Arbors, Trellises & Pergolas: Climbing Plants

Filling your landscape spaces is a joy! But what to do when you run out of room?

You grow up!

Using Arbors, trellises, pergolas, and more, helps you take your landscape to new heights and saves space while bringing joy and beauty - not to mention shade, privacy, and more - to your garden!

Learn how you can start thinking of your garden in terms of 3D instead of just ground level!

How To Garden Vertically!
Types of Vertical Gardening Supports
Other Plant Supports And Vertical Landscaping
Supporting Bines and Canes
Have Fun Growing Up!

How To Garden Vertically!

Growing up brings so many possibilities to your garden and your outdoor spaces! Using ornamental or structural scaffolding to support vines and climbing plants easily boosts the curb appeal and visual element of your garden!

From Flowering Vines like Climbing Roses, Wisteria Vines, Clematis, and Honeysuckle, to fruiting vines like Passionflower, Hops, and Kiwi Vines, growing vertically brings you new opportunities without taking up valuable space.

Sometimes herbaceous, sometimes perennial, or sometimes with woody stems like shrubs - Vines come in an array of twisting, spiraling tendrils like Squash and Morning Glory’s, climbers that have adhesive structures to hold tight like Virginia Creeper and Boston Ivy, long flexible canes like Roses and Brambles, or long stems that can grow vertically with some assistance like Groundcover Euonymus.

With the right planning, proper material, and good anchoring, you can achieve easy height in your landscape.

Types of Vertical Gardening Supports

Check out the main types of scaffolding to support your plants and raise the roof in the garden!

Arbors and Garden Arches

Made from wood, bamboo, or metal, Arches, Bowers, and Arbors can be as utilitarian as an arch of cattle fencing to the decorative garden benches with an arch over them, or a pergola-styled garden gate. These plant supports typically straddle a pathway or bench and allow the plants to climb up and over.

This creates shade and a private nook or gives you the feeling of walking through a flowery portal to the rest of your garden. Larger arches and arbors are great for Climbing Hydrangea,

Trumpet Creepers, Grapes, and Bittersweet. In the veggie garden, you can allow your Cucumbers or Pole Beans to climb over Arbors to free up room for your other veggies and give more sun-tender veggies like lettuce a shady place to grow. You’ve not seen anything until you create a tunnel of arbors or arches full of ornamental squash or Angel Trumpet vines to create a shady tunnel dripping in gourds or flowers!

Be sure to anchor all sides of these structures securely so wind and the weight of your plants won’t topple them.

Teepees, Tuteurs, Pyramids and Obelisks

Also, going by names like Tuteur trellis, garden pyramids, teepees, and other four-sided, four-season supports can be stand-alone garden punctuation. Allowing you to grow a free-standing vertical vine right in the middle of an existing garden bed.

Depending on the vine you are planning to grow, these tower-like plant supports can be easily anchored and allow Morning Glories, edible and ornamental Beans and Peas, Cucumbers, Squash, Tomatoes, or perennial vines like Clematis, Honeysuckle, or Jasmine a designated place to grow and stay out of where they shouldn’t (like getting entangled in your shrubs).

Try covering a column or pillar in mesh or chicken wire and creating your own large-scale garden obelisk. This will transform the front porch or deck stairs into something magical and serve double duty as support and curb appeal!

An easy and fun idea for kids is to create a ring of twine connecting to tall teepee-like supports and plant beans or ornamental vines, and they will grow into a shady, tent-like secret nook!

Trellis and Lattice

Typically flat and flush against a vertical surface to give a vine foothold to climb without damaging the structure behind it. A trellis or lattice can be fan-shaped, ladder-like, wire or metal mesh, fencing panels, or wrought iron. Trellis can be used against your home or garage, on the sides of your Pergola and Gazebo, attached to the sides of your garden arch or arbor, and even free-standing if you provide good anchoring. Espalier-trained plants are typically supported by a wire or wood trellis.

Trellises can be of any material that can stand up to the elements and can be as large or small as you need. Trellises are plant supports that can go in the ground or in a container to support a climbing vine or hold a sprawling plant in a more vertical position. Great for smaller plants like Brambles, Clematis, smaller Climbing Roses, Mandevilla Vines, Black Eyed Susan Vines, Ivy, and more. Larger, sturdier trellis material can support any vining plant you need in a flat, vertical manner.

A chain link fence can easily be transformed (or disguised) into a lattice wall for plants to climb and provide fast property division and screening. Typically inexpensive, lattices and trellises can be used temporarily or permanently as you’d like. Depending on the material they’re made from and the size you go with, you can support any type of plant you need.

