Styles of Wooden Garden Gates

The style of a wooden garden gate hints at the design of the garden and house beyond it. Some are made with straight formal lines, while others have casual curved lines. Wooden garden gates may be left plain or decorated with wrought iron accents and hinges. Wooden garden gates can be used alone, with side panels, or set in a fence. The gateway may have two gates of equal width or have a pair of offset gates -- one wide and one narrow. Solid wooden garden gates provide more privacy and protection than open patterned gates. Both styles can be used with an arbor to add more interest to the entrance to the garden and house.

Solid Wood

A solid wooden garden gate is made from one piece of wood, planks of any width, or square or rectangular panels. The top of the gate may be straight, scalloped or arched, and may be accented with horizontal or vertical slats. Raised pieces of wood may be used to border the top, bottom and sides of a gate, as well as the midline of the gate. Some solid gates have patterned cutouts or slits uniformly cut into the wood for decoration. Larger circles or squares may be cut in the top portion of the door for visibility and may be covered with decorative grills.

Patterned Gates

The most common patterned gate is the lattice design. Grid patterns are also popular, from square ones with horizontal and vertical members spaced equally to randomly designed patterns. Other patterns include the weave pattern designed by Thomas Jefferson, and star and cross designs.

Arbor Gates

Solid and open patterned wooden gates can be used with arbors. The arbor can be arched or square with a lattice or grid design to support roses or other vining plants. Some arbors have overhead planter boxes that span the width of the gate or L-shaped legs with shelves for plants or decorative garden items. Arbor gates can be used with fences, side panels or alone.