Hiding an Air Conditioner with a Clematis Garden Arbor
Do you have any ugly eyesore outside of your house? What do you do about it?
For us, it’s a window unit air conditioner that hangs outside the guest house.
It’s dented on the outside and sticks out like a sore thumb. It can be seen from the entrance of our house and looks so ugly!
We don’t have a small window inside the guest house so my husband had to find another way to install the air conditioner. He cut a hole in the side of the guest room and hung it using chains to support the weight. He put a frame around it on the inside so it’s a bit less ugly.
It hangs right next to one of my Junk Gardens, and you’ll notice I cropped it out of this photo of my Vintage Flower Basket Bike and Vertical Succulent Plant Stand.
I thought about buying a ready-made arbor to hide it, but the prices were over $200. So my husband built a garden arbor around it using scrap wood we had on hand and some white plastic lattice I bought at Home Depot. It’s the same lattice we used in the window behind my farmhouse sink potting bench planter.
Last year for Mother’s Day, my youngest son bought me a beautiful clematis. It didn’t have many blooms last year, but this year it’s really kicked in and is blooming like crazy and climbing up the garden arbor just like I hoped it would.
Using trellis allows needed air flow for the air conditioner, but the clematis hides it.
I’m hoping by next year the clematis will completely cover the garden arbor and completely hide that ugly air conditioner!
This idea could easily be adapted to regular air conditioning and heating units as well.
Thanks so much for visiting today!
Follow Knick of Time on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, & Twitter!
Vaya con Dios,
It’s beautiful, Angie!!
Thanks so much, Andrea!
Good idea and certainly looks a lot prettier. I need to do this to my outside unit. Your clematis is a very pretty color.
Smart! I could do something similar to my the big AC thing that’s right outside my bedroom. I’m hoping it will not only be more attractive but maybe muffle some of the noise too.
Thanks!
Thanks Marlene. I have another clematis in a lighter shade of purple on the front of my house but it hasn’t grown as well as this one did.
David, we have a big air conditioner unit outside our main house but it’s on the back of our house so I don’t bother trying to hide it. I think it would help with the noise on yours.
Hi, how far away from the air conditioner is it? My question is a concern about it getting enough air flow. Living in Arizona I was cautioned about putting anything closer than 3 feet from the ground air conditioner or window air. It shortens the life of the air conditioner. But it looks marvelous. Box wood bushes 3 foot away, does make a nice hedge but they don’t bloom.
Jennie, my unit is about 5ft. from the ground.
That is a great idea, Angie…looks beautiful! Lovely clematis!
I like the idea of putting lattice up to cover air conditioner. Mine sits on the ground & is a box like shape. I’m going to try to build a box lattice cover for it. Thanks for the idea
Great idea. I have a window ac that could use a pretty cover too. So glad I found your post on the link party. Happy Summer, Kippi