Wisteria-Covered Pergola Over Victorian Dining Patio
Beside a green Victorian house detailed with gingerbread trim and wrought iron railings, a timber pergola provides shade above a brick and patterned tile patio set with a wooden dining table and potted greenery.
Design notes
Victorian design is layered and ornamental. Look for wrought and cast iron in railings, gates and gazebos, patterned brick and encaustic tile, urns and fountains as focal points, and rich planting of roses, ferns, hydrangeas, hostas and clipped evergreens. Porches with gingerbread trim and painted colour schemes set the palette; the best gardens choose two or three ornaments and let the planting carry the rest.
What to look for
- How the space is zoned — dining, lounging, lawn, planting
- Sightlines from the back door to the furthest feature
- Layers of privacy: canopy, screening, structure



