#trellising

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Castle and vineyard, Rhône region, southeastern France

Vineyard with the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation borders, with vines trimmed as bushvines

Welcome to Unlocking the Power of Trellising: Transform Your Garden Today! Trellising is an easy and fantastic way to add beauty, structure, and practicality to any garden. Whether you’re a gardening veteran or just getting your hands dirty for the first time, you’ll be amazed at the possibilities trellising can unlock. From embracing vertical space to creating a beautiful backdrop for your plants, the potential uses for trellising are limited only by your imagination. In this article, we’ll show you how trellising can transform your garden into a lush environment you can easily maintain and admire. We’ll discuss everything from selecting the right trellis and creating focal points to how to train flowers and vegetables to maximize their potential. It’s time to unleash the creative gardening power that lies within you and discover the joys of trellising!

Trellising Techniques to Enhance Your Garden's Beauty

Somewhere between planting your first pea shoot and chasing rogue vines across your fence, you realize: your garden isn't just growing—it's staging a coup. Trellising, my dear readers, is your line of defense and your secret to elegance. It’s a marriage between structure and soul, and it’s changed how I see my own backyard jungle.

I used to think trellises were for people with *formal rose gardens* or *vineyards in Tuscany*. Turns out, they’re for anyone who’s tired of stepping on squash tendrils and wants their beans to stop flirting with the neighbor’s lawn. Trellising is not only practical—it adds vertical drama, texture, and serenity where chaos once reigned.

Trellising is not just supporting plants—it's supporting beauty, intention, and a little bit of garden theatre.

Let’s get into the dirt—literally. Here's what I've learned after years of tangled mornings and late-afternoon trellis wrangling:

The Obelisk Approach: This architectural gem is perfect for peas, morning glories, or even cucumbers. It turns climbing plants into *living sculptures* that will make your neighbor whisper, “Is that art?”

The Classic Fan Trellis: Best for roses or clematis, this one's got curves and charisma. I installed one at the corner of my patio, and now it's the most photographed spot in my garden (sorry, bird bath).

String and Wire Systems: Minimalist? Absolutely. Effective? Like a charm. Tomatoes behave better on these than my teenagers on a school night.

Espalier for the Patient: This ancient technique is part pruning, part performance art. I trained an apple tree against my wall over three years. Worth it? Every symmetrical, Instagrammable branch says yes.

Don’t overthink it—start simple. Even an old ladder leaned against the shed can become a vertical paradise. And if you're curious how trellising ties into edible landscaping, check out my related piece on for juicy ideas (pun intended).

So next time your garden threatens to sprawl into a botanical free-for-all, stand tall—with a trellis. Whether you're growing beans or bougainvillea, a little elevation goes a long way. It's not just gardening—it's choreography.

In the front in-ground bed I have a Florida weave going on:

There are only two lines right now and half aren't quite tall enough to reach the second line yet, but it's in place. There are so many self-seeded cosmos behind the tomatoes that you may not be able to pick them out! Well, I say "self-seeded", but I was actively helping that along by stripping seedheads last year. The bees will be ecstatic in about two weeks or so.

Finally got my overhead lines with clips attached to the tomatoes/tomatillos today. Made new longer earth staples for them out of wire coat hangers I picked up over the winter with this purpose in mind. The lines are attached to metal conduit pipes attached to the structure of this quadruple-sectioned raised bed.

Then there are the ones attached simply with figure-eight ties to an A-frame trellis that the pole beans are currently working on climbing up. These are determinate tomatoes so need little support in general.

As a bonus, the loofah finally came up on one of the sides:

The other side either didn't sprout or wildlife ate the seeds. I need to check if it would be worth replanting now as I'll need more than one vine to set fruit properly.

And then finally some tomato cages for the raised bed (and two containers not pictured) that doesn't have an overhead structure for lines/clips to work. I've got hyacinth bean, morning glory, and pole beans climbing up old wire crib spring panels attached to the fence. Once those have grown up and over the top, I may run lines from the fence to help support the tops of the tomato plants if they need it. It's a part-shade location so I don't expect too much from these, but I ran out of good places to plant.

John's 8a Garden Update | 4-14-24 - Stakes Up! 🍅

Got the new trellis arch up to support my climbing plants and tomatoes!

Got the greenhouse shell set up. The covering ripped in a storm so I’ll be using it as trellising for my peas, beans, cucumbers and squash. My peppers will be in the beds in the middle. So exciting!

Thank you for the questions! I LOVE talking about gardening :D

Before about 2 years ago, I used to just put seeds in the ground right around Easter or early May. Some would take & some wouldn’t & throughout the season, I would buy plant starts from garden nurseries once they went on sale. 

Last year, having a much bigger garden to work with, I decided to start seeds indoors, beginning around February/March. I think some of the starts didn’t transplant all that well, but others did really well. Then, I also planted seeds out in the soil in early spring. Then, I would fill in the holes in the garden as the season progressed. There are lots of cool charts to help you figure out when to start inside or when to plant outdoors, once you know your zone. We’re in zone 8. The zones let you know how long your growing seasons is & that helps you pick veggies that will have enough time to produce.

This year, I started the following seeds indoors on the last day of January:

onions, cauliflower (haven’t grown successfully yet), cabbage, radish (these grow quickly, so you don’t really need to start them indoors), lima beans, cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeno, peas, green beans, tomato, eggplant (first attempt), celery, okra (I’m on a mission but no luck yet), sunflowers, broccoli, cantaloupe (first attempt), pumpkin (first attempt), parsnips (no success yet, but trying again), bell pepper & garlic. 

Then, there are things that are already in the garden that come back each year: raspberry (regular & golden), artichokes, strawberries, blueberries, rhubarb, ground cherries, apple & cherry trees, hazelnut tree, valerian, tarragon, mint, sage, rosemary, kale (leftover from last year & keeps all winter in the garden) & I’m going to check for any more root veggies — like carrots, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas – before I add in fresh compost. Then, I’ll be ready to start transplanting some cooler crops & even putting out seeds for snap peas, radishes, cilantro, beans & so on. 

So, I would say to start playing around with seeds in a sunny spot in your house a couple of months before spring & then you can kind of get a feel for how quick certain things grow. Start with your favorite vegetables that would save you money at the grocery store, for example. Some things can be grown in containers & do great because you can move them outdoors when it gets warmer. I think I’m trying my garlic, jalapeno, eggplant & okra in pots so that I can mimic a longer growing season that they need. 

The people who lived in our house before us put in so many edibles in their landscaping & put a big garden in the front yard. So, I had to step up my game & just go for it. I had many successes & plenty of flops. But, there’s so much to learn about companion planting, ways to trellis different vegetables to get more vertical & make better use of your space & which plants grow best in containers.