From May until October, good weather permitting, most Brits love nothing more than soaking up the long-awaited rays outdoors.
We’ll do all our living under a bright blue sky when possible, from leisurely weekend brunches to a twilight movie night with friends, not to mention BBQs and garden parties in the weekends in between.
By now, those lucky enough to have gardens will have likely done most of the hard graft of planting bulbs, tending veg patches and dusting down outdoor dining sets, ready to enjoy their small private paradises for the season ahead. While there are plenty of outdoor chairs to choose from - from egg chairs and hammocks to sun loungers - an arbour can offer a place to sit as well as somewhere for trailing plants to grow.
Picture a wooden seat with a roof and panels of trellis, somewhere you can while away the hours smelling the roses and watching the world go by. They’re also an excellent structure to support wisteria and other climbing plants like clematis, honeysuckle and hydrangea as well as leafy vines.
Garden arbours can usually accommodate one to two people, creating a serene environment that works best in natural, organic-looking gardens. They’ll tick that cottagecore box to a tee.
If you’re ready to make the most of your outdoor space, we’ve rounded up the best arbours for your garden below.
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Blooma Chiltern Round Top Arbour
Dimensions: 199 x 134 x 80cm
Bordered by lattice and with an arched open-slatted roof, this arbour design is perfect for creating a pretty spot to sit in the garden. It’s made from responsibly sourced timber and left in a natural wood colour, which makes it ideal for natural gardens or spaces with gentle manicuring. Add a few outdoor cushions to make the hard seat comfortable to lounge on for hours. Two people are required for the build.
Buy now £295.00, B&Q
Ophelia & Co Cooksville Arch
Dimensions: 217 x 135 x 80cm
Even without a riot of trailing flowers and plants, this arbour steals the spotlight - just imagine how inviting it’ll look once your blooms are wrapped around the lattice. The integrated bench comes with a reclined back rest, all made from the same pressure-treated wood as the rest of the design. It will arrive ready to assemble in a natural wood hue, but can easily be painted to fit a look or theme you have in mind.
Buy now £243.99, Wayfair
Shire Balsam Pressure Treated Arbour
Dimensions: 654 x 2161 x 1236cm
A slim model that’s an ideal addition to all garden sizes, this sweet wooden arbour can fade into the background or be the star of the show as you prefer. It’s made from northern European FSC-certified pressure-treated timber with fully enclosed sides, an apex roof and simple wooden bench seating with enough space for you and a friend. And, as it’s over £100, Wilko will deliver this for free right to your door.
Buy now £285.00, Wilko
Dakota Fields Port Clyde Arch with Bench
Dimensions: 225 x 121 x 60cm
Made from welded steel that will stand up to practically anything the weather throws at it, this arched arbour is as practical as it is pretty. The fully galvanised design has been finished with an electrostatic powder coat to increase its rust resistance and it will wear well against rain too. Available in black, it will fade into the background once trailing plants have a chance to wrap around it.
Buy now £199.99, Wayfair
Shire Arbour
Dimensions: 260 x 216 x 187cm
While there are no lattice panels on this hexagonal arbour, the natural timber design is still perfect for the garden with an eye-catching design to make it a statement feature. With a roof and a floor, it offers a sense of presence while three covered sides means you’re protected against the elements. It doesn’t come with built-in seating but there’s plenty of room inside to fit in a bistro set or a WFH desk and chair.
Buy now £713.00, B&Q
Forest Slatted Wooden Corner Pergola
Dimensions: 9’7 x 4’9 (2.9m x 1.5m)
Got a forgettable corner that could use a little love? Point your mouse to Buy Sheds Direct where this corner pergola is on sale.
Ideal for small gardens or anyone who shies away from the idea of a full-blown pergola, this design will flourish beside plant beds, potted flowers or tomato or strawberry plants, giving the vines an opportunity to wrap around the FSC-certified timber wood structure. The pressure treated wood design, which comes with a 15-year anti-rot guarantee, can be set on both hard or soft ground.
Includes three smooth-planed finished wooden posts and horizontally-slatted top beams, assembly required.
Buy now £354.99, Buy Sheds Direct
Primrose Beech Stain Cottage Arbour
Dimension: 210 x 136 x 81cm
A cute little arbour with a contoured seat and back to raise your comfort levels, this two-seater arbour offers chic outdoor seating with a little roof to provide shade and shelter. It can be painted to suit your taste but if you’d rather not bother, it comes in ready-painted sage and cream options as well as natural wood.
Buy now £449.99, Primrose
Forest Garden Parisienne 2 Seater Wooden Arbour
Dimensions: 212 x 154 x 66cm
Family members will be queueing up to sit in Forest’s quaint covered bench which is made with plenty of diamond lattice panelling for climbing plants to take advantage of. The wood design is made with slow grown softwood that has undergone pressure treating to help stave off rot and fungal decay. Construction is required.
Buy now £310.00, Argos
Utopia Wooden Pergola Garden Plants Frame
Dimensions: W2m x D2m
Elevate your garden space and make yourself the envy of all your neighbours with this classic pergola design available at ManoMano. Named Utopia, the structure is made from the finest slow grown spruce timber, ensuring your new garden arrival will stand the test of time. In fact, it has got a 10 year guarantee against rot and insect infestation, so maintenance is blissfully low. Measuring W2m x D2m, once it’s constructed, dress it with climbing plants or solar-powered fairy lights.
Buy now £314.99, ManoMano
Habitat Samoa Wooden Single Seat Garden Chair-Natural
There’s backrests, and then there’s this single seater garden chair that takes things to another level. Ideal for sectioning larger gardens or adding multi-use in a small one, use it to create a windbreaker or add a statement piece to your space. Dress the wooden FSC-certified bench as you please, with plants hanging from the slats or solar fairy tales threaded through it. The light wood is also easy to paint too, if you’ve got a hue you love in mind.
Buy now £300.00, Argos
