Finishing the Grape Arbor

Last summer we (okay, this was really mostly Kirk's project, but I helped a little) built the grape trellis with some posts and bamboo. But we only built enough to support the vines at the time, and put off finishing the arbor that we had planned. Well, this past weekend we finally finished it up! 

Again, this was mostly Kirk's project for the build. I collaborated on a few design questions, and I took some photos. The new addition is easily visible right now, but by this time next year that bright new wood should be greyed down to match the existing posts.

The major design idea here was that the arbor would create a doorway from the garden to the lawn. 

One aspect of the arbor that still isn't finished: We are also planning to install a small bench on either side of the side of the arbor, beneath the (eventually) shady roof and over the empty section of bed between the posts and the brick path. 

The visual doorway created by the arbor also frames the house. 

The part I did help with was the pruning and training of our severely overgrown grape vines. We ended up cutting out a lot of errant branches, and many nascent bunches of grapes. It was hard to kill potential fruit, but it's a necessary task to ensure that the fruit we kept gets enough sunlight and air circulation to ripen properly. The photo above is one of our Concord grape vines, and it now forms classic cordons along the trellis. 

Our other Concord vine is being trained up the arbor. These vines are our most vigorous, which comes as no surprise based on their name alone: This variety is a classic for our region (Massachusetts, duh). 

One day I imagine the trellis and arbor will be covered in more greenery, but for now I'm enjoying the pure architecture of it in this long view. And in the future, the shade beneath the arbor will be a welcome resting spot in the garden.