Morning glories are one of the most popular climbing vines that gardeners love to grow. With their fast growth and abundant trumpet-shaped blooms in vivid colors, they can quickly cover fences, arbors, pergolas, and trellises to add vertical interest and pops of color
However to prevent morning glories from completely engulfing your structures it’s important to provide them with proper support. A dedicated trellis gives them something to climb up while also keeping their growth neatly in check.
Luckily, you don’t need to buy an expensive ready-made trellis. With a bit of creativity and some simple materials, you can easily make a customized DIY trellis tailored perfectly for your morning glories.
Here are 10 fun and innovative ideas to inspire your own DIY morning glory trellis project this growing season:
1. Upcycled Ladder Trellis
Give new life to an old wooden ladder by turning it into a leaning trellis for your morning glories. Simply secure the top and bottom of the ladder to a sturdy surface like a fence or wall. The morning glory vines will happily wind themselves up the ladder rungs.
2. Repurposed Wire Shelving Trellis
Got an old wire storage shelf you don’t need anymore? Cut the shelves into rings that fit around your planters. The rigid mesh provides perfect support for morning glory vines to climb up.
3. Twine String Trellis
Crisscrossing pieces of twine or sisal rope create a adaptable, living trellis. Anchor strands vertically between two supports and weave thinner pieces horizontally through the verticals. As the vines grow, the trellis moves and adjusts with them.
4. Copper Pipe Trellis
For an elegant, artistic look, assemble copper pipes into fun shapes and frameworks. Secure uprights into the ground or mount onto walls for your morning glories to freely wander over. The shiny copper pipes will glimmer beautifully in the sunlight.
5. Bamboo Tipi Trellis
Use tall, flexible bamboo canes to construct a conical teepee trellis. Simply tie the top ends together and spread out the bottom into a circle. Push the ends into the ground for built-in stability.
6. Garden Obelisk Trellis
Transform pruned tree branches into a tall obelisk trellis. Tie 3-5 straight branches together at the top. Separate the bottom ends out into a triangle or square shape before pushing into the soil to stand freely.
7. Cinder Block Trellis
Stack cinder blocks in fun pyramid shapes and weave pieces of twine through the block openings to create grids. Run rebar down through block holes for reinforcement. It’s a great way to repurpose leftover construction materials.
8. Cattle Panel Arch
Bend a steel mesh cattle panel into an arched shape and use T-posts or stakes to secure the ends into the ground. The heavy-duty metal grid makes perfect overhead support for morning glory vines sprawling overhead.
9. Window Box Trellis
Maximize vertical planting space by installing a narrow trellis along the back of your window boxes. Use bamboo rods or metal piping with crisscrossed florist wire to create grids morning glories can climb.
10. Mason Jar Ring Trellis
Collect used mason jar rings and link 3-4 together onto bamboo skewers. Position over planters for quick trellises morning glories can grab onto and wind around as they grow tall. It’s a fun way to repurpose and a great project for kids!
With just a few easy-to-source materials and some simple handiwork, you can construct the ideal support structure customized for your morning glories. Feel free to get creative with shapes, materials, and designs – the options for DIY trellises are endless!
Proper placement and setup of your DIY trellis is also key for success:
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Position the trellis where it will get full sun – morning glories love bright light.
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Make sure the base is anchored sturdily into the ground or mounted securely onto a wall.
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Place the trellis close to where you are planting morning glory seedlings or sowing seeds.
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Use biodegradable twine or string that won’t strangle the vines as they grow.
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Allow at least 6 feet of height for the trellis. Morning glories can easily grow up to 12 feet tall.
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Plant at the base of the trellis and train the new vines onto it right away so they start climbing immediately.
With a well-built DIY trellis and proper care, your morning glories will thrive and put on an incredible floral display all season long. The vertical vines will cover and beautify the trellis, adding lovely pops of blossoms and vivid greenery to your garden.
So put your creativity and handy skills to work this spring designing the perfect DIY trellis to show off your morning glories! They will quickly cover and enhance any structure you build.
