I use a lot of fallen tree limbs to make teepee supports for vines, too. Some are pretty sturdy, and the vines usually cover them enough, that no one knows what support is underneath them. I have also used old mop or broom handles, bamboo stakes tied together in 3's. A package of them is much less expensive than purchasing a trellis or arbor.

Someone else will need to "pipe" (PVC pipe is pretty cheap, but prices have gone up along with the cost of oil) in about drilling holes in your siding.

Good luck.

Susan

Adam, you beat me to the questions, but have a few more ideas that need opinions.
Has anyone tried using wire coat hangers to make smaller versions of trellis to use in pots for vines. I have a source for all the free wire coat hangers I want and was thinking of using them held together with twine.

Fran

Oh please keep the ideas coming!

Susan....I love the look of stick furniture and trellis, I just never have enough of the right kind I guess. So what do you mean when you say a package is much less expensive? When you say bundles of three, do you mean a teepee? If so how do you tie them together?

Willie, you are in Texas, so I think you have access to supplies I might not have. There are no livestock supply places here in Massachusetts that I am aware of. I should be able to get the chicken wire at Lowe's though, right? Tell me how you attach that to wooden fence? Do you mean like a stockade fence? I would love to see photos. :-)

Fran, I would love to see what you come up with with the coat hangers.. [g] I could sure use about 50 of those trellis for about 50 nice large pots. lol Just kidding Fran, I think.

Hi Adam, "just kidding Fran, I think." No you beter than that. Gonna work on them this weekend and coming week and will post pics of what I come up with.
My only fear is they will rust while in the pots, since they will stay moist all the time. So just for an experiment, I put one coat hanger in the ground, before the last snow fell. Put it right at the foundation of the house
in partial shade. It stays real moist there and will see what it's like in the spring. Put another one wedged into the chain link fence out back in full sun. that one will get all of the elements on it,but not constant moisture.
Does anyone know if the coat hangers rusted in the soil or from rain, if it would be a problem for the morning glory plants that I want to put them with?
Fran

Hello Fran...looking forward to seeing photos :-) It will be interesting to see if they do rust. I see you are an experimenter, as I usually am. I love experiments.

thanks
:-)

Yes, teepee style. I tie them together with whatever I happen to have on hand - string, wire, staple gun, you name it. Usually by the time the vines grow, they're kind of supporting the thing itself anyway. I also have lots of decking, so I staple chicken wire, or any kind of wire I can find cheap, and with wide and/or close enough spaces to accommodate a particular vine, and staple it to the deck railing. I start them up the deck with sticks (in particular, I use my trimmings from my contorted mulberry, because it is very attractive and doesn't fall over easily. It kind of "self-balances" itself. You could use recycle about anything for this purpose, though. I always have tons of fallen limbs in spring to pick from. I found myself throwing away my old mop and broom handles, and then thought, wait a minute, I could use these for something in the garden. I started saving them. I've used them for supports, trellising, you name it.

I always keep my eye out on big trash day. People are always throwing away stuff that can be recycled, like lath boards. I take them home and use those for stakes, too.

Susan

Hi Susan,

I tried using bamboo poles 10ft tall in large pots last year for MGs. What I used for the top that worked great, were my daugther's heavy duty hair elastics. So quick and easy and they stayed together. But if I run out and want to tie them together, do you have any special technique for getting them all even at the top? Do you notch the poles to allow the string to get a grip?

One problem I did have with the bamboo in the pots, was I couldn't figure out how to anchor it in the bottom enough. I had filled the pot with soil first and then just stuck the three poles in and tied it at the top. They had a tendency to lean and move in the wind. Not a lot, not enough to go over, but I like to look at straight lines and couldn't really get it to be completely straight once the weight of the vines were on it. It was only leaning in one direction by a couple of inches, but..lol..it just bugs me everytime I look at it and keep going over trying to straighten it.

We don't have a deck, but have a stockade fence. Can I use that chicken wire on the fence too? If I was adding chicken wire to the fence, I would need some air space behind it right? Not just stapled to the fence? We don't get many tree branches at all. I wish we did! Actually, I would like to grow a shrub that likes to get pruned a lot and grows a lot in the summer, so I can have branches to cut for this use. Any ideas on what would fit the bill?