Pergolas and Gazebos

Pergolas, gazebos, awnings, or pavilions can be as large or small as you need or have room for. Large structures over a deck or seating area, canvas or wooden roofed canopies, or a stand-alone gazebo or pavilion that can be used as an entire outdoor room. While smaller structures can cover a single garden bench, shade the backyard barbecue grill, or create a cozy reading nook, these typically have four corners and very sturdy wood or metal supports, joists, and slats.

Great for shading your seating areas, and supporting larger permanent vines and woody plants such as Grape Vines, large Climbing Roses, and Wisteria. Just imagine a breakfast bistro table covered in a pergola of scented Jasmine, or an outdoor dining area dripping in table grapes!

Other Plant Supports And Vertical Landscaping

Wooden Stakes and Metal Ring Supports - great for supporting tall Oriental Lilies, Hollyhocks, Gladiolas, Delphinium, etc., or supporting a trellis or young tree

Potted plant stands, PopUp gardens, and tipsy pots for whimsical container gardening
Shepherd's Hooks are an easy way to include hanging baskets in the garden

Moss Poles for houseplants and indoor/patio Vines to climb like Monstera and Pothos

Tomato and Peony cages - support heavy plants or those that get flattened in heavy rain
Trellis Netting - nylon netting for light-weight vines - peas, tomatoes, beans, and more
String or twine suspended between metal stakes for vines to climb on
Wattle fencing and low border fences hold back bushy plants and keep pathways clear

Fun and Upcycled options include:

Upcycled ladders = instant plant supports!
Repurposed garden tools
Branches that are woven or tied together
A repurposed old trampoline frame for a large hoop-style arbor
Upcycled metal or wood headboard or footboard from a bed
Upcycled spring bed frames

Use your imagination!

Supporting Bines and Canes

While some Vines can climb easily and readily with little assistance from you (beyond ensuring they’re growing where you want them to), some canes and types of vines called ‘bines’ will need your help growing vertically.

Some of the best ways to gently hold them in place on their new vertical support include:

Rubber-covered twist ties that are soft and won’t cut into the plant stems
Stretchy plant tie tape
Plant clips
Strips of recycled T-shirts or pantyhose
Adjustable flexible ties and zip ties
Twine or hemp rope

Just ensure you aren’t tightening these support assists too much and that you check them often to ensure the plant hasn’t outgrown them, causing the ties to begin cutting into the plant tissues.

Change them out each year or adjust them frequently as the plant grows.

Have Fun Growing Up!

With a little imagination and preparation, you can enjoy a vertical element in your landscape. Transform your garden from flat and linear into a three-dimensional visual delight!

Check out all the different ways you can elevate your garden with the help of NatureHills.com today!

Happy Planting!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do arbors, trellises, and pergolas each support climbing plants differently?

Arbors and garden arches straddle pathways or seating areas, allowing plants to climb up and over to create shaded walkways and private nooks, making them ideal for vigorous climbers like Climbing Hydrangea, Trumpet Creeper, and Grapes. Trellises provide a flat, vertical surface mounted against walls or fences, giving twining vines and cane-type plants like Roses and Clematis a structured grid to weave through and spread across. Pergolas offer an open overhead framework that supports sprawling vines across a broader outdoor living space, creating a more architectural canopy effect. Choose your support based on the growth habit of your plant, the space available, and the function you want, whether that is a shaded garden entry, a productive veggie wall, or a covered outdoor room.

Do green beans grow better with a trellis or another type of vertical support?

Pole beans thrive with any vertical support that gives them 6 to 8 feet of climbing room, whether that is a trellis, teepee of bamboo poles, or an arbor. The key is getting the support in place before you sow your seeds, as beans grow quickly and benefit from having something to grab right away. Arbors are a particularly smart choice in the vegetable garden because the beans can climb up and over, freeing up ground space and even casting helpful shade for cool-season crops like lettuce growing below. Choose a sturdy structure anchored firmly in the ground and plant your beans at the base once soil temperatures reach at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit for best germination.

Do raspberry plants need a trellis to produce a good harvest?

Raspberry plants produce canes that can grow 4 to 6 feet tall, and without support they tend to flop over, reducing air circulation and making harvest difficult. While raspberries will technically fruit without a trellis, a simple two-wire support system strung between posts at 3 and 5 feet high keeps canes upright, improves sun exposure, and makes picking far easier. Set your trellis posts no more than 15 to 20 feet apart for adequate support, and get the structure in place before your canes reach full height in late spring.

