Your garden gate is a feature as well as something to keep pets and people out, so you want to make sure that you have a gate that complements your home and garden. There are many different types of garden gates available so we’ve put together a quick guide to help you make your choice.

Types of Garden Gates

A garden gate is a gate that is designed to serve two purposes – to keep pets, people or other things out of your garden, and to provide a decorative feature. Garden gates come in many different types and styles and the most common include:

• Ornamental gates -- these gates are made from materials such as wrought iron, brass, or steel, and timber, and they are available in a huge range of attractive designs. They are primarily designed to be a feature in your garden.
• Metal gates -- these gates include those made from brass, aluminium, steel, wrought iron, and cast iron.  They are incredibly durable and last for a long time when correctly cared for. Metal gates can be shaped into a huge range of designs. 
• Wooden gates -- these gates are made from varying types of timber and range from the simple picket style gate through to ornate solid gates that have carvings on them. These gates can be all wooden or combined with other materials such as wrought iron in order to create decorative ornamentation. 
• Japanese gates -- these are gates made from wood or bamboo and are styled in order to evoke a Japanese feeling. There are a range of shapes and styles available.
  

Selecting Your Garden Gate

When you are selecting your garden gate, there are some things that you need to consider. Firstly, think about the style of your garden. Is it a modern, structured garden, or is it a charming cottage garden?  Knowing what style of garden you have will allow you to choose a gate that fits in with it. For example, wrought iron works perfectly in a formal garden while wooden fences are ideal for country style gardens.

Also think about how much maintenance you are prepared to do on your garden gate. Some materials will require repainting or resealing over time while others will only require very occasional maintenance. Think about the expected lifespan of your gate too. Metals such as wrought iron will last much longer than wood, so they will need to be replaced much less often.

Of course, your budget is also an important element to keep in mind. A garden gate is often only a small part of your garden but it can be used a lot as well as be a true feature so you do not want to skimp on your gate ‘cause you’ve only left a little bit of money in the bank after the rest of the landscaping. Remember to keep aside a dedicated chunk of money for your garden gate, no matter how small or large your budget is!