Create a “Secret” Passageway in Your Garden

There’s something about passageways in the garden that beckon you into a world that somehow seems magical—where everything and anything is possible. Walk through a “doorway” in the garden—be it a real door surrounded by shrubbery, or an archway, gazebo or arbor draped in vines, and you feel like you just might run into Alice or Peter Rabbit.

It’s easier than you might think to create an air of mystery and excitement in your garden by adding doors and passageways. Here are some tips. Though they don’t require it, “secret” passageways with doors are especially intriguing. Your mind immediately goes to the question, what lies behind the door? And you can’t help but feel a mix of excitement and perhaps a tiny bit of trepidation as you approach the door and open it. Adding doors in the garden is a little bit of work, but the effects are visually captivating. Types of doors to consider are old wooden ones with a distressed look, doors with stained glass and wrought iron doors. You’ll need something for the doors to attach to, such as a frame of some sort. This could be a metal, wooden or concrete frame. Whatever frame you choose, make sure that it’s firmly planted in the ground. You wouldn’t want a door toppling on you or a visitor to your garden. To create open passageways, you have a number of options for doing so. You can use a metal or wooden arbor on which you grow vining plants. This works especially well if you have a lot of vining and draping plants growing on the arbor. You can also create a passageway using plants. Do this with sturdy choices like hedges or shrubbery in which you plan for or prune out an opening. When you create a passageway, don’t disappoint. Have the doorway lead to a destination, such as a seating area, pond, statue, flower garden, fruit tree orchard or vegetable garden. Make the adventure even more delightful by having the garden visitor walk through the passageway onto a path that meanders its way to the final destination.   Julie Bawden-Davis is a garden writer and master gardener, who since 1985 has written for publications such as Organic Gardening, The American Gardener, Wildflower, Better Homes and Gardens and The Los Angeles Times. She is the author of 10 books, including Reader’s Digest Flower Gardening, Fairy Gardening, The Strawberry Story Series, and Indoor Gardening the Organic Way, and is the founder of HealthyHouseplants.com.