This house was not on last week's garden tour (Heritage Museums & Gardens) of Penzance Point in Woods Hole, MA ... but we walked by it on the road, and it certainly had that cottage-y charm.
The trellising across the front made the picture complete, but that's not always a good design idea, since vines can climb under shingles, attach themselves to structures, and become a real mess to deal with every year.
On this house, the problem was solved by constructing a trellis "box" that stands out from the front wall. (See image below).
It's barely noticeable from a distance, and it solves the problem of keeping the vines away from the front wall.
I don't have a picture of another ingenious solution I've seen, but a colleague in DC solved the conundrum by building a trellis with a hinge at the bottom and a catch at the top ... so you can simply unlatch the top and pull the trellis away from the wall to keep it trimmed.
Both good ideas.
Love the idea, simple but beautiful!
Posted by: Gardening Reviews | July 11, 2010 at 03:26 PM
What a clever idea. Simple but very clever. I love it.
Posted by: Alan | July 11, 2010 at 06:36 AM
I am new to the Pacific Northwest and an avid gardener. We are in the process of purchasing a new home and I can't wait to get my thumbs green. This house was such an inspiration and I look forward to getting more great idea from this site.
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