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Building a Pagoda-Style Garden Entry

I built a cedar pagoda-like garden entrance this year. It is about four feet wide and the the peak of the roof is about eight feet. The roof has a low rise and overhangs the sides by two feet on each side. I built in about 8 hours, and the material costs were well under $100.

In past years I've always had a bentwood arbor made of maple saplings as an entrance to the garden, and used it to grow annual vines. But maple rots out in 3-5 years, so I decided to build something more permanent. I used cedar posts, which should last much longer, and was able to get some small diameter cedar poles and branches, too. Locust resists rot, and would work well, too.

My local feed and grain store sells cedar rails for fences. These rails are 10 feet long, and appear to have been run through a machine to make them round and pretty much the same diameter from top to bottom. I cut off the ends, which were made to fit holes in fence posts, so I ended up with nine-foot posts.

To increase the life span of the cedar posts I painted the bottom 3 feet with linseed oil for added protection. If you use regular cedar posts, you should peel the bark, as rot will begin first under the bark.

I wanted the structure four feet wide, so I cut a piece of plywood 48 inches by 38 inches, which I placed on the ground. This guided me when digging the holes for the posts. I used a 2-handed post hole digger, and was able to get my holes 24 inches deep. If your soil is rocky, you'll have to make do with whatever depth you can, though 12 inches should be a minimum.

I set the first pole, and used a torpedo level to see that it was vertical in two directions, and back filled around it. I did the second pole, towards the back of the entry, then joined them together with a cross piece 36 inches above the ground. This was a 2-inch diameter cedar pole that I attached to the uprights (on the outside of the entry) with long galvanized phillips screws.

Next I attached two more crossbars. I placed a " top plate" 4 inches below the top of the verticals to catch the rafter poles. The other I attached 12 inches off the ground.

My screw gun has lots of "guts", but you may need to pre-drill the holes if yours doesn't. I moistened a bar of soap to make it soft, and dragged the screws across it to lubricate them, which also helps.

After repeating that procedure on the other side of the entry, I temporarily attached a piece of strapping across the top of the opening to keep everything stable while I worked on the roof. Then I was ready to set rafters. I cut ten rafters, 60-inch poles that were about 2.5 inches in diameter at the base, and one 4-footer for the ridge pole.

It is important to get the roof looking right. I had a helper to set the first two pairs of rafter. Standing on a step ladder, I crossed the first two rafters (setting them side by side) so that they made a "V". I let them overlap each other by about 10 inches, and fastened them temporarily in place with copper wire.

To make sure the roof was level from front to back, I set the second pair of rafters at the back of the entry, and then placed a piece of plastic pipe in the "V" formed by the two sets of rafters. I used pipe instead of a pole because it's smoother than poles, and easier to check the level.

I screwed through the rafters into the top plate, then through the crossed rafters, and then through the rafters into the ridge pole (which replaced the piece of pipe). Next I added the three remaining pairs of rafters : one in the middle of the space, and the others at equidistant spacing.

Lastly, since I wanted to grow vines up this structure, I added vertical branches for them to grow up. I used one-inch diameter branches, and realize they may rot out before the bigger poles. However, the branches do not touch the ground, which helps prevent rot. They are attached to the crosspieces, and start six inches above ground level.

The beauty of building a structure that will last 20 years is that I can grow perennial vines on it, not just annual ones. I planted a white-blossomed vine, Clematis paniculata, that is very vigorous, has a wonderful scent and blooms in the fall.

Now I am looking for a wisteria that will bloom in Zone 4. I'm told there is one developed in Minnesota, (Wisteria macrostachys 'Blue Moon') that blooms on new wood, ensuring blossoms even after cold winters. It'll be something to dream about this winter. Meanwhile, my new garden entrance will look great against the snow.

Building a Pagoda-Style Garden Entry for 11/10

The gardening season is about over. Hard frost has put even the most cold-resistant flowers and vegetables into their inevitable decline. But we gardeners don't have to stop yet. If you've finished your chores for the year, perhaps this would be a good time to build a welcoming entryway to your garden.

