This DIY obelisk garden trellis is so versatile, it can be used for all sorts of plants that love to climb and trail. You can use it as a tomato cage or as a general support for any type of plant. At the top is space for a lightweight planting pot, too.
Because the trellis is 6 feet tall, you’ll have plenty of vertical room for draping vines or spiller or trailing plants like wisteria, honeysuckle, snapdragons, or jasmine. Plants like roses that grow upward will be eager to climb the trellis, too.
How You’ll Build This DIY Trellis
Though this garden obelisk trellis has a fair number of pieces, it’s actually an easy build. First, you create one side of the trellis—a ladder shape with two legs and five rungs. Once that’s done, duplicate the ladder shape for the opposite side.
Connect the two ladders with five more rungs per side and you’re done with the build.
What makes this project so easy is that there are no complicated angles to cut: Each piece of wood is square-cut.
You can build this obelisk DIY garden trellis in about an hour. Once you build one trellis, you’ve created a pattern that can be used to make more trellises.
Click Play to Learn How to DIY a Garden Obelisk
Tip
If you expect the garden trellis to be heavily covered by plants, you can save money by purchasing less expensive wood such as whitewood furring strips or pressure-treated lumber. Both species are about half the price of Douglas Fir two-by-twos.
Safety Considerations
Because the wood pieces are best cut on an electric saw, observe all safety recommendations that come with the saw.
Once the trellis is complete, be aware of tipping concerns. Though the base of the obelisk is broad, the top can still become heavy, especially if you place a planting pot at the top.
If you wish to use a pot, choose a lightweight resin, rubber, or metal pot rather than a heavy terracotta or stone-like pot. Be careful after watering, as this makes the pot heavier. If the trellis appears to be top-heavy, secure it to the ground at its base.
The Spruce / Liz Moskowitz
Source: The Spruce