Making an Entrance!

As designer Graham Rose said “The entrance to a garden is like the foyer of a theatre – it begins to set the mood for the whole experience.”

I was forcibly reminded of this as I staggered forward through the doorway at a recent birthday party (I was vainly not wearing my specs), grabbing out at anything to steady myself. ‘Anything’ turned out to be a horrified young man who thought I was trying emulate Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate and no amount of contrition would placate his suspicion of me. Yes, my clumsy entrance had certainly set a certain mood for the evening. We left early.

In fact, if you have a separate entrance to your garden it can have greater impact than many features discovered later in the garden tour. You must therefore ensure that gateways and doorways induce as romantic a feeling as possible. They should, above all, be irresistibly inviting.

Blocking off the entrance with an attractive arched gate only serves to enhance this sense of mystery. Painted an attractive grey/blue with good quality fittings and perhaps an archway overhead carrying a tumble of yellow ‘Teasing Georgia’ scented roses intertwined with semi-evergreen honeysuckle Lonicera ‘Halliana’, visitors can hardly contain themselves as they lift the latch!

And of course, once the garden has been entered, the sense of having gained sanctuary will now steal  over you – but only if you are faced with something beautiful on the other side! A lady in one of my classes admitted to having a wonderful front and rear- but an appalling side. This gloomy side passage, cluttered with broken pots against a livid orange fence was, in effect, her theatre foyer, setting a mood one can only assume of gloom and doom.

However, clearing all debris, painting the fence  a soft grey, attaching decorative shelving and massing a choice collection of Auricula plants in old terracotta pots,  with her collection of vintage  garden signs on the other wall, has now provided an interesting passageway which  draws the visitor through with a sense of excited expectation.

And remember, an entrance is also an exit- so make sure it looks good from both sides, making it obvious to visitors by framing it with decorative box balls, climbers or topiary in pots. And then just wait for the curtain calls and applause!

Anne Britt is a garden designer. Email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .