Gates are an invitation into a garden. The best garden gates are welcoming, providing interest and personality. Gardens are a work of art and reflect the creator’s palette; subsequently, as much as the eyes are the windows to the soul, a garden gate functions as a window to your yard. Gates signal that there is something worth seeing inside; a beautifully designed gate can transform a garden from unimaginative to splendid.
The invitation of the garden gate deserves contemplation. A wooden picket fence gate can inject charm into a cottage setting, while a large wrought iron gate creates an air of formality and grandeur. Gates can be solid, providing security and adding mystery to what lies beyond, or they may leave room for your gaze to catch a glimpse of the secrets inside. And, for the person with an artist’s eye, a garden gate can be a relic from the past or a whimsical creation crafted from a wagon wheel.
Often they reinforce architecture, serving as an extension of the style of a home. Picture a brick wall and pillars standing guard at the gate that serves as an entrance to your yard.
Gates can be classically designed with Chippendale features, repeating fretwork railings or spindles locked together in an engaging pattern that echoes the charm of a bungalow. Sleek modern houses might boast a customized, contemporary gate designed by an emerging blacksmith. Gates are an opportunity for inspiration and research.
A garden gate marks a distinction from the inside and outside world. It creates a focal point; it is a detail in the hedge, a place for a trellis, and an opportunity to plant and envision. Containers cluster naturally beside gates with pots overflowing with favorite florals. A garden gate provides a beginning and an ending for your imagination to expand. They are an opportunity for a path — a place to pause, catch your breath, lift the latch, and enter.
