Climbing roses add color and beauty to any garden.
Providing support for climbing roses is essential to maximizing air circulation between branches and allowing light to reach all areas of the plant. While you can purchase trellises made of wrought iron, bamboo or cut wood, a do-it-yourself natural looking trellis can blend into your landscaping and show off your roses without drawing attention to the framework. Before you make a rose trellis out of branches, you'll want to spend time collecting branches with a relatively even thickness to create a trellis that is both sturdy and decorative. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Gather branches that are all between 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Cut side shoots from the branches to leave as straight a branch as possible. Measure and cut the branches until you have 4 branches each 6 feet tall and 9 branches all 2 feet long.
2. Lay the four 6-foot branches side by side on the ground running vertically with each branch set approximately 6 to 7 inches apart. Starting at the top, place a 2-foot branch horizontally across the top cut ends of the 6-foot branches.
3. Screw through the 2-foot branch and into the 6-foot branches at each of the four intersections to connect. Place the next horizontal 2-foot branch 6 inches below the first and secure with screws.
4. Continue to place the 2-foot branches 6 inches apart and screw them into place until the entire trellis is constructed and the bottom 18 inches of the 6-foot branches are left sticking out from the grid-like frame.
5. Loop lengths of twine around each intersection of the trellis to cover the screws and create a rustic, natural look, if desired.
6. Dig a narrow, 1-foot-deep trench behind the area where your roses will be or are planted. Make the trench 2 feet long. Slip the bottom ends of the 6-foot branches into the trench and hold the trellis so it is level. Fill in the trench and pack the soil around the trellis to hold.
Tags: 6-foot branches, 2-foot branch, branches each, ends 6-foot, ends 6-foot branches, feet long, inches apart
