Some trellises can be very complex and yet others are very simple; I personally prefer the simpler designs. My preference for the simple looking trellis styles is mostly because I rely on the other things which will be used to accentuate the trellis. For example the plants I choose will need to match my trellis so that it may do the visual talking for my garden for me. Many times using a too intricate design of your trellis can take away from the overall look and feel of your flower garden or patio walkway which you are trying to showcase with a nice trellis.
Trellises can be made from almost any durable material which can be used outdoors. Wood is a fairly traditional material used in a great many gazebo designs, but I prefer metal shapes taken from scrap tubes and other metal pieces which can be welded or bolted together making a durable and recycled trellis frame for almost no money. Unfortunately many people don’t have access to a welder and they lack the training for building their own metal frame trellis but if you can find a welder who is willing to get creative you may be surprised at how inexpensive a nice looking trellis can be using recycled metal.
If you go traditional and use wood to make your trellis there are many classic styles to choose from. Once again I prefer to find and recycle with used materials if at all possible. The most typical trellis might be a square archway which is built from treated lumber posts and lattice material. if you want to use more modern construction strategies you could opt for some of the new plastic lattice since it would probably last much longer than treated lattice, but again I am more a fan of real wood for this kind of project. I will typically stain and seal the lumber so that it lasts a long time and also to make it match any other yard or lawn features that are in place prior to the Trellis being built.
The visual design of your trellis is what will make the project shine and stand out amongst the other garden items you have already used. There are important factors to consider like how the final color will look using paint or stain. An important design step is to decide whether this project will complement or contrast with the colors of your existing buildings. Also it is important to decide how wide long and tall your trellis will be. If you erect a small trellis on a big garden area then it will look out of place just like a too large trellis could dominate the visual frame to a point where nothing else comes into the picture. Lastly the plantings I use with this trellis should bring out the color of the wood frame and also the plants can bring a dash of color to the trellis you just designed and built. Like anything worth doing it is worth doing right, and doing this right starts with doing a lot of research before you commit to any kit or plans for a trellis.
