Gardman 1.9 x 1.5m Extra Wide Arch - Black

Two of these together make a really good deep arbour for a hot spot in the garden.They were a bit awkward to put up. The parts just push together and getting the assembled arches upright without them coming apart was a bit of a challenge. In the end we set the bottom sections in the ground at the right distance and then added the rest of the arches. Once upright they are very stable.We put two arches slightly apart and covered the sides and top with 1.5m wide square pattern fence mesh to make an excellent 1.5m square arbour as good as any I have seen from sellers of such things but for a fraction of their price. Now all we need is the climber to do it's stuff.Delighted!Update.....So delighted in fact that I have now bought two more for elsewhere in the garden.Both arrived with damaged boxes but at least all the bits are here. It is obvious they have been returned because the bags containing the joints for the horizontal bars were ripped open and the parts were loose in the boxes. In one pack two of the uprights were deliberately scratched at the same point where someone had marked where to put a horizontal bar. Presumably that person also gave up and decided to return the arch.It would help to have instructions and possibly tips on the best way of keeping the uprights together during assembly. All you get is a list of the parts and a drawing of the product.Having assembled two of these already I had some glue to hand, which not only holds the sections together it also seals the joins better than the plastic sleeves to prevent water getting in.The arches are worth the effort as they are strong and look really good once assembled. Surely Gardman could do something about the lack of instructions?

We bought this arch to span a wide walkway between two area of our garden. On the plus side, it is wide enough as stated on the advert.The arch arrived in a broken box fixed together with tape and a large hole at one end, but we gave the company the benefit of the doubt, as long as all the parts were there. Then came the first problem. Follow the instructions, we thought, and all will be fine. No instructions... Unless you are an octopus, with plenty of arms to hold all the components at the same time, you were onto a no win situation from the start. Every time we managed to get one pole in, another fell out. The poles had no purchase on the inside of the uprights and so just kept jumping out. After much swearing and difficulty, my husband and I managed to get it upright and in the ground. We were there, we thought... But no, a pole popped out, then another... More frustration continued as we started again. It has been up a week and now has fallen apart again and has landed on the patio. Short of putting gaffer tape around each and every junction on the arch, this thing will not hold together. Poor design and construction. We have asked for a refund from the company who sold it to us. It is not their product, but I would suggest they do not put it up for sale as it reflects poorly on them. Gardman are at fault.

I purchased a Gardman Arch like This 15 years ago and it is still standing in my old garden, which is why I purchased this one.This is very simple to put together but the joints are not snug and the sleeve covers are very loose so every time it is moved it falls apart. As previous reviewers have said it needs a bit of help with Gorilla Tape or similar. My old arch fitted together in the same way but was a much better fit and the rubber/plastic seals were a very snug fit.Mine arrived in a battered , taped up box with a broken connection piece, the supplier assured me the boxes arrive in that state from Gardman and they sent a replacement piece promptly.If you are looking for cheap and cheerful then this ticks the boxes.

It is a good product.More expensive than others and not perfect, or incredibly sturdy, but it does not rust in one year like others do.It requires a bit of patience (and someone to help out) to set it up straight, and it is a good idea to reinforce the joints with gorilla tape or another strong, water resistant tape.Securing the legs with additional stakes or pipes is also a good idea.I would not trust it with very heavy climbers though.

Obviously I'm in a minority here so can only assume the pack I received was a lemon but the thing was a nightmare to put up. Granted in a small garden we didn't have much room for manoeuvre which certainly didn't help, but getting the pieces to stay together took literally hours (allowing time for coffee and swearing breaks admittedly) because as soon as you got one joint fixed another would fall apart. The idea of not having holes in the frame, presumably to prevent rust, is a good one but the frames didn't always fit properly with the plastic sleeves, and in some cases were literally impossible to join and we had to leave the sleeves off altogether. And if you don't get the screws in tight enough the joints fall apart, but screw too tight and the plastic connectors break. I don't pretend to be any DIY expert but this was done by my gardener who has fitted scores of arches, with me just assisting. In the end in desperation we sealed all the joints with glue! On the plus side the extra pole for making holes in the ground first is an excellent idea, and with a spirit level ensures you can get the thing in position and completely straight quite easily. Gardman are a good company and no doubt had I contacted them would have been helpful, but really I was so sick of the whole thing I couldn't face waiting for replacements and going through the whole thing again. I have put up another Gardman arch myself without help and had minimal trouble, but this turned out to be the most expensive arch I've ever had - because of the labour it would have been cheaper to build a beautiful wooden one from posts and trellis from scratch! My recommendation would be that if you're unlucky enough to purchase one that doesn't fit together properly - don't mess about, contact the company immediately.