Arbors, Trellises, Pergolas, Oh My!

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!

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 hideyhole!

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 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. While 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, lattice and trellis can be used as 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!