If you want to make an impression on anyone entering your yard, or backyard, as the case may be, consider creating a grand entrance. Sure, gates and fences serve the purpose if keeping kids and pets in, but have you considered eye appeal?

When I was young, my parents owned property that contained a lot of tropical foliage. One of my father's dreams was to create a natural growing, "alter" - bushes trained and trimmed for outdoor weddings. He planted lilies ( I particularly remember 'ginger' lilies that had a wonderful pungent aroma of ginger from the Hawaiian Islands) and bushes that had white flowers, representative of wedding decor. My dream at that time was to actually have an outdoor wedding with bridesmaid dresses in the colors of the rainbow. It never happened. Oh, I got married - but it was the traditional church wedding. My father never fulfilled his dream, either.

Do you have a dream for your backyard? Brecks is having a bulb sale and you can create a wonderful path for your garden entrance next spring by getting some bulbs now.

If you have a natural setting, with towering tree branches, it's likely you can create an arch or arbor leading to a particular section of your yard. If not, you can artificially create the same effect.

You'll need gardening gloves and sharp pruning shears to cut long branches of pliable hardwood such as willow, birch, or mulberry. Don't let them sit and dry out. You'll need to make this project in a couple of week-ends to keep the branches supple enough to work with use what you've cut within 24-hours. Tie four-foot-long branches (stripped of leaves and budding branches) together with baling wire. Make about four sections and intertwine them together for about 14 - 16 feet.

Secure two rebar posts on each side of your  'grand entrance', at least four-feet wide. Then start attaching the branch sections from the bottom, curving up to meet each other in the middle for a height of about seven feet.. Voila!

At the base of each rebar 'post' (now covered with wooden sticks), plant some trailing flowers, clematis, roses, etc.

I have a natural entrance to a path in my woods.

Going into the woods	Coming out of the woods

Don't you think an arch would be appropriate here?

Happy backyarding.