Your Guide to Building Your Own Garden Trellis

by Maryann Ross Levanti 02/13/2022

If you’re looking for a way to grow plants and flowers in limited outdoor space, vertical gardens are the way to go. While many vertical garden solutions are complex and expensive, there are many you can set up yourself for a lower price point. One excellent option is to create your own trellis and hang potted plants in the empty spaces. Here we’ll go over how to accomplish this simple and rewarding DIY task.

Materials

Here’s what you’ll need for this project:

Lumber (1x1)
Circle saw
Exterior paint
Paint brush
Exterior polyurethane or other sealant
S hooks
Drill
3/4 inch wood screws
Plant containers with handles

How to Build

  1. To begin, cut your lumber into 8 4-ft long pieces.

  2. Paint and finish each piece of lumber with your choice of color or wood stain. Allow to try completely.

  3. Arrange your lumber in a square shaped grid with a few inches overhanging on each side.

  4. Add 3 S hooks to the horizontal boards. This will be much easier than adding them after everything is constructed.

  5. With everything in place, screw together each piece of lumber where the pieces cross. Doing this from the back will give you a cleaner look.

  6. Prepare your plant containers by adding drainage holes in the bottom (at least two each). You may also want to add a small layer of gravel to the bottom to assist with drainage.

  7. If you have planters without handles attached, you can make your own with twine, macrame or the material of your choice. For an easy built-in handle option, opt for miniature metal buckets.

  8. Add your plants to the containers either by potting them with soil or by simply placing the entire plastic nursery pot into the container. Keeping plants in their plastic pots makes it easier to swap them out for new ones when the seasons change.

  9. Prop your trellis up against a wall or fence, leaving some room for the containers to hang.

  10. Hang your containers on the S hooks and enjoy your beautiful and inexpensive vertical garden!

The wonderful thing about this project is that it leaves a lot of room for creative choice. You can pick the pots or containers you want and customize them. You can paint them the same color as your trellis frame or leave them unfinished for a rustic look. Regardless, you’ll be able to enjoy this simple DIY garden project no matter how little your outdoor space.

About the Author
Author

Maryann Ross Levanti

I'm Maryann Ross Levanti, looking forward to meeting you and helping you find your new home and/or sell your current one. I've lived in Fairfield County the majority of my life - grew up in Westport, (Coleytown, Coleytown, Staples), undergrad at UPenn, masters from Edinburgh, Scotland. I'm ABR and GRI certified, and hold a broker's license in real estate, as well as a provisional appraiser license. Additionally, I am the exclusive agent for CCO Habitats - a HOBI award winning building company which regularly offers new construction homes as well as renovated homes to the market in Westport. In my 20 plus years of selling homes, I've learned many things - among them - the customer is not always right. Nor am I. However, if we work together we have a much better chance of being correct and either getting your home sold or finding the home that best suits your needs. Yes, I'm outspoken and opinionated. But anyone with a license can open a door - wouldn't you rather have doors opened by someone who actually tells you the truth and is willing to put her years of experience and knowledge into working 24/7 for you to help you understand what you're getting into? You may not always like what you hear, and there are no crystal balls in this business. But I believe an informed decision is always better. Hopefully you do too! As a yearly winner of the Connecticut Five Star Realtor award and frequently repeated recipient of customer service awards indicate; my priority is you, my client, and my clients appreciate it. Put my local knowledge, professional skills, ethics and dedication to work for you - give me a call 203.984.5157.