• Vine-covered arbors create a burst of bold color to the space.Trellis Trumpet Vines image by phipix from Fotolia.com
  
  Enliven the arbor and surrounding gardens with bold plants and flowers. Creeping, trailing vines with their bright foliage and masses of blooms provide a shaded retreat to the arbor to use for year-round living. Decorative accessories like water features and outdoor sculptures enhance the arbor and create interesting points of interest to the garden. When designing the outdoor plan, remember to grow colorful blooms that echo the colors found in vines and surrounding plants so that the space is cohesive and unified.
  
  

Creeping Vines

• Enhance the look of an arbor by incorporating creeping vines along the structure. Hardy and long-lasting vines like Carolina jasmine are evergreen, retaining their foliage color throughout the year to provide non-stop color to the arbor. Rapidly growing vines like the passion flower vine has a trailing effect that reaches a maximum height of 20 feet tall; it produces stunning lavender and white flowers that provide a burst of color and texture to the arbor. Other vines like the trumpet flower produce deep orange to red blooms that showcase an arbor beautifully. Their long-lasting blooms emerge in July to last to the first frost.
  
  

Butterfly Garden

• Around the base of the arbor and within the surrounding flower garden, plant flowers and plants that are visited by butterflies. Butterfly-attracting plants not only bring in a wide range of different species, but also provide bright, bold colors, both essential in a garden plan. Shrubs like the butterfly bush and abelia produce fragrant flowers that attract butterflies to the garden. Perennial flowers like aster, goldenrod and coneflower all bring these winged beauties to the arbor and produce masses of bright blooms that light up the space with color. Nectar-rich annual flowers like zinnia, petunia and snapdragon provide a resting spot and food for butterflies, and look stunning tucked into pots resting at the base of the arbor.
  
  

Water Feature

• Create a focal point to the arbor and surrounding flower garden by adding a water feature. Water features are made from a wide variety of different materials including, plastic, stone and metal. They range in sizes from large tiered fountains to small container features. The cascading, trickling noise that emanates from a water feature also provides a relaxing feel to the garden and arbor, and a focal point when entering and exiting the space.
  
  Container water features are an ideal variety of water feature because they can move around the garden, depending upon where you wish to situate them. Nestled within the butterfly garden or at the entrance to the arbor, they create a bold statement and inviting feel.