Are you looking to add a gazebo to your garden and you’re wondering how plants might fare as a result? Maybe you’ve already added a gazebo and are looking to plant around it? It can look incredibly impressive if you make a beautiful area around your gazebo using plants, but it can be easy to make mistakes and ruin your garden.

In this article, I am giving some tips on gardening around a gazebo, and, more specifically, I am discussing the top mistakes to avoid to ensure you are on the right track.

 

 

Depriving Your Plants of Sunlight

Whether you have a soft or hardtop gazebo, the point is often to create a shaded area. Keep in mind that you need to keep certain plants provided with plenty of light. This keeps them healthy, and without light, many plants will wither and die.

Of course, there are some plants which can be a wonderful choice for shaded area. A lot of the plants most people in the South of America buy tend to be ones which love sunlight and heat, but you might want to go for a shade-loving plant to mitigate for the gazebo.

Alternatively, check how many hours of light are in the area around your gazebo each day. This can give you a good idea of which sorts of plants to buy to ensure they will thrive.

This guide explains how some plants can be well suited to a mix of sun and shade throughout the day, these may be perfect for the sunlight moving over your gazebo through the day.

Accidentally Over-watering

You may well be in an area where you don’t see a huge amount of rain. This means that you will need to regularly water, and keeping your plants hydrated is relatively simple. However, an issue that can arise with both hardtop gazebos and soft top gazebos is the rain being directed to one specific area.

Gazebos are designed to be waterproof and often guide the water away so it drips off the side. In heavy rainfall, this can mean that a lot of concentrated water ends up in one space. If you’ve put plants in this area, they can then get too much water. This is another way you can accidentally kill your plants or stunt their growth.

 

Stationary Plants for Moveable Gazebos

When you are designing an outdoor living space, or a kind of living room for your backyard, you will probably include a gazebo as a permanent fixture. In this case, you can plant climbing plants such as ivy which may grow up the gazebo, or other permanent plants around the area.

If you imagine making a huge, exciting area for your gazebo and then taking it down, there may suddenly be a big gap in the garden.

You can still use plants around the gazebo, but if you put them in pots then you can potentially even move them when you move the gazebo itself. This is easier if you have a few simple potted plants, for instance near the entry to the gazebo.

Attracting Bugs to Your Shaded Area

I don’t hate bugs! They play an important role, and though some are undeniably pests, there is an ecosystem within the yard that needs to be cultivated and looked after. However, when you’ve made a nice shaded area, it is reasonable to want to keep the bugs to the other parts of the garden.

The same applies to bees. Certain plants are known to attract bees, and though you probably won’t get stung, you’ll want to be safe, especially with kids around. Your gazebo may be somewhere you like to eat, too, so don’t attract a lot of creepy crawlies for dinner.

When choosing plants, look for those which don’t attract specific species of bugs and flying insects. Keeping your bugs to other areas in the yard can be far better. You can do this by attracting bees to parts of the garden where you do not spend as much time.

If you do suffer from problems with bugs around your gazebo then you can buy walls or netting which can go around it. It is designed to stop unwanted guests flying in. If you plan to create a living area in your gazebo then these can be advisable.

Killing Your Grass

A big question you will need to consider is whether or not you plan to have your gazebo on a grassy area. If so, you can easily experience some issues with grass both around and under the gazebo.

Deprivation of light and water and constant wear and foot traffic can mean that the grass ends up getting killed or being in poor condition. Many people decide to put their gazebos on areas such as patios, decking or other concrete, but it’s possible you may want to have it on the grass.

If you would like to keep your grass in good condition, there is a lot you can do. Watering manually is one tip, and you can also look to re-seed with grass seed once in a while. On top of this, some gazebos will allow you to take the top or sides off, and let some light pour in on the grass.

Alternatively, you may wish to regularly move the gazebo, this can ensure that no one area is deprived for too long, and the grass can recover.
Conclusion
Have you enjoyed our list of gardening mistakes around gazebos? Do you have some tips to share with other readers? Feel free to leave a comment outlining the best ways you’ve avoided these errors.

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