Why do you have a lot of broom/mop handles to save? I can't remember the last time we needed to replace one. [g]
When you say people throw things away and you take it home, are you seeing it out with the trash and taking it home?

adam

Well, Adam - it's because I buy the cheapo ones at The Dollar Store. I can't bring myself to pay $15. for a good mop yet.

Yes, people are always throwing things out at the curb on big trash days. I just stop and pick up what they don't want. Everyone does it here in OKC. Maybe you have different policies in your city.

When typing the tops of a tripod trellis, I alternate the raffia (that's what I use), up and over, up and over, and then finish with a square knot. I didn't know you were talking about using them in pots. No, they probably won't stand up good in a pot. Not enough depth for secure hold at the bottom. That's a different story. I thought you were talking about in-ground trellises.

For pots, it might be better if you did 4 stakes, and did wire to connect them at the top, what do you think? Whichever you choose, I still think there is going to be a stability problem with a pot because of the depth issue.

Have you googled "homemade trellises" to see what comes up? Maybe someone has come up with an idea to resolve that problem. I'll have to think about it. Maybe you need to start with the bottom part, and secure it by wires connecting it equidistant apart BEFORE adding your soil. Except that the pot is narrower at the bottom. Mmmmm. There has to be a way to stabilize the bottom. Maybe rocks would work, and provide drainage at the same time. A layer at least 3-4". Or, even better, some of that florist's clay set in the soil where you want your trellis to sit? It would deteriorate over time, but should last at least the summer. Or, even regular clay would probably be better. Just thinking out loud here.

Tell me what you think? We can go back and forth and maybe we'll get an idea.

Susan

Hi Susan :-)

I guess I am not usually out and about on trash day so that is why I can resist the temptation to 'pick up things' [g]. I will have to try driving around that morning..lol. Geez what we crazy gardeners will do!

Raffia must look pretty, I like that idea. I was going to use them in pots and in the ground too. The pots I have are about 22 in diameter..maybe 20. The 10ft tripods really stayed up all season, they just were a little crooked and only one of them. I was trying to think of a way to anchor them. I was thinking if I attached something to the bottom of each pole and then layed a brick over that before filling with soil, maybe that would do the trick. I don't think it would help to just add rocks if they are not 'attached' somehow to the poles. Even if I just tied string to the bottoms and put the brick over that might work. Plus it would weigh down the pot more for stability. I have to say I loved the effect and the instant vertical accent last year.

No, I haven't done the homemade trellis search yet, I am focusing so much on WS that I haven't got time right now. [g] But I will get to that. We have a spring season where the town picks up yard debris for a certain number of weeks. I think I will try to set aside a day to go look for branches. I would like the look of a twig trellis and I never have enough branches. We've had a number of windy storms already and there are sure to be a lot.

Thanks..
adam

Hey, Adam, along the brick line - maybe you can find the bricks that have holes in them? And use the holes to put your stakes in? Just another thought on my pea brain part.

Susan

Susan, that is a great idea. I will have to find one of those bricks and see if the poles fit the holes..lol.

thanks Susan..that was a big help.
:-)
adam

Adam,
I used 12 inch and 14 inch pots, at least I think they where
will measure them later and let you know. I put a coffe filter in the bottom and filled it with mostly a decent quality top soil and just a bit of miracle grow. Then put in 4 morning glory seedlings in each one. Put them on top of a small plastic outdoor table right beside the front railing, one on each side. The MG did wonderful in them, where stable, never blew over in all the wind and thunderstorms that we got all summer. I did put a bit of bark mulch on the top of them to help retain moisture in the pots. See the pic below, but ignore the house that needs the paint job and new railings.
The zinnias in the pot, well I got desperate july 4th weekend and just plunked them in the pot that was only 10 inches. They grew very creativly.

{{gwi:371198}}


{{gwi:1334393}}

morning glory flying saucer, ws april 1st 2005, blooming mid july.

Wow - great job little one!

