Plant Trellis
Why Have A Plant Trellis?
There are at least a couple of reasons to place a plant trellis in your garden or yard, and probably more. A plant trellis, in the right place, and with the right type of plant, can be very attractive. Also, in a small yard or garden, a plant trellis can be a space saver. Some plants are meant to climb vertically. But there are also those vining plants that we normally have traveling along the ground and taking up plenty of space. The cucumber being a prime example. Cucumbers do not have to rest on the ground, but can be trained to grow vertically on a plant trellis. They will usually do well, in fact often better than when resting on the ground.
There are plenty of trellises on the market, and there are also plans in books or on line if you want to build your own. A plant trellis is not too difficult to build, the main challenge usually being to keep it strong, but also to keep it from being or looking too heavy. There are uses for heavy duty trellises of course, it just depends upon what plants you intend to have climbing on them.
In some instances you might place a trellis in the spot where it's most attractive, particularly if the plant is to have a clematis or bougainvillea growing on it. In the vegetable garden, or the flower garden for that matter, a trellis usually belongs along the north edge of the garden, where it won't keep sun loving plants in the shade. You can of course place it anywhere you wish, but it doesn't hurt to take into account what will be planted in the immediate vicinity.
Materials - Wooden trellises tend to be the most attractive, especially if the trellis is to serve a heavy duty purpose. The key here is to use treated posts, so the trellis won't threaten to fall over after 5 or 6 years because the supports are rotting. For a lightweight trellis, metal or plastic is often best. PVC pipe is about the least expensive way to go and can make an attractive plant trellis if coated first with primer, them painted with the color of your choice. A white PVC trellis usually looks somewhat cheap and just doesn't cut it when appearance counts.
Chicken Wire? Maybe - Some gardeners find chicken wire useful on the sides of a trellis. There are advantages to chicken wire, including ease in training vines, light weight, and low coast. The main disadvantage is, if you prune a plant back, like a clematis, or take a plant away, like sweet peas, a lot of time will be spent in removing twigs and tendrils from the chicken wire. Clematis tendrils tend to become woody and hard to remove once in place.
A Few Good Candidate Plants Or Vines - Depending on the plant, a trellis can provide shade or serve as a privacy screen. Ivy is particularly good for a year around screen, and many varieties of clematis or bougainvillea serve well during the summer. Grape vines can be of tremendous value, usually providing dense foliage, not to mention good eating. Grape vines may require constant pruning due to their rapid growth, and for that reason are not a good candidate for a lightweight trellis or one that might tend to become unstable under a heavy load.
We've mentioned clematis, bougainvillea, grapes, and even cucumbers as possible candidates for climbers on a plant trellis. The passionflower would also make a nice choice, but if you really want to try something different, consider the kiwi. It's not quite as tropical as one might think. In some areas of the country it will provide fruit all year around, though in colder climates it may die back, only to resume growth in the spring. In warmer climates the kiwi vine will require a sturdy trellis, as it is a vigorous grower. Flowers, vegetables, fruits, or just vines, provide many attractive or useful possibilities for a plant trellis.