Garden gates receive lots of use: opening, closing, taking you from outside to inside or a more public part of your property to a private space. While practical, a gate can be designed as a welcoming structure hinting at a beautiful garden awaiting. Traditional materials for gates include:
Wood: One of the most perennially popular materials, woods can be stained, left raw, or painted Metal: Can include practical chain-link, aluminum, cast iron, wrought (not rod) iron, or corrugated metal Vinyl, PVC, or Polyresin: Also used for fencing, these materials are similar to the materials used for vinyl decking Alternative Natural Materials: Like rattan or bamboo Composite: Have you ever seen a gate that looks like stacked stone or ashlar? It’s probably made of composite, which is similar to polyresin but is made to resemble other materials, like stone, brick, or wood
This antique Balinese Temple gate is part of an exotic Asian landscape designed by Zerterre Landscape Architecture. Other elements in the garden include bluestone pavers, giant birds of paradise, red-leaved banana trees, black bamboo, and Japanese blood grass. This stunning gate and fence were made with ipe wood, steel, and symmetrically spaced translucent glass windows to allow light to filter into the private front entry garden. Snail vine (Vigna caracalla) softens the steel frame edges of the gate.
