Some people have the ability to think ahead, to be able to see an image in their mind’s eye quite unlike the one presenting itself at the time. One example was when a friend of mine paid to have a gazebo built in his …… The word garden should be where the dots are, but at the time ‘bomb site’ would be a better description for the land surrounding his new house. And yet, amidst the mud and rubble, he commissioned quality carpenter Woodworks Direct to erect a wooden gazebo – and beautiful it looked too, like a gold ring in a pig’s nose. When I asked him the obvious ‘WHY?’ he replied with words to the effect that it was going to be the central feature in the garden to be, a point from which to design and build his garden around. So he had the ability to see ahead, to picture what I couldn’t.
Unlike me, he wasn’t looking at First World War battlefield but a mature garden with Jasmine and Bougainvillaea clinging to the gazebo. And he was right, because that is exactly what happened over a relatively short period of time, three years at most. The gazebo, made from quality treated timber and stained for added protection, had weathered and aged naturally; it looked as if it had always been there, a leftover feature from a bygone age. That’s exactly what he wanted in his traditional English-style garden. He had been able to capture a mental image, hold on to it, build on it and see it gradually come to life. I admire that quality.
My gazebo, also built by the same carpenter, looks equally good but in a different way. My garden is the minimalist type with raised beds and coloured gravel, I guess what would be termed ‘easy maintenance.’ I built the garden first then made room afterwards for the gazebo. Does it look as if the gazebo has muscled in on things? No way, because my garden is different and my gazebo fitted in well as a feature, a focal point rather than part of an overall effect. The bottom line: a wooden gazebo looks good whatever, and if well looked after it can last donkey’s years. So whether you are a long term planner or a seat of the pants thinker like me, there is one common denominator when it comes to attractive features for your garden, and that is a wooden gazebo.