Susan

I have, in the Summer, planted tomatoe cages in the large pots. You must put the cages "or the stakes" into the pot through the holes into the ground before filling with soil and plant. Once stakes are anchored into the soil (ground) and plant your plant roots deep, you should have no problems. Jleek

Hi, I am just butting in to your forum. I am from Australia, but I love MG's.

I use old bicycle wheels. I use them attatched to the top of a broom handle for growing standard bougainvillea. Just like people use Rose rings for ramblers. But for MG's I like to attatch them onto a stake....1 stake chopped into various heights and wheel placed on the stake. train the vine over the bike wheel. It truly can look great.
Thankyou for all the wonderful ideas above I will be trying them out!

Fran....
That was clever to put them in a pot near the railing. I love that MG. Tell me was there a reason you didn't just plant the MG in the ground? Also, the pot of zinnias is so cute..lol. Very healthy looking and I love that color too.

Jleek...
I hadn't thought of anchoring it to the ground through the holes. Great idea, I have to try that this year.

Happyjacq....
Welcome from Australia. :-) What a great idea for a vertical climber. I haven't seen a rose ring either, but I am sure I saw someone's photo online lately of something similar to what you are talking about as a trellis. It is a good way to have a number of plants around the base. I suppose if you had nice 10ft bamboo poles it would be an even wilder display. Maybe even two tripods of 10ft bamboo with bicycle wheels at the top of each at an entry into a portion of the garden. That might be very impressive in the right setting. Thanks for that great idea.

SAILORS KNOTS: http://www.apparent-wind.com/knots/

Metal clothes hangers: Here in south Florida, I have found that one can't use metal hangers due to rusting. And I mean In The House! Too much humidity in the air!

I used to be able to find many of the large (1") bamboos at Home Depot. No more! They now sell very long green vinyl colvered metal ones. These are excellent for stringing together to make an extremely strong trellis. I used it to make a 'Canopy Trellis' which I attached to the house on one side and the huge (horrible) fichus hedge on the other side using the long metal 'S' hooks you can find in nurseries to hang pots up with. I assembled the entire thing all on the ground then hung it up after it was all securely tied together. I had an extremely large and heavy Passiflora Quadrangularis climbing over it. When it came time to trim that dreadful hedge my DH just unhooked the 'S' hooks - of course the vine then just hung down from the room, held in place with the S hooks on that side (massive weight hanging from the edge of the one storey roof) - and re-hooked them again after the trimming was complete. (exasperated him no end...had to take it down cause I could'nt bear the constant mooaning any longer....):)

Tying bamboos or whatever togeter with secure knots: As a sailor, I use knots pretty well every day in the garden. The best one I have found for tying the bamboos etc is the 'Clove-hitch'. At the top of the teepee I tie each of the three bamboos with this knot, ensureing they are all very closely tied together. (using one long piece of poly string which stands up very well with our fierce sun and heat. Cotton is nice but just can't endure the elements here). Having tied them alltogether with this long string, I do a final couple around all three to secure them. I have yet to have any of them come undone. Wilma tried her best and failed!

I also string them together secured with the 'clove-hitch' about midway or wherever I feel like it. This helps the vines to 'get a grip' and climb up safely!

I also use the same knot for a 'flat bamboo' trellis for my large clay pots.. Much more attractive than the teepee; also 'better for catching the sun'!

The 'bowline' is another handy knot for various jobs in the garden.

Hope this helps!

http://www.apparent-wind.com/knots/

Hi Joan..

I love your ideas of making the trellis in the pot and the Canopy Trellis that you hung. Wow. Could you possibly have photos of any of those? I always want to remember the knots that are best for tying all these together so thanks also for the links.

I am very inspired by everyone's input to try to make more vertical elements this spring!

adam

http://photobucket.com/albums/v707/fragrantgarden/Garden%20Trellises/?sc=1&multi=10

Here are some pics of my 'overhead trellis' used for shade. I had a giant Quadrangularis vine covering it which was very heavy, bearing large, wonderfully fragrant flowers. Used it for hanging lots of pots from it.

The outside framework was of Home Depot Metal garden stakes with the inner framework filled in with the metal as well as large bamboo stakes. I used the gardening wire (wire covered with green vinyl) to hold the individual pieces together. Its incredibly durable, but if nicked, it rusts badly and deteriorates over time.

