These tips on how to build a climbing rose trellis can help you build one from scratch. If you have some extra lumber from another project, you can build a climbing rose trellis.
Building a climbing rose trellis is fairly simple, and takes an hour for assembly. Climbing roses are lovely, fragrant, and some are very hardy. The “Blaze” climbing rose at left thrives despite annual attacks from Japanese beetles and black spot; “Dream Waver”, a vibrant pink climbing rose my husband purchased for me a few years ago, is also very hardy for our zone 6B garden in the piedmont area of south central Virginia.
Although we could have purchased a trellis, my husband decided to build a climbing rose trellis for me as a birthday present. He used several 2″ x 1″ x 8′ sections of lumber we had in the scrap pile. All he did was arrange three in a fan shape, measure and cut the cross pieces, and hammer it together. We added a strong vertical support along the back and braced it again.
Instructions for building a traditional 5-slat fan shaped trellis can be found here. And this website provides instructions for building a really fancy trellis with a planter box.
A rose trellis is an elegant and functional addition to any garden. Trellises provide climbing roses and vines with vertical support to grow upwards rather than sprawl on the ground. They also add height, interest, and beauty to the garden.
Building your own rose trellis is an easy weekend DIY project using basic materials like wood, wire, or PVC pipe. With a trellis in place, you’ll soon enjoy stunning vertical displays of vibrant roses, clematis, and other vining plants.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to build your own rose trellis.
Why Build a Rose Trellis?
Here are some of the key benefits of adding a trellis to your garden:
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Provides climbing support and structure for roses and vines to grow vertically.
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Keeps plant growth neat organized, and up off the ground.
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Creates beautiful displays when plants bloom and drape across the trellis.
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Adds height and visual interest to the garden.
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Serves as an attractive backdrop, divider, or focal point.
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Protects delicate plants from wind damage when anchored securely.
Choose a Location
When siting your rose trellis, consider these factors:
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Select a spot with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. Roses need sun to thrive.
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Pick an area with well-draining soil. Roses dislike wet feet.
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Allow ample space around the trellis for plants to grow.
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Consider visibility from different angles as the roses bloom.
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Keep in mind access to the plants for pruning and care.
Once you’ve selected the perfect spot, it’s time to start building.
Trellis Design Options
You can build a rose trellis in many shapes and styles. Consider what will work best for your space. Here are some popular options:
Rose Arch
A rose arch makes a gorgeous garden entrance or focal point. Bend flexible branches or bamboo into a rounded arch shape and secure in place with twine. Or use metal or wooden slats fastened to a curved frame. Plant roses at the base and train them to cover the archway.
Fan Trellis
A fan trellis has a wide, spreading shape. Arrange slats or lattice fanning out from a central point and train roses up and across for a stunning horizontal display.
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, slender trellis that forms a pyramid shape. Place an obelisk trellis in a corner or at the back of a flower bed and grow roses up all sides.
Wall Trellis
Attach a flat trellis panel to a wall, fence, or post. This vertical surface provides perfect support for climbing roses to showcase their blooms.
DIY or Buy
You can build a trellis completely from scratch using materials you have on hand. Or save time by adapting ready-made items like a lattice panel. You can also opt for a pre-built metal or wooden trellis available at most garden centers.
Choosing Materials
Rose trellises can be constructed from many different materials. Consider longevity, aesthetics, cost, and availability when deciding which is best for your project.
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Wood: Cedar and redwood are naturally rot-resistant softwoods that make excellent trellises. Use dimensional lumber, attractive pre-cut lattice panels, or branches.
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Metal: Wrought iron, aluminum, steel, or copper lasts for decades. Opt for powder-coated metals over wrought iron, which can rust.
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PVC: For a budget option, use PVC pipe cut into lengths and assembled into a trellis frame.
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Wire: Chicken wire, hardware cloth, or welded wire mesh rolled into shape creates an inexpensive support.
Basic Tools & Hardware
Gather these essentials before you start building:
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Saw (hand, circular, jigsaw, or miter saw)
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Drill and drill bits
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Screwdriver or screw gun
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Pliers or wire cutters
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Tape measure and level
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Sandpaper
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Additional hardware like screws, bolts, nails, wire, turnbuckles, eye hooks, cable clamps, etc.
DIY Rose Trellis Instructions
Follow these simple steps for an easy weekend project:
1. Cut main supports to length
Measure and mark slats, pipes, or lattice panels to desired sizes. Cut the pieces using an appropriate saw for the material.
2. Assemble the frame
Connect the sides and top/bottom rails to form a frame. For wood, attach with screws or bolts. Use elbow joints and cement for PVC. Or bend rebar and wire frame pieces together.
3. Add cross bracing
Strengthen the structure by attaching horizontal and vertical cross pieces along the frame. Space evenly for sturdiness.
