How to anchor a garden arch
Updated: October 2026
The arch is up, the gate latches, and the first gust walks the whole frame across the lawn. Supplied pegs and a frame around 6 kg do not become a footing once a climber fills the sides and the wind has something to push. This is how to anchor a garden arch on soil or on paving, using the fixings these listings actually name, and the point where you stop and call a fitter. Product choice stays on the [garden arch with gate comparison](/hub/fencing-and-wire/garden-arch-with-gate). Peter F. used the stored listings. This is not a lab test.
The arch is up, the gate latches, and the first gust walks the whole frame across the lawn. Supplied pegs and a frame around 6 kg do not become a footing once a climber fills the sides and the wind has something to push.
The arch is up, the gate latches, and the first gust walks the whole frame across the lawn. Supplied pegs and a frame around 6 kg do not become a footing once a climber fills the sides and the wind has something to push. This is how to anchor a garden arch on soil or on paving, using the fixings these listings actually name, and the point where you stop and call a fitter. Product choice stays on the garden arch with gate comparison. Peter F. used the stored listings. This is not a lab test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Anchors stated | Stated weight | Ground they suit | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Relaxdays Relaxdays tall arch with gate and planters | Not stated | 15.1 kg | Review: boxes as ballast in wind | 5.5 | about £115.90 | View offer |
 GiantexUK GiantexUK arch with gate and planters | 8 in-ground feet | 13.5 kg | Soil; one UK buyer bolted it to paving | 8.6 | about £88.09 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Outsunny Outsunny double-gate arch | Ground stakes included | 6.7 kg | Soil after assembly | 7.0 | about £58.99 | View offer |
On this page
Put the legs in soil
Assemble the arch on flat ground before you dig. SCENDOR is stated at 17.1 kg and the tall Relaxdays at 15.1 kg. Follow the sheet in the box for depth.
Garden writers put metal legs about 30–40 cm into soil, and one practical note uses stakes at least 50 cm into the soil. Those figures are rules of thumb, not a British Standard. If your sheet says something else, the sheet wins. Outsunny’s bullet tells you to secure the arch with the included ground stakes after assembly.
When pegs are not enough
Pegs suit a sheltered bed with firm soil. They are a poor match for an exposed corner, sandy ground, or a frame that will carry a rose. The tall Relaxdays review, stored from Germany rather than the UK, says the frame falls over in the wind if you do not use the flower boxes to stabilise it.
A sheltered Outsunny on stakes can be enough if you accept a 6.7 kg decorative gate. The GiantexUK planter arch states eight in-ground feet, and a UK buyer still bolted it to paving because it felt light. Concrete on a front boundary is a planning question as well as a DIY one.
Paving and bolt-down feet
Slabs do not take a stake. If you hammer a peg between pavers you either crack an edge or the peg pulls out of a joint. One UK buyer bolted the GiantexUK planter arch to the slabs rather than trusting the feet alone.
Outsunny’s stakes are a soil kit. The GiantexUK at about £60.99 includes four ground stakes and anchoring plates, and it has no reviews and no stated weight. The green Relaxdays and the wide Relaxdays frames do not state anchors at all. Do not invent pegs that the page never lists. Stop when the fixing is into stone you are unsure of, a listed wall, or a slope that needs a made footing, or if you do not own the land.
Before you concrete a boundary
A lawn arch in the middle of the grass is not automatically a fence. A 2.2 m arch used as the gate on a front boundary, next to a road, can be over the height limits that apply to a means of enclosure. Ask before you set the legs in concrete. The detail is on garden arch planning permission.
Anchoring the frame well does not turn a decorative leaf into a lock. If the leaf lifts off, a cable tie is what some Outsunny buyers added, and it is a bodge, not a security fix. When the site is a highway edge, a listed wall, or a slope you cannot level, hire a fitter. A qualifying purchase through the amazon.co.uk links can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Common questions
How deep should the legs go?
Use the depth in the manufacturer’s sheet. Where that sheet is vague, garden installers talk about 30–40 cm of metal leg in soil, and one practical guide talks about stakes at least 50 cm in the ground. Neither figure is a British Standard, and neither replaces the instructions in your box. Keep both feet at the same depth so the gate still meets in the middle.
Are the supplied pegs enough?
They can be, in firm soil on a sheltered path, which is what Outsunny’s included stakes are for. They are not enough on sand, on an exposed run, or once plants give the arch a sail and the frame is only about 6 kg. The German review of the tall Relaxdays says it falls in the wind without the flower boxes as weight. Pegs plus empty boxes are still pegs.
What do you do on paving slabs?
Do not rely on lawn stakes. Bolt the feet down, which is what one UK buyer did with the GiantexUK planter arch, or use patio feet if the maker sells them for that arch. You need plates that can take a fixing. If the listing never states anchors, the box may not include them, and you should plan the bolts before delivery rather than after the slabs are in the way.
Should you concrete every arch?
No. Concrete is the step up for sandy ground, an exposed site, or a frame you cannot afford to have walk. A light arch on a quiet lawn can stay on the supplied stakes if the sheet says so and the gate still closes. Concreting a tall arch on a front boundary is the case to pause, because the planning rules may say the arch should not be there as a gate at all.
When do side planters count as ballast?
When they are fitted and they have something heavy in them. The tall Relaxdays review treats the flower boxes as what stops the frame blowing over, which also means the frame is not stable with the boxes off. A UK review says the GiantexUK side baskets have no bottom, so they do not hold soil until you add a base. An empty ring of wire is not ballast.
When should a fitter take over?
When the fixing is into stone or masonry you are not confident to drill, when the wall is listed, when the ground slopes and needs a proper footing, or when you do not own the land. A highway boundary is the same stop, and it belongs with a planning check before anyone mixes concrete. Flat lawn and a stake kit is still a two-person DIY job.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings used for this comparison. Retrieved 19 October 2026.
- Planning Portal — Fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 2, Class A (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.WALES — Planning permission: fences, gates and garden walls (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Planning Circular 1/2024, Class 3E (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Planning (General Permitted Development) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015, Part 3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS — Climbing roses (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Agriframes — How to install a garden arch (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk — metal garden arch with gate (retrieved 19 October 2026)