Inexpensive Trellises
It all started with markdown honeysuckle vines, Gold Flame and Winchester, from Lowe's. I enjoy gardening and feeding birds, and had been wanting to add more attractants for hummingbirds. I love the un-obstructive nature of the wire fencing !
kitchen window trellis
We had wire fencing left over from another project and I gave my husband some brief instructions of what I wanted and let him go from there with his own creativity. Got the plastic half whiskey barrel planters from Big Lots. He used cut off pieces of the wire fencing and turned them into small connector pieces for the fencing as you can see in the details picture. For sturdiness against wind, he created the base frame with an "x" for the pots to sit on. The patio has a very slight slope away from the house so he added shims at the outside edges of the base to make them level. It's made with pressure treated lumber and I'll be staining it when weather permits. While this is just under the eaves of the house, it gets lots of sun and occasional rain water and as you see, the water hose is near and I have a 55 gallon drum rain barrel just out of sight to the left.
kitchen window trellis detail
Back fence trellis
This is our back privacy fence and I can see it from my kitchen window. I already had the "Garden" sign and sun on my fence, and last fall I spray painted some PVC pipe brown to look kinda like wood, and added the arches. We hosted our daughter's high school class reunion and I added silk fall leaf vines around them for the festivities. Perfect place for my other honeysuckle vine !! Husband added wire fencing on fence and zip-tied smaller pieces onto the arches as you can see in the detail picture, and Wah Lah, honeysuckle trellis !! I'm looking forward to lots more hummer activity !!!
Semi circular piece of wire fencing attached to privacy fence and ends of wire fencing attached to PVC pipe for additional sturdiness. PVC pipe is screwed into the fence. This will guide the honeysuckle onto other sections of wire fencing attached to arches.
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Here's to the inspirational powers of markdown plants!
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Any follow-up on how your trellises have endured the vines? I have a really prolific coral (trumpet) honeysuckle - lonicera sempervirens - I planted in 2012. It is my favorite garden element and the hummingbirds love it. (As do the red wasps, sadly - the thrive in the dead wood beneath, so be on the lookout in case you've not learned this the hard way.) When I planted mine I read many reviews on the internet, co-op classifications, etc. I had this idea it would be somewhat civil. It's very polite, but make no mistake it's a party girl. Initially I crafted a trellis with step-in t-posts and garden wire from Tractor Supply, but this year it got very top-heavy and began bringing the trellis down. I wound up doing a significant pruning (a week and a half later it's coming back with a vengeance) and buying an arbor on Amazon. I really like your semi-pergola trellis, however! I may need to retain it for a backup plan!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
I love your garden arches! I too have some honeysuckle vines to support, and one vine is already quite large and has outgrown its support. Is the arch actual pvc pipe as well as the upright posts that are bolted to the fence?
What is the diameter of the PVC?
Thank you for your time!
Robin in Nashville