The wrought iron garden gate is iconic in the human imagination. It is the stuff of fairy tales. It calls forth kings and queens and castles. It evokes secret places, maybe even magical ones. It can convey simplicity and warmth and hospitality. We have made the wrought iron garden gate into many things and, frankly, all of them are pretty wonderful.
The history of humans and wrought iron began sometime in The Middle Ages (which explains the association with tales of knights and damsels and derring-do). Blacksmiths, artisans and craftsmen have, ever since, been devising inventive ways to twist and twirl wrought iron.
Technically speaking, wrought iron is rarely produced today. Due to the expense of production, true wrought iron has been consigned to historic preservation projects. Most of the landscape products of today called wrought iron, including wrought iron garden gates, are made from a material known as mild steel.
However, today's wrought iron gates are still as functional as any castle gateway. Maybe even more so when outfitted with the appropriate hardware. Technology has provided you with several options to choose from, including keyless locks, electronic keypads or keyed locks.
These gates are also functional in the way they improve air circulation within the landscape design, something any professional landscaper in Houston is happy to make good use of.
Landscape architects and landscape designers also use wrought iron gates in combination with other hardscapes. For instance, the gate can open onto a garden pathway that functionally leads your guests into the landscape and visually gives the eye a line to follow.
Decorative iron gates are also stunning accompaniment to outdoor water fountains and garden structures such as outdoor gazebos and garden arbors. Standing outside the gate, the visitor gets just a glimpse of those pleasures that lie on the other side.
If you add a garden arch to the gate, it then becomes a total and complete entrance. It is especially welcoming when the arch is entwined with a flowering vine such as honeysuckle, Carolina yellow jasmine or pink coral vine (that also attracts butterflies).
The gate and arch can be further enhanced with artful landscape lighting. The lighting serves a dual purpose: at night it creates a fanciful interplay of light and shadow and, at the same time, makes for a safe and secure entry.
A wrought iron garden gate fits into and serves all these aesthetic and utilitarian purposes. It can stand alone as the only wrought iron you use or you can combine it with wrought iron fences and wrought iron driveway gates in the same design. Or you can use iron in smaller quantities, say the decorative iron gate paired with just a wrought iron trellis or echoed by a wrought iron wall element.
Finally, and this is very important, wrought iron garden gates can be so much more than a security feature or a design device. And that's because they still retain the magical hold on our imaginations. They are inviting. They are tantalizing. They are elegant. They are well-crafted. Just like a good fairy tale.
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