Pergola ideas to try in your yard or garden

If you have an outdoor deck, back porch or patio, you can add hours of enjoyment to your outdoor space by adding a pergola. Ideas for pergola design and style can be found everywhere, too - from your local neighborhood to home and garden sources online.

If you’re interested in some ideas for adding or improving a pergola, here are some options to inspire you:

Create shade & privacy

A pergola is one of the best ways to add both shade and privacy to your outdoor space. However, depending on the structure itself, there are plenty of ways to go about it. For instance, canvas and other sturdy cloth varieties have always been great choices for a pergola’s roof and walls.

Another option is to hang screens made of natural materials like bamboo. Roll-up screens are convenient for raising and lowering to follow the angle of the sun, and can also shield against the wind. Other pergola decorating ideas like string lights and outdoor dining furniture can benefit from the extra shade and protection, no matter what style you choose.

Consider wood alternatives

A wooden pergola is the classic choice for outdoor spaces, but alternatives to wood have gradually grown in popularity. Metal options like a steel pergola are a chic alternative that can create a more industrial vibe to your patio space.

A steel pergola makes a bold and unique statement in your yard, and also provides you with a long-lasting outdoor feature impervious to most forms of environmental damage.

Other options for wood alternatives include vinyl, fiberglass and other galvanized metal.

Cultivate a living shelter

Gardens and pergola design often go together. One beautiful way to create shade and dimension to your outdoor space is to encourage trailing and climbing vines to cover a natural wood pergola. A pergola creates a stable outdoor structure for plants to thrive upon, and depending on your climate, you have myriad options to choose from.

You can even grow some vegetables using your pergola as a support. Plants like squash, melons and cucumbers all grow best when given a structure to climb, and their greenery helps create natural shade and privacy.