4 Design Tips for a Tropical-Inspired Pergola in Millis, MA

4 Design Tips for a Tropical-Inspired Pergola in Millis, MA

When you know you can’t live at your favorite resort full time but love the atmosphere, the next best thing can be to create the next best thing in your own Millis, MA, yard. Consider these design tips for a tropical-inspired pergola in Millis, MA

Related: LANDSCAPING MATERIALS THAT BOOST CURB APPEAL IN NEWTON, MA

The Beauty of a Pergola

A pergola can be a very affordable and beautiful way to bring a unique feature to your outdoor space. It is easy, breezy, and dappled with shade. It’s the perfect way to spend a relaxing afternoon. Often open to the breeze through the architectural look of four posts topped with slats, galvanized wire, or metal rods, the pergola is an ideal spot for planting climbing vines and flowering climbers that bloom from spring to fall. 

As simple or complex as you like, a pergola can be just what you need to define a space in your backyard as a tropical destination, especially if you choose the accents that evoke a feeling of a cold, frozen drink and a shady resting spot. A pergola is a low-maintenance structure that requires virtually no upkeep once built and can be any size that suits you. 

Tropical Accents for a Pergola

Pergola Furniture: Whether you want something as simple as a large hammock suspended from the posts or more elaborate as a comfortable outdoor couch and chairs, the furniture can provide the space just to decompress from the stress of life. When you choose the furniture that is right for napping, reading, and relaxing, there is no wrong way to furnish your pergola. 

Plants: While the Massachusetts climate most likely can’t support palm trees, there are tropical-inspired plants that can thrive in the climate. Consider the yucca plant that boasts spikey, two-toned fronds and the banana plant with its long, broad foliage that can grow to a large size. The banana plant can be quite dramatic and create true visual interest in the landscape of your pergola. 

Sugar Cane can provide some vertical interest with its wispy, grass-like fronds. The plumes change color from spring to fall, adding beauty with the various colors. Canna lilies have quite the presence and come in multiple colors to add tropical gorgeousness to your landscape, while ferns of differing varieties can be a perennial favorite. Chinese Windmill Palm has strong, stiff branches that bring a topical and slightly Asian-inspired feel to the yard.

Vines: The pergola is the perfect place to plant vines at the base of the posts so that over a short time the vines can climb and fill in the roof of the pergola with huge blooms of orange, red, and yellow to mimic the tropical hues that you love. 

Fire Feature: A fire feature such as a fire pit can round out the wonder that has become the tropical pergola in your yard. With the warmth for any evening or chilly afternoon, a fire feature can make you feel like you are near the fire that often accompanies a tropical celebration and island tradition.

When you want an outdoor space that can fix your need for a tropical-inspired retreat, consider installing or updating your pergola. A talented landscape designer can create the perfect pergola within your Millis, MA, yard so that you can head out there anytime you wish to enjoy the colorful blooms, dappled sun, and plants that can make you think you are somewhere in the islands. 

Related: LANDSCAPING IDEAS FOR SMALL MILLIS, MA, PROPERTIES IN 2020