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There is something unerringly romantic about a trellis. It calls to mind a young couple sitting beneath one falling in love for the first time. The lovesick boy then plucks a flower off a climbing rose attached to the trellis to give to his sweetheart. That same boy might even climb up yet another more sturdy trellis to get to his beloved’s bedroom window for one last parting kiss, just like Romeo and Juliette. And, of course, we’ve all seen the lovely wedding trellis festooned with beautiful flowers and greenery underneath which the couple will marry, promising eternal love and we believe it.
For us romantics nothing compares. A garden is simply incomplete without a trellis or two. Where else are all our vines to grow without several trellises? Sprawled out on the ground? Heavens, no! The garden trellis, therefore, is an essential garden tool for every landscape. They are necessary to give height to the garden, to add interest and to provide much needed support and control for meandering, flowering vines.
There are many kinds of trellis designs available. Trellises can be made of wood, metal or plastic and come in many shapes and sizes each suitable for a different application. Depending on what purpose it will serve will determine the style and materials used for the trellis.
For a delicate vine such as the Cardinal Climber (Ipomoea quamoclit) or a climbing Rose a simple wooden fan-shaped trellis will work nicely and is quite easy to use. Just stick the attached spike into the soil and loosely tie the vine to it or merely start it twining and the vine will take care of the rest as it grows. There is readily available now at most garden, hardware or home improvement centers a rather sturdy vinyl trellis made to look like painted lattice work which can last far longer than the thin, wooden variety and keeps looking good for several years without repainting. With a pretty Morning Glory growing on it the neighbors will gawk unblinkingly. For the novice gardener this is the easiest way to have a vine beautify the yard.
Wisteria, Trumpet vine and Honeysuckle, however, being rather vigorous growers, require a much stronger support. Arbors made with heavy wooden or metal columns at the corners with lattice worked between the columns makes a wonderful support for these vines and also provides a secluded, shady spot away from the harsh summer sun. A self-standing copper or iron trellis would look especially lovely with Moon Flower or a Sweet Autumn Clematis, two other outstanding growers and profuse bloomers. Place this in the middle of a perennial border and you instantly give the eye something to look up to. The trellis itself can be quite pretty but have a flowering vine entwined in it and it’s an outstanding garden structure .
In the vegetable garden, the trellis in indispensable. There are Peas and Runner Beans, of course, which need something to grow on but a tomato trellis is extremely important to those who revere this fruit. Otherwise you’ll have the tomato vine sprawling all over the place. Quite unruly, untidy and there’s no need to mention the risk of a fungal disease with such a wild method.
Grapes are also something that require support. A grape trellis can look as fancy as you want or as simple as two posts strung with wire. But there’s no need to say no matter what is used for the trellis, the brilliantly colored fruit hanging in clusters with that lovely, bright green foliage will look beautiful.
Try a vine and get a pretty trellis to grow it on and no one in their right mind will ever consider you a novice gardener. Who knew the simple trellis could be so powerful a gardening tool?
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more amazing garden facts, a glimpse at an unfinished novel and amusing short stories come visit me at
http://www.helium.com/user/32782
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