When you hear the word trellis, or lattice, or arbor, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a wooden or plastic frame with diamond or square holes. Trellises are far more dynamic than that, they aren’t just for cottage-style gardens.

There are many different unique ways to incorporate trellises into your garden design. There are plenty of non-traditional trellis frames you can buy, and you can even make your own with a little time and a few materials. Climbing plants will climb nearly anything, so you can get super creative with how you design your DIY trellis.

Trellises also have benefits for your climbing plants. Flowering plants love trellises because the extra airflow encourages more profuse blooms. Trellises that are covered can also provide shade on hot days. A trellis covered in blooms offers a large, easily-accessible supply of pollen for bees and other pollinators. 

We carry several beautiful climbing plants with trellises at Tropical Plants of Florida, all of which are carefully chosen for their ability to add color and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Here are a few you’ll love:

1. Bleeding Heart Purple and Red– A butterfly and hummingbird magnet with deep crimson flowers that emerge from purple calyces shaped like dangling hearts. Also produces attractive fruits!
2. Bleeding Heart White and Red – Like the purple and red bleeding heart, but with white calyces in place of purple. 
3. Mandevilla – The dark green, glossy leaves and head-turning flowers of the mandevilla are some of our absolute favorite trellis plants. To promote more profuse blooms, pinch off spent flowers regularly.
4. Cape Honeysuckle – The cheerful orange tubular flowers of this honeysuckle bring zesty color to your garden design. 
5. Dipladenia – Dipladenia vines bloom profusely with brightly-colored, trumpet-shaped blooms that draw in pollinators.
6. Passion Vine – An incredibly exotic flowering vine with unique purple or red blooms.
7. Sky Vine – Lovers of blue flowers will appreciate this gorgeous vine, which produces a blanket of sky-blue, trumpet-shaped blooms.

Trellis Design Ideas

There are plenty of trellises available, made from a variety of materials like wood, plastic, wire, or even twine. Here are a few of the most popular designs. 

Obelisks

For individual plants in pots, wire or metal trellises are a great option. Trellises for potted plants are usually called obelisks, tripods, or tipis. They are available in endless color, shape, and height options. 

You can also DIY an obelisk with a few bamboo canes and some twine, or an upside-down tomato cage. 

Ladder Trellis

Ladder style trellises come in a variety of styles. Some are simple and tall, with cross members for plants to climb. Others start small to fit in a pot and then spread out in a fan shape at the top. 

Two ladder trellises can be used to create an archway or style trellis by leaning the tops against each other and securing them together. 

You can also DIY a ladder trellis with bamboo or wooden stakes, securing with chicken wire or twine woven back and forth between the stakes. DIY-ing a fan-shaped ladder trellis is more difficult. 

Wall or Fence Trellis

There are several different colors and styles of trellis that you can use against walls or fences. There are the classic square or diamond shapes with wide wooden or plastic slats, or there are some with thinner bamboo poles that will be more hidden when plants climb them. You can also attach chicken wire or livestock wire to fences, walls, or freestanding stakes.

Garden Archways

While you can create your own garden archway to display your climbing plants, it’s much easier to buy one. There are so many ways to style an archway these days, from placing them over garden pathways, to creating a seating area with a garden bench or swing. Archways are a gorgeous feature for any garden, even before they’re covered in leafy vines and vibrant blossoms. 

Climbing plants tumbling over archways and trellises add both structure and softness to your garden. It’s also fun to train your plants around unique shapes and see how it looks once it’s filled with blossoms and greenery. If you’d like to show off your vining and climbing plants, consider adding some interesting trellises to your landscape. Check out our trellis plant shopping guide to find beautiful climbers for your trellis designs. Like what you’re reading? Find out the best tropical plants for 2020.