Choosing the best trellis for climbing plants in your garden design is vital, as this will contribute to your garden’s aesthetics, sustainability and functionality. The best garden trellis provides structure and supports plants, creating vertical interest while maximising space. Plants that grow up trellis include roses, jasmine, clematis, sweet peas and wisteria. What is more, when you buy from us, you can grow vegetables such as beans and cucumber on the best garden trellis – overall, a trellis is a winner in any garden, no matter the size.
Choosing the best trellis for climbing plants
This relies on several factors, starting with understanding your climbing plants and exploring trellis material options. Below we provide a few trellis panel recommendations for small gardens, larger gardens and outdoor spaces in general. Buying a trellis fence is not difficult; what is tricky is purchasing the best garden trellis for your specific needs at the right price without any waste.
Understanding trellis climbing plants
Climbing plants are a category of flora and greenery that has specific needs and requirements to thrive. If you understand the requirements of your favourite climbing plants, you can speed up the growing cycle while enabling healthy growth, which means better plants with more flowers and foliage to provide a sustainable privacy screen or aesthetic feature.
Popular types of trellis climbing plants include:
- Flowering plants – if you have a sunny spot, the fastest-growing flowering climbing plants include clematis, jasmine, honeysuckle, passionflower and wisteria. These gorgeous plants are often called twining climbers or wall shrubs and will not naturally climb without trellis support
- Flowering vines – when we think about vines, we often think of grapes or blueberries, but on this occasion, vines refer to climbing roses, climbing hydrangeas, bougainvillea and morning glory. The vine description refers to the way they grow, not the plant itself
- Fruits – climbing fruiting plants not only produce fruit but also provide coverage and interest in your vertical garden. Choose from Chinese gooseberries, Kiwi fruit, strawberries, tomatoes, passion fruit and even choko or chayote (like a courgette) as these fruiting climbers support your garden and the wildlife that lives within it
- Herbs – these bring so much more than seasoning to any garden; they provide a scent that can elevate the senses with their fast-growing leaves and flowers. Choose:
- Nasturtiums - which have edible flowers and leaves
- Climbing mint – which is a wonderful seasoning and is perfect for making mint sauce
- Passionflowers - which have edible fruit and leaves, making these climbing plants so versatile
- Vegetables – trellis climbing plants that produce vegetables are an all-round winner. You can have a vegetable garden with climbing runner beans and peas, cucumbers and pumpkins, all of which love to grow vertically. If you have a sunny spot, you can grow melons and varieties of squash that love the support you get when you buy the best trellis for climbing plants
When you understand the growth habits of your climbing flora and producers, you can choose the best trellis for climbing plants in your garden, knowing that your choice will enhance the growing capability of your climbers. Runner beans and peas twine around a structure to grow, so require a trellis with thin, vertical supports. Heavier climbers like courgettes and melons need more robust trellises with wider vertical slats to support their weight. Cucumbers and some tomatoes prefer an A-frame or pergola, which allows space around the plant to grow within your vertical garden.
Exploring trellis material options
The best garden trellis can be made from various materials, including wood, metal and plastic. Timber is the most popular material, providing a sturdy, natural look. Metal offers durability but is not suitable for sunny gardens, while plastic is lightweight and low maintenance, it does not offer the aesthetics of wood.
Discuss the durability, maintenance and aesthetic appeal of each material, to choose the best garden trellis for their needs.
Metal trellis
Metal provides a robust support and is a significant structure enhancer; however, it has more drawbacks than wooden trellis, as it heats up in the sun and maintains a cold temperature in winter. Metal trellis is used in vertical gardens that require strength to allow thick-stemmed vine plants like wisteria or grape to grow. While metal trellises are durable and long-lasting, they are generally more expensive to install and maintain in the long term.
Plastic trellis
Plastic or composite trellis are a low-maintenance favourite; they offer a more contemporary or modern look because they are available in several unusual colours and designs. Plastic trellis is also more expensive in the first instance and cannot be painted or stained to match your garden scheme. Plastic trellises will not blend into the garden the same way wooden trellises can; if you want your climbing plants to do the talking, do not choose plastic or composite trellis panels.
Wooden trellis
Climbing plants and wooden trellis are a marriage made in your back garden; timber blends seamlessly into your outdoor space, complimenting your climbing plants at every turn. Dip or pressure treated trellis is durable and sustainable and compliments any style of garden aesthetics. Wooden trellis ticks all the boxes for eco-friendly vertical gardening.