Do slicing cucumbers need a trellis, and how does growing vertically affect fruit quality?

Slicing cucumbers do not strictly require a trellis, but growing them vertically on a trellis, arbor, or arch significantly improves fruit quality by keeping cucumbers straight, uniformly colored, and free from the soft spots and yellowing that develop when fruit rests on the ground. Vertical growing also improves air circulation around the foliage, which reduces common fungal issues like powdery mildew. Train your slicing cucumbers onto a support at least 5 to 6 feet tall, and begin guiding the vines upward as soon as they reach 6 inches in height for the best results.

Which climbing plants grow best on arbors, trellises, and pergolas?

Arbors and pergolas work beautifully with vigorous climbers like Climbing Hydrangea, Trumpet Creeper, Wisteria, Grapes, and Bittersweet, while trellises are well suited to lighter plants such as Clematis, Honeysuckle, Climbing Roses, and annual vines like Morning Glory. In the vegetable garden, Cucumbers and Pole Beans thrive on arbors, freeing up ground space and creating natural shade for sun-sensitive crops like lettuce underneath. Match the plant to the structure by considering the plant's mature weight and vigor, since heavy woody vines need sturdy metal or thick timber supports, while lightweight annual vines can manage on bamboo or simple wood frames. Shop climbing plants at Nature Hills and choose a support structure rated for your selected vine's size before planting.

How do I choose the right size arbor, trellis, or pergola for my yard or garden bed?

Choosing the right size structure depends on the mature size of the plants you want to support and the space available in your landscape. Vigorous climbers like Wisteria, Trumpet Creeper, and Climbing Hydrangea need large, sturdy arbors or pergolas that can handle significant weight and spread, while lighter vines like Clematis or annual Morning Glories do well on a modest trellis. As a general rule, make sure your structure is at least as tall as the expected first-year growth of your vine and anchored securely enough to handle wind and plant load. Measure your available space before purchasing, account for foot traffic if the structure straddles a pathway, and always size up rather than down since a plant will quickly outgrow an undersized support.

How far from an arbor, trellis, or pergola should I plant vines and climbers?

Generally, plant vines and climbers 6 to 12 inches away from the base of your arbor, trellis, or pergola to allow room for root development and air circulation around the stems. Planting too close to the structure can crowd roots against hard surfaces and restrict healthy growth. For woody climbers like Climbing Roses, Wisteria, or Trumpet Creeper, aim for the farther end of that range and angle the plant slightly toward the support so it naturally leans in and grabs hold as it establishes.

Should I plant vines at the base of the structure or offset them to one side?

When planting vines at the base of an arbor, trellis, or pergola, offset them slightly to the side rather than planting directly at the base of the support post. Planting 6 to 12 inches away from the structure ensures the roots are not competing with the post for water and nutrients, and gives you room to water effectively. This offset also helps prevent rot at the base of wooden structures by keeping excess moisture away from the post. Guide the young stems toward the structure with soft ties or flexible garden tape as soon as they are planted to encourage upward growth.

How do I train and tie vines to an arbor, trellis, or pergola when they first start growing?

When vines are young and just getting started, guide the new growth toward your support structure and loosely tie stems using soft garden twine, stretchy plant tape, or old nylon stockings, leaving a little slack so the stem has room to thicken without being strangled. Check and adjust ties every few weeks during the growing season, especially in spring when growth surges quickly. For self-clinging vines like Virginia Creeper or Boston Ivy, simply position the stems against the surface and they will attach on their own, while twining vines like Wisteria and Clematis need early direction but will wrap themselves once they make contact with a support. Start training in the first season to establish the shape and direction you want, as young flexible stems are far easier to work with than mature woody growth.

How do I anchor an arbor, trellis, or pergola so it stays stable through wind and heavy vine growth?

Proper anchoring is essential for any vertical garden structure, especially once heavy vines like Climbing Hydrangea, Grapes, or Trumpet Creeper reach full growth and add significant wind resistance. For most arbors and pergolas, posts should be set at least 2 feet deep in the ground, or deeper in softer soils and high-wind regions, using concrete footings for maximum stability. Metal ground anchors or post spikes are a good alternative for lighter structures or where digging is difficult. Choose your anchoring method based on your structure's size and the mature weight of your intended vines before you plant, so the foundation is solid from day one.

Arbors, Trellises, Pergolas, Oh My!

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