4. Attach lattice or wire
Fasten panels or mesh inside the frame using staples, screws, zip ties, or wire. Pull wire trellises taut.
5. Apply finish or sealant
For wood trellises, sand any rough edges. Apply water-resistant stain, sealer, or paint if desired.
6. Set trellis in place
Anchor the trellis securely by attaching to posts or your home’s wall. For freestanding trellises, sink the posts 2+ feet into the ground or use rebar stakes.
7. Plant and train roses
Plant your roses, vines, or clematis at the base. As they grow, loosely tie and train stems along the trellis using soft garden twine or twist ties.
And that’s it! In a weekend you can construct a beautiful rose trellis to enjoy for years to come. The roses will quickly cover your trellis with lush green foliage and gorgeous blooms. Happy gardening!
More DIY Rose Trellis Ideas
Once you master the basics, get creative with these unique rose trellis designs:
- Old ladder repurposed into a trellis
- Tree branch web woven into an organic shape
- Triangular trellis adorned with flowering vines
- Mini trellises used to decorate railings and fences
- Mason jar lids screwed into an upcycled wooden board trellis
- Rustic twig lattice with blooming roses woven through
- A living willow fence trained into a trellis shape
Use your imagination and available materials to build a one-of-a-kind rose trellis showpiece for your garden.
Trellis Design Inspiration
For more DIY rose trellis ideas and inspiration, browse these gorgeous examples:
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15 Beautiful DIY Rose Trellis Ideas – Discover creative and budget-friendly rose trellis designs you can recreate.
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Climbing Rose Support Ideas – Get step-by-step instructions for building functional and sturdy rose trellises.
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An Easy DIY Rose Trellis – See how to construct a simple wooden lattice rose trellis using basic supplies.
Use these tutorials and photos to spark plans for your perfect trellis project. With a well-built rose trellis as your guide, you’ll have stunning vertical rose displays brightening up your garden in no time.
Caring for Your Rose Trellis
Once your trellis is set up and covered with beautiful blooms, be sure to give it proper care and maintenance:
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Inspect regularly for any loose, broken, or damaged parts that need repair.
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Check that climbing roses are still properly tied in place as the stems lengthen.
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Water and feed roses regularly for lush growth.
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Prune back wayward or excessive growth to keep tidy.
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Remove spent roses and foliage to encourage new blooms.
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Weatherproof and seal any wooden trellis components as needed.
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Consider taking down, storing, and reinstalling removable trellises each winter in cold climates.
With the right care and upkeep, your handcrafted rose trellis will thrive for many years of beauty and enjoyment in the garden.
Adding a rose trellis to your garden is an easy and rewarding DIY project. Follow this guide to choose the ideal location, select durable materials, build a sturdy frame, and train your climbing roses into stunning vertical displays. Let your creativity run wild and design a trellis as unique as your garden. Then sit back and enjoy the beauty your roses will bring to their new support structure.
Two Climbing Roses to Try
In my experience, climbing roses tend to be hardier than tea roses. The only other rose variety I have found to be as hardy, if not hardier, are the floribunda-type roses with tiny flowers and a more shrub-like form than tea roses.
When you say “rose flower” or “red rose” to someone, they usually imagine a tea rose. The traditional florists’ roses of Valentine’s Day and lovers’ gifts, tea roses are also notoriously finicky in the garden. My opinion is strong on this but I won’t grow tea roses anymore. I have lost far too many rose bushes, hope far too long, and spent too much money on sprays, fertilizers, and all sorts of gimmicks just to coax one bloom from a tea rose.
Anything that needs that much TLC in my garden doesn’t last long because I have neither the time nor the patience to baby a plant. I’ll baby the cats, I’ll give the dog TLC, and it goes without question that the people in my life get lots of TLC, but plants? Rarely.
So tea roses went bye-bye. Instead, I found climbing roses, like this:
| Dream Weaver, photographed May 21, 2013 in my garden. |
Which look just as beautiful as tea roses but without the fuss. This is “Dream Weaver,” a vibrant dark pink climbing rose. A relatively new introduction, Dream Weaver is very disease resistant and hardy. The blooms begin life as this rich pink color, then unfurl into showers of coral-colored petals with a light, gentle rose fragrance. When the sun heats that part of the garden in the late afternoon, the rose fragrance beckons visitors down the garden path.
Dream Weaver can be grown on a trellis, arbor, or even in a tangle, as this blog author relates. Hardy to zone 6, Dream Weaver offers abundant blossoms on flexible canes that are easy to train to the arbor or trellis. I use twine and tie the canes loosely to the wooden arbor my husband made in the rose garden. Around the perimeter of the rose garden I’ve planted lavender – when the duo blooms, the bees rejoice. It makes you want to bottle it and wear it as a perfume.