The best garden trellis options for different settings
Once you have chosen your climbing plants, now is the time to consider the best garden trellis for small gardens and trellis options for larger gardens. These considerations will ensure you purchase the best trellis for climbing plants.
Trellis options for small gardens
For small or compact gardens that will benefit from vertical planting, a compact simple trellis designed in a fan or rectangle shape will maximise your vertical space. Here are some fan-shaped and rectangle-shaped trellises to choose from:
Small gardens can also benefit from fence toppers like the Forest 6'x3' Diamond Lattice Trellis Fence Topper to expand the length of available climbing space above the fixed boundary fence or wall.
Trellis climbing plant options for larger gardens
Consider substantial trellis options like pergolas or garden arches for more extensive gardens, which provide robust and sturdy support for larger climbing plants such as roses or wisteria. These trellis fixtures enable the plants to thrive and create shaded walkways and focal points within larger spaces. If your garden is large but not large enough to accommodate a pergola, then a heavy-duty wall-mounted trellis will do the job equally well.
Here are some suggestions for trellises for big gardens:
The trellis options for larger gardens are extensive; to see the entire range, click here.
Eight of the best climbing plants that grow up a trellis
We love climbing plants for their versatility and the way they promote sustainability and eco-friendliness. Climbing plants are great for wildlife, especially bees, so the following eight plants have been chosen because they are easy to grow and bees love them, you will too!
1) Clematis
Clematis is probably the most popular climbing plant, offering great coverage. The many species of clematis (known as the queen of garden climbers) are wonderful perennials with vining stems that love to scramble up a trellis to offer up gorgeous flowers and lush foliage.
2) Climbing roses
These offer an aura of old-school romance to your vertical garden. Climbing roses are slow growing compared to clematis and jasmine but produce beautiful, scented blooms that drive the bees crazy.
3) Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is also a sweet-smelling climber that is great for wildlife. Its trumpet-like flowers bloom from June through September and leave pleasant greenery for small birds to nest in at other times of the year. Honeysuckle is a firm favourite with British bees.
4) Ivy
Is incredibly resilient, easy to grow, shade-tolerant, and evergreen. It is no wonder that the unassuming ivy is such a popular choice for a climbing plant. We even have specialist ivy trellis to support this demanding climber.
5) Star jasmine
Star jasmine is originally native to Iran and produces a heady scent that is used in perfume and room scents worldwide. It is possible to grow jasmine in the UK because while it prefers a sunny spot, it flourishes in wet and warm conditions, producing stunning white flowers in the summer and shiny leaves in the winter. If you intermix summer and winter star jasmine, it is possible to have climbing flowers that scent the garden all year around.
6) Sweet pea
Except for the bush types, are vigorous climbers that need at least 6 feet of sturdy support. Some varieties can reach impressive heights of 9 to 10 feet, making them ideal for tall trellises, arches, or pergolas.
7) Virginia creeper
A vigorous climbing plant, that thrives when given strong support, ideally at least 6 feet high. This robust vine can reach impressive heights of 30 to 50 feet, making it perfect for covering large walls, fences or pergolas, where it creates a stunning display of green foliage that turns vibrant red in the autumn.
8) Wisteria
If clematis is the queen of climbers, then wisteria is the king. With two main species of wisteria, choose wisteria sinensis for its fast-growing properties and wisteria floribunda because it grows slowly and produces more compact flowers that last the entire summer. Whichever wisteria you choose, you can rest assured the bees and wildlife will go wild for it!
Conclusion
To keep your climbing plants happy all season long you need to choose the right support. A trellis is the perfect way to support your plants and make the most of your soil space.
You can mount the trellis inside a frame or against a wall. Add an extra layer of support each year and general maintenance to keep them healthy and for nearby trees or plants that cover patios or provide privacy.
Contact and guidance
Choosing the best trellis for climbing plants depends on knowledge, which you will now have from reading our guide. This advice is based on years of experience of working with trellis climbing plants.
Our team are here to support you with the best garden trellis options from our range, when you contact us in these ways:
- Calls - call us at 0333 003 0515
- Emails – send emails through our contact page
- Text chat – message us in real-time when you click the Live Chat pop-up at the bottom left corner of any page