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What is a trellis and how can it benefit your garden? Keep reading to find out why you need a trellis and how it can help you enhance your outdoor space.
What Is a Trellis?
Benefits of a Trellis
Things to Consider
Types of Trellis Designs
Gardening Trellises
Common Trellis Materials
How to Install a Trellis
What is a trellis? A trellis is a simple garden structure that helps your plants grow vertically. Although a trellis can be made from many different materials, it typically has an open framework, allowing for plants to easily grow upward. A trellis can be used as a tool to help plants grow indoors and outdoors, as an accent piece in your garden, or to add more privacy to your yard.
- Allows more sunlight exposure
- Allows pollinators to easily pollinate the area
- Reduces exposure to fungal diseases
- Increases air circulation
- Deters insects and pests
- Creates more space in your garden
Before choosing a trellis, it’s important to consider a few things.
Location: When you are looking to place your trellis in your garden, avoid placing the trellis in a windy location. Check that your water hose can reach your garden or that you have a watering can nearby. If you have many plants in your garden, ensure that your trellis does not cast any shade on surrounding plants that are in the ground. To ensure your trellis and plants are protected from wind, you can anchor your posts into the ground to improve stability or opt for a wall-mounted trellis. Most trellises are stablest when anchored 24 inches into the ground, but be sure to check the manufacturer's recommendations for proper instructions on anchoring.
What You Are Growing: It’s important to consider what type of plant you want to grow on your trellis. Make sure the trellis you choose is large enough for the type of plant you want. For example, growing cucumbers can result in large and heavy vines so you will need a strong trellis. Melons grow best on a wider trellis because increased airflow allows the leaves to stay dry which helps to prevent mildew. Check your plants regularly to ensure they are attaching and growing vertically – you may have to encourage them by weaving the plants through the trellis holes and securing them with twist ties.
Lattice
A lattice trellis is the most common type of trellis used in gardens. It has a traditional lattice– or crisscross– look. Lattice trellises are typically made of vinyl or wood.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Lattice trellises provide a sturdy structure for a variety of climbing plants and vines. The following are just a few examples of the best plants for trellises in lattice configurations:
- English Ivy
- Clematis
- Morning Glory
- Virginia Creeper
- Climbing Rose
Wall-Mounted
A wall-mounted trellis attaches to the side of your fence, home, or building. The support from the wall gives the trellis extra stability, while adding greenery to a flat side of your home. Most wall-mounted trellises include the equipment necessary to mount them, but be sure to check the instructions before installing.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
The extra strength provided by the wall make this trellis ideal for growing heavier plants. Here are a few plant pairings to get started:
- Boston Ivy
- Climbing Rose
- Clematis
- Morning Glory
- Sweat Pea
- Grapevine
Arched
An arched trellis has two flat sides that are connected by an arch at the top. They are commonly made from wood or metal and can be placed against a fence or the side of your home for extra support.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Arched trellises provide a beautiful curved shape that's perfect for climbing plants. Some even have a hollow center to walk through and observe beautiful blooms from below. Here are some stunning plants that were meant for arched trellises:
- Morning Glory
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Climbing Rose
- Climbing Hydrangea
- Wisteria
- Squash & Pumpkins
Obelisk
An obelisk trellis comes in many different designs, but the most common are column and pyramid styles. While decorative enough to be the star of your garden, obelisk trellises are still super functional for training plants to climb vertically.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Pair obelisk trellises with flowering vines and small edible plants like these:
- Sweet Pea
- Dwarf Honeysuckle
- Dwarf Clematis
- Nasturtium
- Sugar Snap Pea
- Runner Bean
Expanding
An expanding trellis can extend in both length and height to better fit your garden. It is the perfect yard divider, garden decor, or indoor gate for pets.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Expandable trellises come in many shapes and sizes to showcase a variety of climbing plants. These are some of the plant pairings that work with expandable trellises:
- Grapevine
- Sweet Pea
- Clematis
- Climbing Rose
- Peas
- Runner Bean
- Blackberry or Raspberry Plants
- Cucumber
- Tomato
Gothic
A gothic trellis is typically made of metal or steel with slim lines and pointed arches. The gothic design has more exquisite details, making it a great option for an accent piece in your garden.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Complement the dramatic flair of gothic trellises with beautiful flowering vines that pop against dark metal. Use these examples to get inspired:
- Clematis
- Morning Glory
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Climbing Rose
- Black-Eyed Susan Vine
Fan
A fan trellis has sides that flare out, which encourages your plants to grow horizontally as well as vertically. Due to its shape, a fan trellis is perfect for the corner of your garden.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Encourage climbing plants to spread up fences or walls with a fan trellis. Here are some plant pairings that will love the extra help to climb onto walls and other large surfaces:
- Climbing Rose
- Boston Ivy
- Star Jasmine
- Wisteria
Folding
Folding trellises are easy to store when the season is over. They are also easy to move around your garden, allowing you to rearrange your outdoor space as needed.
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Ideal Plant Pairings:
Folding trellises create flexible configurations that suit a variety of flowering plants and vegetables. These plants are perfect for the folding-trellis style:
- Climbing Rose
- Sweet Pea
- Clematis
- Nasturtium
- Runner Bean
- Cucumber
- Tomato
Looking for trellises made for rose gardens or for growing specific vegetables? Check out this next section.
Rose Trellises: Rose trellises make a beautiful addition to any garden. Arched trellises are commonly paired with roses since their style decoratively displays the blooms, but obelisk, lattice, and fan trellises can also be used. Climbing roses tend to range in height but are commonly between 7’ and 13’.
