Imagine an archway of red roses leading from one part of your garden to another. A fan shaped spill of morning glories rising behind the patio? How about an ivy-covered gazebo standing in the center of the lawn? A custom built trellis can help you create a garden or backyard that you'll love, and love to spend time in.
At its simplest definition, a trellis is an open frame that provides support for a climbing plant. A trellis can be used to add height to a garden and give it 'vertical interest'. It can help define space and serve as a separator between garden space and entertaining space. A well-made trellis can be as simple as a single post or as complex as a gazebo built of copper tubing and planted with ivy and roses.
A trellis can be made of almost any material, provided that it's strong and weatherproof. You can purchase trellis forms made of wood, metal and PVC pipes. The main qualities that a good trellis should have are:
Strength
Climbing vines are surprisingly heavy. A bank of roses has been known to take down the side of a house if care isn't taken to keep the canes trimmed back. Ivy in particular is well known for creeping into crevices in wood and working them apart. The PSI (pounds per square inch, a pressure measurement) that can be exerted by a growing plant can tear a trellis apart if it's not sturdy and well designed. I had a rather dramatic demonstration of just how heavy and strong climbing vines can be this past spring when the fast-growing vines on the fence beside my house literally snapped a thirty-foot tree in half.
Durability
Any material used to make a trellis should be weatherproofed. Pressure-treated wood, galvanized nails and bolts and naturally weather resistant materials are all hallmarks of a well-made trellis. PVC is rapidly becoming a popular material for use in building a trellis, particularly sturdy PVC plumbing pipes.
The most popular shapes for trellis forms are fans and arches. You can pick up a metal or PVC fan-shaped trellis at your local garden store for less than $50. You'll also find arches in metal or PVC in many different sizes and heights.
If you'd like to try to create your own trellis, there are a number of interesting options. One of the most unusual and striking trellis plantings that I've ever seen was created from a recycled wooden ladder bolted across the top of a pair of 4x4 timbers that were set into the ground like fence posts. Building an old world Italian style grape arbor can be as simple as stringing heavy duty wire between corner posts and allowing the vines to climb them unchecked.
No matter what type, style or material you choose for your trellis, you'll find yourself enjoying your garden more and more as it becomes the focal point of your backyard garden.