The Evolution of a Gazebo

When I saw this gazebo I fell in love and bought it.

I had one area left in the backyard from where the playground was when my youngest were little and from my Daycare days.

Once the playground was gone, an above ground pool went in and after a few years it just sat, so off it went to a family who would enjoy it.

That are sat for a few years until I finally got my gazebo - L♥VE.

The photo above was probably taken about a year after I got it.

Still fresh and ''new'' looking.

B salvaged 3/4 of the front arch you see,

and built a matching side to make it complete.

It became my entrance.

He did a beautiful job and couldn't ask for

anything more beautiful to go with my gazebo ~

did I mention I have always wanted a gazebo?

I planted Cecil Brunner climbing roses on each side of the arch,

in loving memory of my Mother.

I remember pulling up and parking - getting out of the car and being hit with that intoxicating fragrance.

She had a huge Cecil Brunner bush rose in the front parking area.

I hunted and hunted but couldn't find it in bush form so that's when the idea of the climbers came into play.

You can see one side starting to climb the arch.

Have never figured out why one grew so fast and the other slowly.

I happened upon these huge shutter doors at an estate sale,

wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but they were so cheap I couldn't leave them there. After a bit it came to me!

Mock French doors looking out to a row of Lilacs I had planted along the fence. That's what my minds eye saw anyway.

Unfortunately, I lost all but a couple of my

Lilacs due to the severe drought we are in.

All were from my Mom's plants. :(

Cecil getting it's groove on!

Along the sides of the gazebo I planted

Honeysuckle (also from Mom's garden).

Another wonderful scent from my childhood.

I wanted the gazebo to eventually be closed in by plants,

a private room if you will.

I also found a couple of old windows.

I knew exactly where they were going.

I hung them with strong chain so that when they became

covered with Honeysuckle they'd be strong enough to hold up.

I could see this area enclosed with just the windows to see through.

By this time a few years had passed and the cover had been torn and ripped from the weather. I went to the company's site and ordered another one after hesitating for a good long while.

The cover was almost the same price as what I had paid for the entire gazebo!  What a rip off!

I caved and bought it.

When it arrived we all went out to put it on.

We struggled and struggled.

I had ordered the exact cover from the exact gazebo we purchased but this one didn't fit perfectly as the original did.

The seams wouldn't match up with the frame's ''arms''.

Too tired to take it back off to send it back, we just made do.

It just looked wonky, like we had put it on crooked.

After 10-12 attempts all different ways,

I assure you it wasn't us!

Next I made a solar chandy.

There was a vent hole in the center of the

cover so sun was able to enter and charge.

A neighbor tossed out a partial bed frame

which I snagged for a ''fence/trellis''.

You can see both in this photo.

Here we go,

the cover is starting to tear.

Once it starts

there's no turning back

 

Fast forward to Spring 2016

Arch covered in blooming Cecil Brunner

''French doors'' too

B and T bought me another climbing Cecil Brunner

for the opposite side of the gazebo.

It is covering one of the pieces of bed frame.

Other piece of bed frame supports plants

Cecil just about covers gazebo roof

Between the Cecil Brunner and the Honeysuckle

this is the little section left for it to cover!

Perfect!

You're probably thinking all those scents would drive you crazy -

they all bloom at different times.

When one is done, another is just starting.

They all bring back sweet memories of growing up

and playing out in Mom's ''Gawgun''.

If you are looking for some Unique Garden Gazebo Ideas,

 there are some great ones I found here.

Sometimes it's hard to figure out which will look best with your garden style ♥