The 'flat' trellises I have found to be much better than the 'teepee' ones. More sun is able to hit more of the plant, and its 'tidier' to look at. Also good for more privacy if that is what one needs.

Hope this helps

The suspended shade trellis

The 'flat' trellis

Joanmary

Joanmary,

What is the plant with the large heart shape leaves
second picture when you go to http/.
It's beautiful. Could you please email me some
info on it?
Thanks for sharing the pics.

Gemfire

Gemfire, the large leaved plant is an Anthurrium Clarinervium.

Cultivation of Anthurriums: http://www.dragonagro.com/daparoids.htm#Anthuriums

I removed it from the pot, divided it and planted it in the ground (zone 10)as it was eternally drying out! It was much 'fuller' in the pot but I can live with it in the ground as it's much easier to maintain. The flowers are insignificant. I'll post another anthurrium I have with enormous leaves and flowers. Will take a photo of it shortly.

Hi Joan..

Thanks so much for sharing your photos and your knowledge of knots. That old saying a picture is worth a thousand words has always seemed so true to me. Very ingenious how you have done it. I hadn't thought of using them like a framework to put shade fabric over. Are the 'flat' trellises in the pots all one piece between the three pots, or does each pot have it's own trellis?

I am always wanting to make structures in the yard and love the tying knots with bamboo poles idea. I am hoping to get a spare weekend and some help to put some things together. I will be sure to post some photos if I can.

Looks like you keep a collection of houseplants that come out in the summer?

Thanks very much for sharing..
:-)
adam

Each pot has its 'own' trellis making them 'easy' to move during the hurricane season. Living in the semi tropics, (zone 10) gardening is 12 months of the year - so all pots are outside year round.

Thanks Joanmary...I really appreciate your photos and can't wait to try that myself. Now I just have to find an inexpensive source for all the bamboo I want. [g]

Thanks very much..
adam

Have you checked out the trellises in some of the garden supply catalogs? They have bamboo teepees and wire frames made for pots. Several different sizes too and they are not too expensive.
I made trellises from copper plumbing pipe and used copper "L" and "T" pieces to connect them. My little propane torch was a gift from my husband. I learned to solder by trial and error. It was fun. I bought copper oak leaves over the Internet and soldered them on making "branches" out of copper refrigerator tubing. They are spectacular against the otherwise bare soundwall in my yard. I fit the copper pipe uprights onto rebar that I stuck into the ground to make sure they didn't fall over.
If I could figure out how to send a photo I'd be happy to send you one.

Hi redterror...

Which catalogs have you been looking at? I have the Lee Valley catalog and I think I saw some there but I don't remember noticing they were inexpensive. I will have to go back and look. Your copper pipe trellises sound wonderful. I hope you can figure out how to send a photo..I would love to see one. :-) I attached a link to a post that tries to answer that question.

adam

Here is a link that might be useful: How do I add a photo to my post

Adam,
I'll try posting a picture tomorrow, but for now check out www.gardeners.com (Gardeners Supply Company) Try "supports" as the key word and you'll find these sets of rubber balls with holes in them. They are great connectors for 3/4" pipe or bamboo.
The other site is www.charleysgreenhouse.com. Lots of stuff there too.

I've tried something new this year since I have never found a vertical support that I truly love. I hammered nails into the top and bottom of a wooden fence and strung jute into a diamond pattern. I tied it off again at the intersection of the diamonds. I'm growing a native pipevine on it. I'm not sure how long the jute will last. The appeal for me is the idea that I can just cut it all down if it starts getting too heavy or overgrown, and start over from the bottom of the fence. I hate trying to cut back a vine that needs pruning.

Has anyone ever tried this? Am I setting myself up?

Hi Country.. :-)

I saw P. Allen Smith do something similar on a recent program. He had eye hoods with wire and sounds like the same arrangement. I haven't tried that yet, but I am going to try the same thing this year. I guess if your goal is to be able to cut the whole thing down, then using annuals would work out best?

I can't see a problem with doing this. My concern is to get enough air circulation between the vine and fence, so I want the jute to be enough of a distance from the fence. Not sure if nails will do that for me or if I should go to something else.

