Japanese Arbor : Decorating : Home & Garden Television

The Japanese have been using bamboo for centuries to add strength and elegance to their home environments. You can incorporate bamboo in your garden too, just as California homeowner Glenda Ruth did, by adding a bamboo arbor with adjoining bamboo supports to form a slim, horizontal hedge of climbing plants.

Ruth wanted a wisteria arbor and a defined hedge line in order to separate her established Japanese garden from the plain yard behind it. Landscape designer Yoshi Kuraishi helped with this particular project but says that a homeowner could build the arbor and bamboo fence in a few weekends for about $2,000 (as opposed to paying a professional approximately $4,500 to do the job). On a difficulty scale of 1 (easy) to 5 (difficult), Kuraishi gives this project a rating of 2.

Step One: Creating the Hedge

You've seen the traditional "fat" boxwood hedges. This one is different. It is much slimmer than a shrub hedge, but instead is constructed of bamboo rails that vining plants (in this case camellias) can attach themselves to.

Figure A

Begin by digging a trench six inches deep and burying the endposts of the fence.

Now run a string line between the two ends about three feet above the ground. Bury posts in between the two ends a few feet apart from each other, making sure that the tops of the posts line up with the string (figure A). Attach 2-1/4" bamboo rails to the posts.

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Kuraishi recommends always drilling bamboo before nailing it to ensure it doesn't split. Here he uses a traditional Japanese bamboo drill (figure B), but standard drill bits will also do the job.

Put the first row of bamboo rails about 11 inches below the top of the posts, overlapping the poles at the ends. Bamboo naturally tapers at one end, so try to line up the poles so that the small ends point in the same direction.

Attach the second row of bamboo, this time with tapered ends pointing the opposite way (figure C).

To finish, carefully tie the foliage of Camellia sasanqua to the rails (figure D). The plants will eventually grow to completely cover the bamboo structure.

Step Two: Building the Arbor

When planning an arbor, says Kuraishi, practicality comes first. The structure must be high enough that hanging plants don't interfere with easy passage below and wide enough for a wheelbarrow to pass through so that gardening tasks will be easy. This arbor is constructed of round pine posts with bamboo lattice on top.

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

Carpenter John Fahrner uses a special method to "age" the posts for the arbor. Using a propane torch, lightly char the posts, then brush them to give a weathered, antique look (figure E).

Notch the top of the post with a hand saw and chisel (figure F) so cross pieces will fit in securely.

Now dig holes about two feet deep for the four prepared posts. Set the holes in a rectangle, 3-1/2 feet by 2 feet wide. Brace the poles using scrap lumber, then pour in ready-mix concrete and allow to set (figure G).

Figure H

Figure I

Using the pre-cut grooves at the top of the four arbor posts, attach 1" x 6" redwood cross beams (figure H) and secure with drywall screws.

Use lengths of bamboo to form lattice for the roof of the arbor. Allow for a 10-inch overhang when purchasing the amount you need, and use a fine-tooth saw to cut the bamboo (rubber-coated gloves will help hold the slippery poles in place when cutting). Space the bamboo 10 inches apart to provide good support for a climbing vine. Tie on bamboo cross pieces (figure I), alternating tapered ends so the arbor balances overall.

Kuraishi suggests using jute from a Japanese tool store to tie the latticework in place. Soak jute overnight in a bucket of water to make it easier to work with. When you pull it tight, it will stay right where you put it. If jute is unavailable, strong braided twine or a double length of 14-gauge wire will work too.

Planting Plan

Only two plants are used in this project:

Wisteria floribunda 'Longissima Alba' (Zones 5-9) has profuse clusters of white blooms and thick, attractive foliage that will cover the arbor beautifully.

Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka' (Zones 7-8) was chosen for the hedge because it can be trained easily and thrives in sun or shade.

Step Three: A Japanese Bird Feeder

Another good use for bamboo in a Japanese garden is to make a decorative, but functional, bird feeder.

Begin by building the roof of the bird feeder. Use a one-inch dowel for the roof beam and plane it down so that the roof boards will lie flat against it. Plane down the half-inch redwood roof boards also, so that they will form a peaked roof when nailed to the beam.

Attach the split-bamboo ridge vent to the bird feeder roof.

Figure J

To make the feeder platform, plane a short length of branch flat on one side; attach it to the bird feeder support (a tall pole about 7 feet tall, set in the ground). Screw on a simple wooden tray to hold birdseed. Attach the roof to the pole over the tray (figure J).