The number of vines on my garden wish list will soon outnumber the structures on which I can grow them. Is that a bad thing, you ask? It would be if I had to rely on the vine supports for sale at local nurseries and home stores. What I found on a recent shopping trip was either overpriced, lacking in character, or made with flimsy materials. That’s what motivated me to make my own trellises out of bamboo. Bamboo is a wonderfully versatile building material and one of the world’s most renewable resources. It’s lightweight, strong, and flexible, and it looks at home in most gardening schemes, even in the garden that surrounds my late-19th-century in-town house. Another plus is that bamboo can last 8 to 10 years before showing signs of deterioration.
One of the benefits of designing and building my own trellises is that I can determine their size. Furthermore, I can work with two cane widths to give my designs more visual interest. To tie the bamboo together, I use a wax-coated black lashing cord that contrasts nicely with the buff-colored bamboo. I mail-order bamboo in bulk to save money and to have extra on hand for other projects. With an investment of less than two hours and for about $10, I have a custom-made trellis for one of the vines in my growing collection.
Supplies
• Several canes of bamboo in different diameters
• Lashing cord
• Hand saw
• Ruler or tape measure
• Pencil
1. Create a design
Imagine your trellis where it will eventually be placed, taking into account the size and shape of the area where it will be situated. Draw the design of your trellis on paper. Deciding on as many measurements as possible in advance will help you to stay on track during the building process.
2. Cut the bamboo to size
If the bamboo is thin enough, you can use pruners to make the cuts.
Use a hand saw to cut the sky-facing ends of your vertical canes just above a node, which is solid. This will keep water from collecting in the open ends, which would encourage rot. Then cut the trimmed canes to size from the bottom. Cut the horizontal canes to size as well.
3. Lay out your trellis
On a flat surface, arrange the canes into the shape of your design, using a ruler to ensure that the canes are spaced evenly. Mark the intersecting points of the crossing canes with a pencil, since the unbound canes will shift around a bit as you start to connect them with lashing cord.
4. Lash it together
Using the technique pictured below, lash the crossing canes together as tightly as possible.
Try this lashing technique
Lashing is the most important part of making bamboo trellises, since it’s what holds them together. Here’s a technique I use that is both strong and attractive. Start with a piece of cord that’s 4 to 5 feet long, and trim the excess when you’re done. See the photos below for details, or watch my video Lashing a Bamboo Trellis.
Bird Houses for Outside Clearance with Copper Guard, Cedar Bird House Outdoor, Bluebird Finch Swallow Wren Chickadee
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1-1/2" ENTRANCE HOLE SIZE: SISTERBIRD bluebird houses for outside have a properly-sized entrance hole, through this blue bird houses for outside you can attract desirable species to your bluebird house, such as Bluebird, Wren, Tree Swallow, Chickadees, etc. While this blue bird house excluding predators and unwanted occupants, for example, European starlings. HIGH-QUALITY MATERIALS: SISTERBIRD birdhouse kits for kids and adults use untreated, unpainted cedar. bluebird nesting box has a rough surface, and birdhouses for outdoors can give birds a foothold as they enter and exit the cedar bluebird house. Cedar of birdhouses for outdoors clearance also can keep out weather-related damage. SAFE HOME FOR FLEDGLINGS: SISTERBIRD Bluebird BirdHouse Box with copper predator guard around the entrance hole can help young birds against predators. These birdhouses for outdoors interior grooves, like a small ladder, help young birds leave the cedar bird houses for outside, especially swallows and bluebirds. A great birdhouses for outside clearance for creating a trail. EASY AND FUN TO ASSEMBLE: Just use a screwdriver, you can experience the thrill of working with your family to build blue bird houses, and feel the pride that comes from building a bird nesting box for little birds. You can also DIY, paint it, making blue bird box special and unique, build your own blue bird houses for outdoors. EASY TO CLEAN & REUSABLE: SISTERBIRD wooden bird houses front door opens for easy cleaning after fledglings have left. When the season is over, clean out the blue bird boxes for outside and save bluebird birdhouses for outdoors clearance for next spring.
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Decorative plant pot made of solid cast-iron material, painted in rustic white color, finished with anti-rust coating, that will last for years. Rustic design plus enough space to plant makes this a perfect outdoor and garden planter. A great way to add beauty to your small garden oasis.
Size: height: 10.2 inches; bottom diameter: 4.0 inches; opening diameter: 7.87 inches. Makes a great garden gift.
Plant Covers Freeze Protection 10 ft x 30 ft Floating Row Cover 0.9oz/yd²
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Lightweight and Breathable MATERIAL Good for protecting Plant: the plant frost cover material is 0.74 oz/sq non-woven polypropylene fabric, which is lightweight, breathable, and durable. The plant blanket frost protection allows sunlight reach the plants, perfect for protecting plants from the damage of freeze or frost. Wide Application In your Garden Work. The plant row cover not only can work as a barrier against frost, but also can be a great tool for germination and good for rapid seedling growth. By using the fabric plant covers over your plant, you can start the plant earlier in the spring and extending the growing season of your plants. How to Use the Plant Covers: you can cover the plant covers for freeze over your the plants loosely directly and then secure the plant frost blanket with soil, stones or staples. You can also support the floating row covers with a hoop, make enough room for plants to breath and grow. You could also cut the plant covers into different sizes for different purposes.
If you happen to live in an area where Arundo donax ("Giant Reed") is an invasive you may be able to harvest Arundo canes in various diameters, dry them thoroughly in direct sun for several months and then use those to make trellises instead of store purchased bamboo. I've used Arundo harvested from a patch we are working to remove from a local riparian area as supports in the vegetable garden for years. Be sure it is completely dry and dead before putting it in the ground. If it still has live buds it will quickly sprout...as when our local levee weed abatement crews cut the stuff from river banks and leave the stalks in the water. Within days there are bright green rafts of new sprouts of Arundo drifting everywhere...and happily re-establishing downstream. By using Arundo in place of bamboo it will save a little on the cost of each trellis and may help remove a noxious invasive from a riparian area near you.
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Comments
So, how do you keep the trellis from falling over? Do you bury part of the trellis, if so, how much?
If you happen to live in an area where Arundo donax ("Giant Reed") is an invasive you may be able to harvest Arundo canes in various diameters, dry them thoroughly in direct sun for several months and then use those to make trellises instead of store purchased bamboo. I've used Arundo harvested from a patch we are working to remove from a local riparian area as supports in the vegetable garden for years. Be sure it is completely dry and dead before putting it in the ground. If it still has live buds it will quickly sprout...as when our local levee weed abatement crews cut the stuff from river banks and leave the stalks in the water. Within days there are bright green rafts of new sprouts of Arundo drifting everywhere...and happily re-establishing downstream. By using Arundo in place of bamboo it will save a little on the cost of each trellis and may help remove a noxious invasive from a riparian area near you.
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