When to plant morning glories
I already shared about indoor planting of morning glories but they readily grow from direct sowing in the garden. Wait until 1 to 2 weeks AFTER your last frost date. Morning glories do not tolerate the cold.
Morning glories like full sun and well-draining soil. They will tolerate some shade and pour soil but won’t flower as much.
The white with stripes is called Milky Way and is as prolific as Grandpa Ott..though the folks at Swallowtail Seeds call it Blue Star.
Now I had a really neat thing happen, Milky Way and Grandpa Ott have cross pollinated and now I have this sweet beauty in my garden..this has no name that I know of but it is pretty all the same and another heavy self seeder here.
How to Grow Morning glories from seed
I get my seeds from Botanical Interests or Renees Seeds and I have no trouble in getting them to grow. I begin by soaking the seeds in warm water overnight, I don’t bother with nicking the seeds, the soaking seems to do the job just fine.
For an early start plant them inside 6 – 8 weeks before you last frost date, when starting them inside I use poo pots. Morning glories do not like their roots disturbed so starting them in biodegradable pots that you just place in the ground when it is time is the way to go. Just fill the pots with potting soil and place the seed in the soil. Press down gently. You don’t want the seed too deep, about half an inch is great. Water well and keep in a warm place.
Many of these reseed themselves vigorously and come up in droves, Grandpa Ott seems to like it here and is abundant in my Secret Garden.
It covers my back fence and the trellis that hides the untidy underside of my back deck. These were all volunteers that came up from seeds dropped the previous year.
Make Your Own Trellis
FAQ
What kind of trellis is best for morning glories?
Morning glories, moonflower, clematis, sweet peas, and passionflower vines are all excellent candidates for a flat trellis.
What will morning glories climb on?
In contrast, morning glory is an annual flowering plant whose leaves are large and heart shaped. Morning glory plants are vigorous, twining vines. Therefore, in order to climb, the fence or trellis on which they are allowed to grow must be made from materials thin enough for the vines to wrap themselves around.
How tall of a trellis for morning glories?
Height: Morning glories can grow up to 10-15 feet tall, so the trellis should be at least 6-8 feet high to accommodate their climbing nature.
How do you make a morning glory trellis?
Trellises for Morning Glory Vines.. Supplies Needed Step One.. Figure out how wide you want your morning glory support trellis to be; I like mine 36 inches wide. Step Two.. Hammer the two sturdy sticks into the ground one foot to eighteen inches so your trellis is stable.
What trellis should I use for Morning Glory?
A sturdy metal trellis is perfect for Morning Glory flowers – paint it black so the foliage lights up in contrast. 2. Wood Entryway Frame You can use a wood plank on a wall or entryway as a trellis. A jamb can also be used. 3. Wood Branch Trellis If you’re growing Morning Glories near windows, you can hang a wood branch or driftwood for support.
Can You trellis morning glory vines?
With a simple DIY trellis made from materials around your home and garden, you can give your morning glory vines the ideal vertical support to grow their best all season long. Add a trellis to your boring backyard fence to make it more interesting. It will also give flowering vines like jessamine the support they need to grow tall.
How tall do morning glory trellis grow?
We’ve got amazing and sturdy Morning Glory Trellis Ideas so you can grow these flowers in all their climbing beauty! Morning glories can easily grow 6-12 feet tall and even wider, so you need good support for these plants so they don’t overwhelm the walls or fences. 1. Metal Trellis
How do you make a morning glory tree?
Metal Pipe Trellis Idea You can use a metal pipe as a Morning Glory support. Hang the pots on it, too, and they’ll surround the pillar and turn it into a Morning Glory tree. 11. Steel Wire Support Get a small length of steel wire and use it to create a light cage around the pot – it will help your Morning Glories grow better and taller.
How do you grow morning glory in a mailbox?
13. Wood, Metal, or Cement Pole Trellis Grab an old wood stake or cement pole and let the Morning Glory grow with its help. Or, just let it cover the mailbox. 14. Heart Trellis for Morning Glory You can also use steel wire to make a hoop or a heart so the vine grows with its support. The heart shape will go perfectly with the heart-shaped leaves.