My second favorite climbing rose is the red climber, Blaze. Hybridized in 1932, it is a vigorous climbing rose with long, sturdy yet flexible canes. The thorns are fierce, so wear gloves when you work with this rose or expect it to treat you like a pin cushion.
My mother grew two gigantic Blaze roses against our garage in Floral Park. They may have been there when the house was built; I’m not sure. I just know that her little garden was my favorite. My dad ripped it out to build his greenhouse, and while I know the greenhouse was important to him, I mourned the loss of those roses for a long time. I’m just glad he moved the American Beauty rose bush to another corner. My sister transplanted it to her garden when the house was sold, so it lives on. My mom rescued the American Beauty rose from a neighbor’s house when they were ripping out the landscape – our best guess is that it is nearly 60 years old now!
Anyway, back to Blaze. I have two growing in the garden. One grows against the homemade rose trellis as you can see in the top picture. The other grows in the rose garden, opposite to Dream Weaver. I’ve noticed that it seems to be munched more by the Japanese beetles, but recovers quickly. New growth is a ruby red, which is also beautiful. And the scent – strong, velvety, pure rose. Heaven!
The cut flowers last a long time, too. I have one in a vase on my kitchen table now.
| Blaze climbing rose photographed in my garden (Jeanne Grunert) |
Caring for Climbing Roses Climbing rose care is fairly simple. You do need to tie up the canes and train them against the trellis, arbor or fence. Unlike annual vines such as morning glories or perennials like clematis, climbing roses don’t have vine tendrils to cling to the supports. Instead, their canes grow long and pliable. They need free air circulation around the canes, so don’t tie them up too close together. I trim out canes that are diseases or broken, and trim others sparingly to shape the rose. During the heaviest black spot and beetle times (June here in south central Virginia), I use an organic Neem-oil based spray on the roses. It does work, but must be applied frequently, sometimes daily during rainy weather, to work. I fertilize my roses with compost, manure and 10-10-10 in the spring, but cut back during the summer.
I don’t cover the climbing roses or lay the canes flat as some books say to do during the winter. Yes, some canes break from snow and ice. Some break from the cats playing “catch me if you can” on the rose arbor. Groucho and Whitey like nothing more than to scale the arbor, mince across the top bars, and chase one another up and around. It’s like my husband built a cat jungle gym instead of an arbor.
Growing climbing roses is rewarding. You can grow them along a post and rail fence. You can use them to create screening, placing arbors near a pool to make a little screened area behind the arbor for relaxing. You can use them as a focal point in the garden, as I’ve tried to do with my trellis. They are hardy, beautiful, and vigorous. Climbing roses are worth the time it takes to build an arbor and reward you for years to come.
As Seen in Porch
We were featured in Porch.com and answered readers questions about indoor plants.
How to Build a Wire Trellis and Train Climbing Rose
FAQ
How do I make a climbing rose trellis?
Our climbing rose support ideas provide innovative and practical ways to showcase the beauty of your climbing roses. Marvel at the beauty of your rustic and whimsical DIY rose trellis – you can make it for just $5! Cut raw lumber from young trees to the appropriate length and width, then secure with screws.
What are some DIY rose trellis ideas?
These DIY Rose Trellis Ideas will help you out! 1. Lattice Rose Trellis with Wooden Frame 2. Crimson Rose Climbing Through Metal Wire Trellis 3. Turn a Bicycle Rim into a Rose Trellis 4. Wooden Stake for Climbing Roses 5. Tall Tower Trellis for Garden Roses 6. Roses Across the Wire Rope Trellis 7. DIY Wall Trellis for Pretty Pink Roses 8.
How tall is a DIY rose trellis?
Transform your garden with this DIY rose trellis! Enchanting and functional, this 7 feet, 4.5 inches tall, and 3-feet wide trellis will be the perfect support for your beloved climbing roses.
How do you trellis a rose plant?
Hammer a few nails on the wall and make a wire trellis for the rose vines. The frame will hide behind the bush, giving the plant a vertical garden look. Learn more here. 7. DIY Wall Trellis for Pretty Pink Roses A wall trellis will multiply the exteriors of your house, especially if you have a beautiful garden to complement with. 8.
How to build a rose trellis from scratch?
Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to build a rose trellis from scratch. The first step is deciding on the optimal location, size and design for your trellis. Consider the following: Location – Choose a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight daily. Position it close to your climbing roses or where you want them to be planted.
What is a rose trellis?
A rose trellis can be used to support climbing roses, providing them with the structure they need to grow and bloom. Trellises also make it easier to care for your roses, as you can more easily access the flowers and foliage for pruning and deadheading. There are many different ways that you can make a rose trellis.