Give Copper a New Twist

Use this inexpensive, bendable metal pipe in your garden to make a great-looking arbor and hoop fence.

I love to incorporate copper into outdoor projects, because the shiny, reddish-brown metal develops a patina over time and looks very natural in the garden. Copper tubing is a soft pipe that's easy and fun to work with and not as expensive as you might think. A 60-foot roll of ¾-inch, type-L copper costs around $80, and some hardware stores sell it by the foot. Here's how to use this malleable metal pipe to create interesting structures in the garden.

Arbor on a Budget

For less than $150,1 built a simple wood arbor and turned it into a work of art. Materials came from a local hardware store and included four (8foot-long) 4 x 4s, three (10-foot-long) 2 x 6s, and a roll of ¾-inch, type-L copper tubing.

I attached pieces of copper tubing to the top and sides of the arbor. Before mounting the tubing, I bent it to create irregular, wavelike curves. You can shape the tubing with your hands, but a pipe bender is helpful for making smooth curves. Don't try to bend the pipe too much, or it will crimp.

I drilled pilot holes in the tubing using a power drill equipped with a metal bit. Then I hammered nails through the pilot holes and into the wooden crosspieces, securing the tubing to the top and sides of the arbor.

The rigid wooden arbor quickly took on a loose, free-form style. The curvy copper tubing resembles thick vines and creates nice shadows in the garden. I planted Carolina jessamine on one side and trained it to grow up and over the arbor.

Build a Hoop Fence

In front of a flowerbed next to the arbor, I made a crisscrossing, arched fence from 3/4-inch tubing that matches the arbor. I had built a hoop fence out of bamboo strips several years before, but it wasn't sturdy and didn't last very long. The stronger copper provides a durable, natural look.

Making the copper fence was simple. First, I cut the tubing into 64-inch pieces with a pipe cutter. Then I bent each piece into a half circle and gently pressed it into the ground to mark where the ends would be placed. Next, I set the tubing aside and used a hammer to tap pieces of 2-foot-long, 3/8-inch metal rebar 1 foot into the ground at the marks. The ends of the copper tubing slide over the rebar. I repeated this process, overlapping the pieces and securing them. To connect the hoops, I cut and bent No. 6 solid copper grounding wire, using heavy-duty lineman's pliers. I then wrapped the wire around the tubing where the pieces crisscrossed.

Clever Combination

The fence looks great next to the arbor, and it keeps people from walking through the flowerbed. These copper creations add an element of surprise to the garden. Copper can also form trellises and other landscape structures. Use your imagination with this wonderful metal, and watch your garden take shape.

CHARLIE THIGPEN

TIPS FOR COPPER CREATIONS

* A hacksaw will cut copper pipe or tubing, but an inexpensive pipe cutter is easier to use and makes clean cuts.

* If you bend copper pipe too much, it will crimp. A handheld pipe bender will help you make smooth curves and shapes.

* Heavy-duty lineman's pliers (or side-cutting pliers) come in handy when bending and cutting solid copper grounding wire.

* Avoid using galvanized nails to attach copper tubing, because they may react with the copper and deteriorate over time.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Aug 2005
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