WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2021

Out the front of the house there's a couple of camellias which I assumed were the same. Apparently not! Both pink but very different flowers

 

I built my present Arbour out of mostly scrap wood that was in the Garage at the time many years ago and it has given good service but it's showing it's age, (like me), and it has not stood the brutally high West winds that we have suffered recently very well. So, although I do love the Arbour, it's time to take down the old Arbour.

and replace it with a new one. I've got a contractor coming soon to trim the 93' long back fence and I'll ask him to take down the Arbour so I can lay a level base for a new one. It's going to be tricky to make a new base for the new Arbour as I have Climbing Rose "Alchemy" growing close on one side and Climbing Rose "Creme-de-la-Creme" on the other side, plus several Honeysuckle and Clematis. But I did a bit of research to see what choice there were for Arbours and came up with these two..........what do you think, which is the best?? I think I know which one it will be but it's always interesting to get other views.


or this one?


I'm limited by the space I had for the old Arbour and also not wanting to disturb or damage the Climbing Roses, Honeysuckle and Clematis already planted there.
I'm thinking of making a new base with 2" X 4" timber that I already have from another project, renewing the East fence, which is already creosoted. I have plenty of power tools to cut the timber and make a suitable frame and fill it with the same timber to give a really solid base and then place the Arbour on top of it. The fiddly job will be tying in the Roses, Clematis, and Honeysuckle again.
I'm still waiting for the ordered Statue, (that I ordered in November), to arrive but Wales is still locked down, as we are, so it's pointless contacting anyone to see what state the order is in.

 

@Tinkerbell61

I like the seating flat rather than sloping, Tinkerbelle, and that's how it is in the old Arbour. So if it's a sloping seat I'm pretty sure that I will be able to adjust it to my liking. I won't be constructing the new Arbour on my own as my Life long Friend, who's a excellent Carpenter and Engineer, will be champing at the bit to come and help me, so any modifications will be done as we think is to our liking. He also helped me construct my Green House, years ago, even though it was freezing cold and snowing at the time and then, when I needed to modify my 12" SCT Telescope in the Observatory his precise technical skills were there to save the day!
I will also be painting the timber with Boiled Linseed Oil to give it increased longevity and also because it's safe to grow Climbers on it.

 

@ARMANDII I like both but, for myself, I would pick the second one as my back can't cope with the slope on the first one. Also the second one is more sheltering if there's a strong wind and I prefer the roof shape.

 

Gosh I'm looking forward to that too lol
I dug out a large rhody last year with the stump being too heavy to do much with so it's been left dumped at the side doing nothing. Except being a rhody it refuses to die so it's happily sprouting away; I'm going to plant it in the nastiest corner of the garden and make my peace with it.