How To Build a Trellis for Privacy and Height

Let's learn how to build a trellis so you can create privacy and height for anywhere in your yard that you may need it.
Simply speaking, a trellis is any vertical structure that will allow climbing vegetation.
I have a trellis along one side of my pergola. Once the clematis I have planted next to it begins to grow, so does a bit of privacy from the street.
It has been there now for 3 years and is nothing more than 3 sheets of premade square wood screen joined together with a few additional wood slats.

Take a look at other privacy landscaping ideas.

As far as the wood you choose goes, it needs to be narrow enough for a vine to easily wrap around.
Unless you are planting wisteria or grape, most vines don’t have too much weight so 1/2- to ¾ inch slats work well. I am using 1 x 2 pine. It’s pretty cheap and it is readily available at my home improvement store.

The variety of wood is up to you as well. My patio is concrete and my pergola is stained pine. I could stain the wood for the trellis to match (easier to do this before you put it together) but instead I will let it age to a grayish color with the weather to match the first trellis I have.
Because I haven’t prepared it for the weather, it probably won’t last more than 4-5 years but that’s ok too. I enjoy the rustic charm it has and it sets off the flowers better too I think.

Pressure treated wood as well as cedar will last much longer and look much more “finished” than untreated wood but finding it in small diameters may prove to be a challenge to you.
If you want to match a cedar deck or other wood you have in your yard, you may just have to buy a premade trellis.

How to build a trellis - The Design

• Brad Nailer and brads
• OR
• 6-8 inch long pieces of strong coated wire

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Wood no more than 2” square in lengths to accommodate the size of the trellis
• 1 x 3 or 1 x 4 wood to frame the trellis if it is freestanding

Most trellises are a series of repeating squares. They are the simplest to make and are great for climbing plants.

On the other hand, if you want a trellis more for a decorative element, you can be as creative as you want.

Begin by drawing out a design on paper. You can also start by laying your wood out on the ground and designing your pattern that way.

Most vines can reach 6-10 inches to find another support to climb or wrap around. Premade lattice board is a privacy screen in and of itself and isn't a good choice fora trellis if you intend to grow something on it.

This page is describing how to build a trellis that is mostly open, rather than a mostly closed lattice.

Classy Groundcovers is a great online source for vines and comes with first rate customer service.

Once you have your trellis laid out in the pattern of your choice, all that is left is cutting it (if you need to) and fastening it together.
I use a brad nailer.

The brads are just the right size to hold it together without splitting the thin wood.

If your trellis is a smaller size, you may choose to use coated wire to bind the cross pieces together. Be sure those wires are wrapped around several times and enven though you may be tempted, be sure to wrap every intersection.

I have a 10 inch wood stake driven down into the dirt and then I nailed the bottom of my trellis into it to keep it steady.
At the top, I wired it to eye hooks that I screwed into one of the ledger boards of the pergola.

If you intend on growing some kind of vine, you must be sure that especially the bottom of the trellis won’t blow around in a storm. If it did, it could easily rip the stems and you would have to start growing all over.

Lets Return From How To Build a Trellis to How To Build a Pergola