My yard is graced with a plethora of roses. These are plants that need structures to climb but I didn't want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on arbors and trellises. So I came up with some creative, less costly alternatives. I found many at garage sales, on trash day, or after cleaning out the garage or basement.
Plastic and metal tubing
A common way to create trellises is to use old pipe or tubing. I haven't tried this method myself but I've seen some lovely examples. Donna Freeman shows one such in her article "Build a Copper Pipe Trellis." To avoid soldering, I'd suggest something simpler, such as plastic piping.
Begin by putting together the pieces of piping that are available so that they are tall enough and wide enough to meet each plant's needs. This means making the pipe trellis taller and wider than the plant so that it has room to grow. If the piping is metal, coating it with linseed oil before putting it outside will help to preserve it against the weather. Piping can be built to sculpt plants to a form or simply made to be functional. Plants such as roses will eventually grow over the piping so that it is barely visible underneath the plants.
Fishing poles
I've always loved rose arbors but they are a pricey option. For those with a smaller budget, old fishing poles will do the trick. Although this sounds unusual, fiber glass is tough stuff so it’s actually quite a good option for a single rose plant or many (if lots of old fishing poles are available). To create a fishing-pole-style tepee for my Graham Thomas rose, I first removed all old fishing line and reels. I then used three fishing poles to form a steeple-like structure.
To begin, I dug a hole about one half foot deep for each pole – spacing them far enough away from the plant so as not to disturb the roots. I then placed the poles in the ground, slanting them at the bottom, and angling them inward so that they touched at the top and formed a teepee. Next, I secured them at the top with twine. I used old nylon to hold some of the vines to the poles without damaging them. I plan to add a second concentric structure several feet outside the first to allow for extra growth.
Bicycles, Tricycles and Unicycles!
When on vacation this past summer, driving through the quaint streets of my native Northern Michigan home state, my husband and I made an interesting discovery. Michiganders use bicycles as lawn ornaments! All kinds of bicycles. There are old repainted Schwinns, rusty tricycles, and bright yellow bicycles adorned with flags. These bright spots draw the eye into the gardens beyond! Some even sport baskets full of flowers. Before we left Michigan a friend’s husband gifted us with a rusty tricycle. It’s now resting next to my lamppost-style porch light, helping to hold up the sweet peas.
The Bicycle Trellis
Since I spent much of my vacation time reading, studying, and praying, Nico, the husband, drove around town more frequently than I did. After one such trip, he declared that he had an idea for how to trellis my roses.
“Bicycles,” he said.
“Bicycles?” I questioned with raised eyebrows, thinking for a moment, that he’d completely lost his marbles. I figured I’d be a good sport and listen since I didn’t have any better ideas. He then explained that two old bicycles could be used to trellis the roses. We could simply dig the back tires in the ground, stand them on end, and teepee them together with wire. At first I thought this was a pretty crazy idea, but after giving it some more thought, I decided it was worth a try.
I have yet to try this out as I need to find some old bicycles, but I'm looking! I'm hoping to find a lot of old bicycles so that I can get really crative. I'd like to try a bicycle arbor. I could stand dig the back tires of two bicycles into the ground and then lash a third to the top!
And yes, it’s possible that if anyone notices, I might be named the craziest person on the block. Ah well! Living in the suburbs is expensive and a little creativity can make life more fun. So skip the expensive trip to Home Depot or the garden center and get bicycling.
April Mattson - Over the years I've worn many career hats: legal secretary, media associate, executive assistant, and tri-office gopher, for example. ...
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