:-)

I make mine out of copper pipes and fittings. They're beautiful and fun to do. But can get expensive and time consuming. Really only worth the effort if you want a 'sculptural element' along with your vine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to my blog on making copper trellises

hi all,

I am new to this forum and to passifloras. I read your thread about trellises and was hoping for your opinions about how this would look....I want to 'bend' some sort of wire or skinny rebar into a spiral-shaped "topiary" and let the passi's grow up them but still in a pot for portability. do you think the passi leaves are too large to give the defined spiral I am looking for?

michelle

Hi Michelle,

I put a passiflora in a pot on the patio this year, with a metal trellis in the pot. I am finding the passiflora very stiff and not liking the way it climbs. Always a stem sticking straight out somewhere and I am just not happy about the way it looks at all. Personally, I can't imagine it on a spiral form. It could work, but for me, I would find it a lot of work to get it to look decent and I would think of using other plants that would take to that form more readily. Not sure what in your zone, as I am in zone 6. But what about a jasmine? Maybe someone in your zone has a better idea?

:-)

Did anyone mention old wooden gates that were used to keep in children and pets? All you need to do is anchor it at the top,and you have,a great trellis! :) Arum

I haven't been on the forums for a while so am a bit out of touch. I've been busy in the garden, but it is already 90F at 9am so am taking it in small doses today.
I got carried away with purchasing and trading morning glory seeds this past winter and ended up like many of you with not enough fence lines to grow them on. I raise sheep and if they can get to a plant it is history! I made some trellises this year with refrigeration tubing rolled into a shape like a spring (about 6" in diameter) then inserted one end of the spring in the ground or pot and the other end in a section of copper pipe stood on end in the soil with the plants around it. The plants seem happy enough with this arrangement but it is actually a little short for most morning glories and they are overreaching the tops now looking for additional support from neighboring plants.
Another idea that I tried this year is actually working better--I had a section of loose chain link fence that I could get anyone to take away for me so I used a bolt cutter to cut off the part where the wires are twisted together at the top and bottom freeing the wire to be twisted out of the fence fabric. They are perhaps 6-7' long. I tried various configurations in pots and ground using 3, 5, or 6 wires. I twisted the wire into the soil and wired the tops together making some teepee type trellises. The plants LOVE this wire and have almost no problem climbing the trellises. In some pots (smaller type vines), I pushed both ends of the wires into the soil and it makes a nice fat balloon shape that are very nice when covered with vines. My visitors have all been very interested and complimentary of these trellises/support systems
You just can't get any cheaper than the salvaged fence trellises. I would bet that you could find pieces of this kind of fence at the local landfill or recycling center.
Good luck,
spiderwoman

Spiderwoman, I would love to see a pic of that! :) Arum

Hey Arum,
Sorry no pix right now. If you are just curious about how these ideas work, I would be happy to have you come by to see them. I think I recall that you are a Baltimore girl? I am just up the pike from you about 40 miles in Littlestown, PA. I am about 13 miles north of Westminster MD.
If there is some part that I can explain further, I will try to do that but I am guessing that you just wanted to see how it looks. The refrigeration tubing thing is actually attractive. The fence wire thing, not so much. It isn't ugly, but some of the wires that I found were rusty and looked scruffy before the vines grew in.
I will one day try to get some photos made of the garden but right now I am in a phase of "whatever can go wrong will". I must have prayed for patience or something because I have everything breaking down--this week it was the pump in my well! One day life will go smoothly.
spiderwoman (martha)

spiderwoman,
thanks for the trellis ideas.

you know, I prayed for patience once about 10 years ago and the very next day, my washing machine broke, then the dryer, then hot water heater and finally I prayed for new appliances...hehehe I pray for different blessings now.

michelle

Spiderwoman, thanks for the invite! I was just in Philidelpha(sp),for a convention. Yes, I am curious as to how that looks. However traveling your way just isn't possible right now. Keep up with the great ideas! MG's are so beautiful,wish I could grow em all! :)

Thanks for those extra ideas. They both sounded great. I am done for this year, but next year, I hope to try some of those ideas. :-)