Climbing plants create their own atmosphere in the garden, with them the site looks different – brighter, more colorful, cozy. There are more places for rest, secluded corners formed by a living green wall in it. And if this wall is also in flowers, you are guaranteed a good mood, since the energy of flowering plants is very positive. Supports for climbing plants are various devices for the manifestation of their decorative qualities, which also provide plants with proper growth and development.
Supports can be created with your own hands or purchased from manufacturers – many firms produce pergolas, arches, trellises specifically for climbing plants. At one time they were not given due attention, in the courtyards there were hops and girlish grapes, but climbing plants do not deserve oblivion, and today the fashion for vines and bindweed has returned again, and with them our gardens have become much more beautiful and more comfortable.
Construction # 1 – support from sticks for annual bindweed
Consider the option of constructing the simplest support for a climbing plant in the shape of a cone. You will need 4-6 sturdy long sticks, wire or twine, and smaller sticks to create the lattice. On the ground we make markings – a square, in the corners – grooves for sticks, fix them in the soil, add the rest, connect the tops and tie them. Then we fix it crosswise on large small sticks. The support is ready.
It can be used in the garden for pumpkins, cucumbers, grapes, and also for flowering plants – sweet peas, purple morning glory, cobea, honeysuckle, ampelous gloxinia, etc. such a support is small in size, it is better to use it for curly annuals – they are more miniature.
Construction # 2 – chain-link mesh support
For weaving plants, a chain-link mesh with large sections will be an excellent support. You can just buy one and a half to two meters of canvas and stretch it between two wooden or iron poles. Buy a chain-link galvanized, or, even better, plasticized – it does not rust, it looks aesthetically pleasing. We process the wooden posts with a protective agent, paint the metal ones, stretch the mesh, fix them with wire or special hooks – and the support is ready. Over time, the plants will curl it so that the mesh will almost completely disappear from view, and you will have a living green wall, against which you can place a bench or hammock.
Chain-link fences, in addition to the protective function, are a good support for climbing plants, especially quickly the net will be hidden from view by maiden grapes or hops, which grow quickly and grow well.
Lightweight lattices with a pattern in the form of a diamond or square, made of wood, metal or plastic, appeared with us relatively recently. These are pergolas specially designed for garden decoration and as supports for climbing plants.
Pergolas are usually combined with garden decorative elements such as an arch, a gazebo, a bench. If the bench and the pergola form a single structure, then in the company with a climbing plant, for example, a kampsis, a very picturesque corner is obtained. The classic pergola is a structure of uprights with a roof of crossbeams in the form of a lattice. Any vines and climbing plants can grow on the roof. Such a design with a girlish grape looks especially beautiful, when its leaves turn red in the fall, with wisteria.
Very often, the pergola and the arched structure are used as a whole – this is one of the most beautiful decorative elements, both by itself and in combination with plants. A double arch with a lattice on top can be positioned over a wicket, a bench, use arches instead of support pillars in a row and create a wonderful gallery. It will look very beautiful with climbing roses.
Related article: Wooden pergola: how to build and effectively decorate with your own hands
One of the small forms used to decorate the garden is the trellis. Tapestries were widely used in Russian noble estates, they came to us from Europe, where they were used to decorate gardens by both simple peasants and noble gentlemen. Initially, this concept meant a dense planting in a row of low-growing shrubs or trees, forming a green vertical wall. Today, a trellis is also a support in the form of a metal or wooden lattice; a net stretched between the posts is also called a trellis.
Unlike a pergola, a trellis lattice can be an independent support – it can be leaned against the wall of the building, fixed in the right place in the garden. The design can be either light or massive, in a sturdy frame. You can use both single trellises and a group, creating screens from climbing plants in the garden. Trellis in the garden, like indoor screens, can be used for zoning the territory.
To transform the garden today there is a considerable selection of various interesting devices, choose, experiment, and create your masterpieces in landscape design.