I built a cedar pagoda-like garden entrance this year. It is about four feet wide and the the peak of the roof is about eight feet. The roof has a low rise and overhangs the sides by two feet on each side. I built in about 8 hours, and the material costs were well under $100.

In past years I've always had a bentwood arbor made of maple saplings as an entrance to the garden, and used it to grow annual vines. But maple rots out in 3-5 years, so I decided to build something more permanent. I used cedar posts, which should last much longer, and was able to get some small diameter cedar poles and branches, too. Locust resists rot, and would work well, too.

My local feed and grain store sells cedar rails for fences. These rails are 10 feet long, and appear to have been run through a machine to make them round and pretty much the same diameter from top to bottom. I cut off the ends, which were made to fit holes in fence posts, so I ended up with nine-foot posts.

To increase the life span of the cedar posts I painted the bottom 3 feet with linseed oil for added protection. If you use regular cedar posts, you should peel the bark, as rot will begin first under the bark.

I wanted the structure four feet wide, so I cut a piece of plywood 48 inches by 38 inches, which I placed on the ground. This guided me when digging the holes for the posts. I used a 2-handed post hole digger, and was able to get my holes 24 inches deep. If your soil is rocky, you'll have to make do with whatever depth you can, though 12 inches should be a minimum.

I set the first pole, and used a torpedo level to see that it was vertical in two directions, and back filled around it. I did the second pole, towards the back of the entry, then joined them together with a cross piece 36 inches above the ground. This was a 2-inch diameter cedar pole that I attached to the uprights (on the outside of the entry) with long galvanized phillips screws.

Next I attached two more crossbars. I placed a " top plate" 4 inches below the top of the verticals to catch the rafter poles. The other I attached 12 inches off the ground.

My screw gun has lots of "guts", but you may need to pre-drill the holes if yours doesn't. I moistened a bar of soap to make it soft, and dragged the screws across it to lubricate them, which also helps.

After repeating that procedure on the other side of the entry, I temporarily attached a piece of strapping across the top of the opening to keep everything stable while I worked on the roof. Then I was ready to set rafters. I cut ten rafters, 60-inch poles that were about 2.5 inches in diameter at the base, and one 4-footer for the ridge pole.

It is important to get the roof looking right. I had a helper to set the first two pairs of rafter. Standing on a step ladder, I crossed the first two rafters (setting them side by side) so that they made a "V". I let them overlap each other by about 10 inches, and fastened them temporarily in place with copper wire.

To make sure the roof was level from front to back, I set the second pair of rafters at the back of the entry, and then placed a piece of plastic pipe in the "V" formed by the two sets of rafters. I used pipe instead of a pole because it's smoother than poles, and easier to check the level.

I screwed through the rafters into the top plate, then through the crossed rafters, and then through the rafters into the ridge pole (which replaced the piece of pipe). Next I added the three remaining pairs of rafters : one in the middle of the space, and the others at equidistant spacing.

Lastly, since I wanted to grow vines up this structure, I added vertical branches for them to grow up. I used one-inch diameter branches, and realize they may rot out before the bigger poles. However, the branches do not touch the ground, which helps prevent rot. They are attached to the crosspieces, and start six inches above ground level.

The beauty of building a structure that will last 20 years is that I can grow perennial vines on it, not just annual ones. I planted a white-blossomed vine, Clematis paniculata, that is very vigorous, has a wonderful scent and blooms in the fall.

Now I am looking for a wisteria that will bloom in Zone 4. I'm told there is one developed in Minnesota, (Wisteria macrostachys 'Blue Moon') that blooms on new wood, ensuring blossoms even after cold winters. It'll be something to dream about this winter. Meanwhile, my new garden entrance will look great against the snow.

Henry Homeyer is the author of "Notes from the Garden: Reflections and Observations of an Organic Gardener." Write him at P.O. Box 364, Cornish Flat, N.H. 03746; send e-mail to gardening.guy@valley.net; his Web site is gardening-guy.com.