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Bean Trellises: Choose the length of your bean trellis by determining the size of the bean you’d like to harvest. Pole beans tend to grow between 10’ and 15’. Bean vines are light and are easily supported by any trellis material. Bean trellises come in a variety of designs but work particularly well on obelisk or arched styles.
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Tomato Trellises: Tomato trellises should be strong and sturdy, since tomato vines can be heavy when full of tomatoes. You’ll find that obelisk trellises are commonly used for tomatoes because they enable good air circulation and the shape allows the tomatoes to get plenty of sun. Expanding trellises also work well because you can adjust them as the tomato plant grows.
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Pea Trellises: Certain peas will only grow to be a few feet tall, but vining peas, like sugar snap peas, can grow as long as 6’ to 8’. These vines are lightweight and can be supported by lighter trellises in a range of configurations from folding, expanding, obelisk, arched, and fan trellises. If you're set on a lattice style look for options with thin supports that pea tendrils can wrap around as they climb and grow.
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Cucumber Trellises: When growing cucumbers, you’ll need a strong trellis that can withstand the weight of the cucumber vine, since they tend to be heavy and large. Folding trellises are commonly used for cucumbers due to their sturdiness.
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Metal: Metal gives your trellis that slim and sleek look while being sturdy. Opt for a metal trellis that has a powder-coated finish to help protect it from the elements. If you want to take an extra step in protecting your metal trellis, you can opt to treat the metal with polyurethane to help protect it from rust. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations before treating your metal trellis.
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Wood: Wood trellises are easily customizable, allowing you to paint or stain them to your liking. Wood adds a rustic feel to your space but requires more upkeep. Opt for pressure-treated wood to help increase resistance to rot and insects. You will need to regularly refinish the wood to prevent the trellis from warping or rotting.
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Iron: An iron trellis is sturdy and comes in many unique shapes and designs. Like metal, iron can corrode over time and requires more upkeep.
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Steel: Many steel designs come with a powder-coated finish and are weather-resistant, making them a great option if you live somewhere with extreme weather. They are sturdy and come in many different styles and sizes.
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Vinyl: Vinyl is a common material used for trellises and comes in many different colors, so you can one that will work well with your garden design. It can hold up in extreme weather and is easy to clean with your hose.
Bamboo: Because of their strength, bamboo trellises are best for supporting high-climbing plants and florals. Their natural beauty also makes them a great addition to your garden decor that is also eco-friendly.
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Cedar: For a more natural look in your garden, consider using a cedar trellis. Cedar trellises have a natural odor that repels bugs to keep your blossoms growing healthy and beautiful. They are also very sturdy and long lasting because of their rot-resistant features.
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Different types of trellises require different installation steps to ensure stability and functionality. Below we break up key steps for installing a trellis, whatever type it may be:
- Pick your location. Pick the desired location of your trellis before you do anything else. Some trellises are small enough to fit into planters while others are meant to go in the ground. If you plan to use a trellis that can fit in a planter, make sure to measure the width of large planters before browsing. This helps determine how wide a trellis needs to be to fit into the soil. Set wall-mounted trellises a few inches off of your home's exterior unless the product manual specifies otherwise. This protects your home's siding or brick exterior from vigorous climbing plants with a tendency to root into siding or crevices.
- Reference the product manual. Every trellis should come with a product manual and installation instructions with specific steps to ensure a successful installation. Be sure to read over the instructions to determine any specific tools you’ll need and other helpful install tips.
- Assemble any necessary parts. If your trellis comes in one piece, feel free to skip ahead to the next step. Large wood trellises with multiple panels may require you to drill or hammer them together, while some folding varieties may require you to simply hook panels together and attach the arms for plants to climb up. Review the specifications tab on product pages to determine what types of screws, bolts, and tools come with your product and which you need to source yourself.
- Dig holes for trellises that require in-ground installation. Note: You can skip this step for small trellises with stakes that easily poke into the ground. For larger trellises, use a post-hole digger and dig down to about 18" to 20". This helps ensure your trellis stays nice and secure once it’s installed. Use a tape measure to help to determine the hole depth. With the first hole started, measure the width of your trellis from one post to the other. This will help you figure out how far to set the other hole. Before placing the trellis base in the holes, fill in the hole with about a half inch of gravel. This promotes good drainage and prevents a wood trellis base from rotting or other trellis materials from corroding over time.
- Set the bottom of the trellis in the holes to determine levelness. Lower your trellis into the holes. You may need an extra pair of hands to help keep the trellis upright while you check for levelness. To make sure one end of your trellis isn't too high or too low, place a level along the bottom edge. Repeat the same process for the top edge. If the air bubble rests in the center for both, you know both sides are even. If it's off, you can add or take away gravel in the hole of one side of the trellis until both sides level out.
- Fill in the holes with garden soil to stabilize the posts. Once you determine each side rests in the ground evenly, it's time to anchor the trellis in the ground. For this step, you may benefit from having another person to hold the trellis upright as you refill the holes around the posts. Step on the soil around the posts to help compact it for added strength. If the trellis product manual suggests adding a layer of concrete, you'll need to pour concrete in the upper-most section of the holes and allow it to dry around the posts.
- Get planting. Once you've properly installed your trellis, you can start planting! We recommend planting climbing vines and flowering varieties a few inches out from the bottom of the trellis. This encourages them to grow up the trellis and use it as a support to rest against. If you were to plant right beneath/against the trellis, climbing plants may actually fall away from the trellis (because they wouldn’t have anywhere to lean into). Always review a plant's specific planting preferences to ensure the happiest outcome.
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