You probably are referring to wood trellis which I agree, they do tend to be flimsy and not permanent. What you should look for are either metal ones or ones made of cedars which have better longer lasting attributes. I know that Lowes & Home Depot at least sold some good quality metal ones and they did have good quality wooden ones but it's late and out of season now and I don't know if they still are carrying the products. You could check with your local stores to see if they do have products maybe stocked away.

Now the alternative is to build ones own. It's a job I know but after having done it myself, it turned out to be very durable. I used 1x2 wood in grid form. And I also found someone up here in Ontario who created trellises out of rebars which she soldered together. Although somewhat expensive, it is very long lasting. Just another idea in case you feel crafty.

I also built my own. If you aren't handy, do a google search for trellis plans, and find someone in your area who can put it all together for you. Use cedar if you can, or pressure treated wood. If it's metal, find a welder/fabricator shop in the yellow pages and ask if they can do it.

Trade schools in your area might also be a good place to look. Find a student and have them build it as part of their course work.

Good answer Token. I'm looking for a trellis/arch myself. By Trade school, do you mean community college?

BTW, welcome Steven.

I also recommend building your own or having one built. When we were looking for an iron arbour a few years ago, all we could find ready-made were flimsy things so we asked a local iron worker if he could build one for us. His reply was 'if you can draw it, I can build it.' So I drew - to scale - what I wanted and he built it. It's very sturdy - weighs a couple of hundred pounds and is set in concrete.

This picture is from the first winter after it was installed

This picture is from September this year - the honeysuckle vine on the right side died out last winter and the replacement hasn't grown in yet.
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Jim, any school that has a construction course, or metalworking class. UNCC has a great architecture program with a working forge on campus. Not sure if NCSU has the same thing, but I believe they have a program. You could also check community colleges. Even some high schools may have a "shop" class where you might talk to the teachers to see if there's any interest. Get the principal involved, get a grant from the state, have several built and for your time, you get to keep one. At least that'd be my approach. :)

Woodyoak, is that a Seven-Son flower behind your arbor?

These are great suggestions for having local people build an arbor/trellis, etc. I had never thought of finding someone at a local trade school/college, etc.

Woodyoak, that is a beautiful arbor and garden!

I had posted here, someone removed my posting. There is a man on etsy who sells beautiful arbors, very high quality out of reclaimed cedar. I have purchased several smaller items from him at great quality!

GGG

Thyme - yes, that's a heptacodium in the background. It put on its best show ever this year. It's 7 years old now.

Thanks GGG... We were very pleased with the impact the arbour had on the garden. The garden has been a work in progress for the 10 years we've been here - and will continue to be so as I like to make changes a lot! It looks much better now than when we started because it's more structured and organized.

Try Smith & Hawken, my daughter sent me a lovely one from there for Mother's Day. it was heavy and powder coated. Should last me the rest of my life and hers.

Woodyoak, your placement of the shrubs near the arbor is absolutely perfect! Beautiful garden. That heptacodium is quite a specimen.

I recently ordered 3 trellises and an arbor/gate from Trellis Structures and we are very satisfied with the quality. They do custom work, though I ordered all in stock items and the lead time was only a couple of weeks. I also found their prices to be very reasonable, especially considering the high quality.

In contrast, I ordered a different trellis that was mounted on the side of my house from Walpole and it arrived weeks after promised, plus the quality was shockingly poor, considering their reputation.

Sorry, I forgot Trellis Structure's link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Trellis Structures

kp, THANK you for those pictures & link! Those are perfect for the 'informal' patio that I'd like to have out back! DH kept wanting to put in a 'stockade' type fence- the solid ones with the little bit of lattice at the top. I wasn't keen on that, but I love the "New England" style that is on that website, and I love the way you have your black trellises!
You've given some fantastic options for a high-class, but casual look!

Awww thanks, mmq... The photo was taken in the rain with my camera, so the trellises show as black but they're actually stained a deep green with a tinge of blue. We had a bit of a quandary trying to figure out how to "hide" the neighbor's house that sits practically in our yard - since we live in a historic district others have our same problem and we've gotten lots of compliments on them. One day they'll be covered in clematis and the arborvitae will grow in...I hope your DH is also inspired. :-)

Google walpolewoodworkers.com

I like deerparkironworks.com - great quality, worth the price.

Can anyone recommend a good place to find metal obelisks? I'd like to get at least two that are five to six feet tall, when they're in the ground. Most of the ones I've seen are not nearly tall enough.