🌿 Timber Pergolas and Timber Arches: Framing the Garden Experience
- MP Landscape Design
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Introducing the Podcast Series
I’m Michael from MP Landscape & Garden Design, and I’ve launched a new podcast series exploring the benefits of different garden features. In each episode, I share insights from my work across Wakefield, Pontefract, Doncaster, Sheffield, and beyond. This blog post is based on the first episode, where I talk about timber pergolas and timber arches — two features that can transform the way a garden feels.
👉 You can listen to the full podcast episode. Click on the links at the bottom of the page.
Timber Pergolas: Creating Spaces to Pause
Pergolas are one of the most versatile features I design. Built from timber, they frame a space beautifully, offering shade, structure, and a sense of destination within the garden. A pergola can sit at the end of a path, overlooking countryside views, or it can be placed closer to the house as a sheltered retreat.
What I enjoy most about pergolas is how they encourage me to slow down. You walk through the garden, and suddenly there’s this framed space that says: stop, sit, enjoy the view. In Wakefield and Pontefract, I’ve designed pergolas that look out across rolling fields, giving clients a place to take in the landscape. In Doncaster and Sheffield, pergolas often become social spaces, perfect for outdoor dining or evening gatherings.
Pergolas and Planting
Timber adds warmth and natural character. It blends with planting, softens hard landscaping, and feels timeless. Over time, climbing plants can weave through the beams, turning the structure into a living feature. That’s the beauty of timber pergolas — they grow with the garden.
Timber Arches: Guiding the Journey
Timber arches are smaller than pergolas, but they’re just as powerful. An arch marks a transition, guiding you from one part of the garden to another. It might frame the entrance to a path, lead you into a vegetable garden, or create a gateway to a lawn.
I often use timber arches to add rhythm to a design. They break up the journey, turning a simple walk into an experience. In Pontefract and Wakefield, arches have been used to frame cottage‑style planting, while in Sheffield and Doncaster they’ve added structure to modern plots.
Seasonal Displays
Like pergolas, timber arches can be clothed in climbing plants — roses, clematis, honeysuckle — creating seasonal displays that change the mood of the garden throughout the year. They’re practical, decorative, and deeply rooted in tradition.
Why Timber Works
Both pergolas and arches benefit from timber’s natural qualities. It’s strong, versatile, and sustainable when sourced responsibly. Timber feels at home in Yorkshire gardens, whether it’s part of a large countryside plot or a smaller urban space. It connects the design to nature, softening the lines of paving and stonework.
Local and Beyond
In my work across Wakefield, Pontefract, Doncaster, and Sheffield, timber pergolas and arches have become signature features. They’re adaptable to different styles — rustic, contemporary, or traditional — and they always add value to the garden. Beyond Yorkshire, the same principles apply: these structures frame space, guide movement, and create atmosphere.
Conclusion and Podcast Promotion
So whether it’s a pergola inviting you to pause and take in the view, or an arch guiding you into a new part of the garden, timber structures bring character and purpose. They’re simple, but they transform the way we experience outdoor spaces.
🎧 Listen to the full episode of my podcast Food & Fire Outdoor Living to hear me talk through these ideas in more detail. It’s the first in a series where I’ll explore the benefits of different garden features, two at a time, with stories from my design work across Yorkshire and beyond.
Timber Pergolas and Timber Arches: Framing the Garden Experience
