Secure, gorgeous steel gates are probably
one of the integral parts of a modern home these days. They are primarily
keeping thieves off properties however newer designs also add aesthetics to the
overall perspective of most homes nowadays. But before they became an important
constants in building and securing homes, we were all once introduced to
‘friendly’ vine arcs that welcome visitors and guests. And though these arcs
are truly lovely, they have either become too old fashioned or gallant for
modern living. Also, there is the undying issues on burglary. This is why most
of the youngsters these days will no longer be able to see the old home
styles—no gates, no alarms, just homey and welcoming.
Good thing is that I was able to live in
those days and I can still remember our old vine ‘welcome’ arcs that stood in
place of the gates now. Unfortunately, I was not able to save any photo to show
but I can still remember how they are planted and formed. Here is a simple step
by step development of a do-it-yourself welcome vine arc:
Step 1: Choosing the vine or type of plant.
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There
are different types of plants, especially vines that can be used in making
welcome arcs. The most used is the bougainvillea because of its beautiful
flowers. There are plenty to choose from, but pick something that can grow best
with your resources.
Step 2: Planting the vine.
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Planting
a vine is very easy because these are plants that are not very picky of
planting methods. You can use seeds and sprinkle it on the cultivated soil or cut
a sap for grafting purposes. The not so easy part is in developing the arc,
which design will rely at this stage too. As a matter of fact, you can only
plant the vine when you are already sure as to where and how wide apart you
want the 2 columns to appear.
Step 3: Developing an arc structure.
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Once
the vine sprouted or new vine blooms from a grafted plant, it is time to help
them grow up by placing structures where they would be able to creep on. Most
landscapers use post constructed chicken wire posts for the vine to crawl on,
but back in the days, we just used bamboos that will help the vines shooting up
to the height where we want the two columns bend and meet to create the arc. This
way, it costs less but create the same finished product.
Step 4: Maintenance.
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Throughout
the growing phase, the vines will surely need some guide, cutting and cleaning.
We used to loosely roll the vines over each other which makes the arc a lot
stronger and well-formed.
The best part of this is when your arc is
already fully developed and the flowers start to bloom.
