planning Permission for a Garden Arch?

It's very rare that you'll need planning permission for an arch, especially if the clearance is under 2.5 metres. That being said, it’s best to err on the side of caution and consult. Although small structures, here are some considerations which might mean you need planning.

• Arch Position:If you're hoping to assemble the arch near a boundary.
• Height: Using our Online Designer, you can select an arch over 2.5 metres, which shouldn't be a problem. However, sometimes structures over 2.5 meters, if within 2 meters of a boundary, need planning.
• Listed Properties:If you live in a listed property, then there can be further restrictions.
• Conservation Areas:Conservation areas such as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty may also have stricter rules.

We'd always recommend consulting local councils for definitive answers. Rules vary from place to place, so it's best to double-check for peace of mind so you can enjoy your arch stress free.

How Long Does a Wooden Trellis Last?

With a 4-post arch, you can select the oak trellis option on the Online Designer. A trellis will fix to the arch and support the growth of climbing plants. In your kit, we’ll include the oak strips to fix at both sides to make up the trellis.

Choose to include a trellis with your Oak Timber Structures arch and, of course, it’ll be crafted from oak. Oak is a strong and resilient hardwood so lasts longer outdoors than softwood, making it a practical and attractive choice. It’s a perfect match for the arch frame, creating a cohesive look while standing up to the elements.

How to Prevent Trellis from Rotting?

As our trellises are oak, they have a natural resistance to rot and decay. That said, you can extend their life with wood preservatives and waterproofers. We recommend Osmo Oil, which you can also apply to the frame for consistent protection. Read more about maintaining oak here

How Do You Support a Wooden Trellis?

You should attach the trellis to the solid oak arch. Our arches have enough strength to support the weight of the trellis and any climbing plants. The trellis is loose, so you’ll need to screw oak strips into the arch for the best grip.

Do You Use Nails or Screws for Trellis?

Screws will offer the best support for the trellis. Here's something you must know. When fixing to oak, it's important that you use stainless steel screws to fix the trellis. Screws made from other materials can react to the oaks' natural moisture and corrode.

While we're on the fixing of the trellis strips. We'd also recommend drilling a pilot hole smaller than the screw. As mentioned, oak is a hardwood, so the pilot hole will make it easier to screw.

What Are The Best Climbing Plants for an Arch?

You’ll find many websites offering advice on climbing plants. Home & Garden magazine has written an article called Best Climbing Plants for Arches. These are the best top 5 climbers featured in their opinion:

• Japanese wisteria
• Clematis
• Climbing rose
• Sweet peas
• Honeysuckle

However, as arches are often near entrances, there's a chance they won't have as much sunlight. In this scenario, BBC Gardner's World have created a list of the best climbers for shade. According to them, the best climbers for shade are:

• Rosa ‘Wedding Day’
• Ivy
• Star jasmine
• Clematis viticella
• Chinese Virginia creeper
• Clematis alpina
• Clematis x durandii

Any Advice For Planting Climbers on an Arch Trellis?

The Royal Horticultural Society is your go-to source here. Check out the article How to Plant a Climber for advice. If you've used the into the ground option for your arch, you'll have to be careful when planting. Use a planting pot instead. If not, make sure you don't dig near the footings to destabilise the arch.

Will Climbing Plants Grow on The Top of The Arch?

All our arches come with at least one crossmember. Guide climbers onto the crossmembers using garden twine and an overhand knot for flexible stems.All our arches come with at least one crossmember. Our 4-post arch kits can have more, how many is up to you, but we can recommend an amount depending on the arch size. After climbing plants grow up the side of the trellis, you can guide them over the arch and onto the crossmembers. Again, seeking advice from the Royal Horticultural Society, here are some top tips for guiding climbers:

• Use garden twine made from natural materials such as hemp or cotton.
• As the climbers grow, tie in new-growth to guide.
• New-growth will be more fragile. So use a simple overhand knot for flexible stems as you guide them on to the top of the arch.

Conclusion

So there we are, the most common questions asked about arches. Garden arches are a simple way to add to the natural beauty of oak into your garden. While a small structure, they'll become an integral part of your garden design. Adding height to your space, a garden arch will create a colourful feature in the eyeline.

Use the Online Designer to create a bespoke garden arch today. As you change the design, you'll see the price update in real-time with itemised categories. If you have any oak structure questions, please contact our team who'll be more than happy to help.