45 Garden Trellis Ideas For A Backyard Sanctuary

Here are our favorite ways to turn your garden into a blooming oasis with a trellis.

A Southern garden is a thing of beauty, especially when there’s a trellis or two involved. These landscaping stars can stabilize tall-growing plants and create uniquely whimsical sanctuaries smack dab in the middle of the garden. If you find yourself daydreaming about how a trellis can elevate your garden, keep in mind that creating the right look is a two-step process.

First, get the infrastructure in place, then set the stage with the right blooms. Some trellises are prime for towering tomato plants, while others are best-suited for climbing, flowering vines, like climbing hydrangea, wisteria, and sky-seeking roses. From structural trellises that help your veggies and vines grow tall and proud to flowered outdoor arches and arbors, we’ve collected our favorite ways to turn out a trellis in the garden.

Add these 45 trellis ideas to your vision board and get ready for your garden to bloom.

Build Pyramids

With a few sticks and some twine, you can create stylish trellis pyramids. These simple structures guide unruly plants (especially tomatoes) while adding vertical dimension to your garden. Use them in your vegetable garden to train beans, cucumbers, squash, and melons on these structures. To make, place three stakes in the ground at an angle, lean them toward the center, and wrap the top with twine.

Jasmine Vines

A flowering arch above a picket fence is a quintessential garden feature, and adding jasmine vines can make it extra beautiful. The trellis in this Florida home garden uses dense jasmine vines to add volume for a large presence and dimension to the area. Plant jasmine at the base of the fence and secure stems or twist them through the slats as the vine grows.

Pops of Pink

Pink is always a welcome pop of color in any garden, and adding it in an arched trellis is the perfect way to highlight the color. Seen here, gardener Kathleen Pourciau of This Thyme Gardens stands beneath a breathtaking trellis arch with the vibrant pink 'Peggy Martin' rose that adds a bright, fun element to the garden. This climbing rose is easy to grow and super tough, as it survived Hurricane Katrina. Give it a support to grow on, full sun, and well-drained soil.

Related: This Tough, Low-Maintenance Rose Thrives In Southern Gardens

Carefree Clematis

Clematis offers plenty of color options to suit your garden. Its blooms come in white, pink, red, blue, or purple. No trellis is too tall for this vivacious climber. It will creep along fences or up posts in your yard, offering a splash of color. It prefers full sun on its leaves and shade on its roots.

Natural Privacy

Like a green fence, a 6-foot or higher trellis can allow you to enjoy your garden in private. Remember that the plants will need time to fill in the gaps in the trellis.

Pretty Patio

Frame your patio with a flourishing trellis. Relaxing outside has never been more serene. The plants will provided shade and privacy, and if you choose flowering vines, your patio will smell amazing too.

Rope In

This classic tomato trellis is all clean lines and simple squares. It's a strong support system for a vertical growing plant and a wonderful addition to your veggie-forward garden. It's not just for tomatoes. Use it for other garden climbers like cucumbers, squash, climbing beans, or sweet potato vines. It's great for growing things upward in a compact space.

Related: How To Use A Tomato Cage

Sweet and Seasonal

This trellis creates a space that's ready for every season. In the warm weather months, it's the perfect place to sit for a bit of shade by the pool, while in chilly temperatures, a fireplace under the trellis will warm you right up. Add climbing vines like star jasmine or climbing hydrangea for a sweet scent.

Garden Party

A trellis can help turn a patio into an outdoor room. Create an intimate or romantic outdoor dining area by using thick plant cover on your overhead trellis. Hanging lights from it adds to the mood too.

Tiny Towers

Tall, free-standing trellises shaped like miniature lighthouses add interest, symmetry, and curb appeal to this home exterior. It's a simple and elegant way to elevate your from yard's landscaping to new heights and adds a bit of whimsy to an entry.

Barrier Wreath

Erect a trellis as a barrier to separate a cozy area of relaxation. Keep it barren or add some life and soon, blooming climbing vines will be joining the party. The arched window lets in light.

Designate Rooms

Think of your garden as an open floor plan and use a trellis to section off radiant rooms. A trellis in bloom is a wonderful way to designate a space for dining or relaxing garden-side. Here, wisteria vines provide cover and shade for visitors to this outdoor nook that overlooks the garden.

Criss-Cross

This criss-cross tomato trellis is just what the horticulturist called for to help your young saplings grow up healthy. We especially love this trellis because it is subtly interesting to the eye. It adds style while serving an important purpose in the vegetable garden.

Welcome Wisteria

When debating what kind of plant to adorn your trellis, wisteria is always a good choice. You can't go wrong with this gorgeous, vibrant bloom that loves to climb high. Choose a native variety such as Kentucky wisteria or American wisteria, which aren't as aggressive as Asian varieties. Annual pruning keeps them under control.

Related: How To Grow And Care For Wisteria

Set the Mood

If your property is surrounded by a fence, a gorgeous trellis framing the gate is sure to be a warm welcome. Choose a bright flower like bougainvillea as your climber and enjoy blooms from spring to fall.

Morning Glory

When supported by a handsome trellis, Morning Glory flowers will certainly be their most vivacious. When choosing what flowers to plant along your trellis, these are a glorious choice. Make sure the trellis used has supports thin enough for the vines to wrap around.

Iron Down

The contrast of bright florals and stern, embellished iron is a sight for sore eyes. Choose your most peppy and lively floral for this promising pairing. Bright pink mandevillas make a good choice. You'll also find this tropical flowering vine in white, red, and yellow.

Box It In

This expanse of trellises is wide-sweeping and prepared for a spectacular summertime show. Soon, this space will be flush with columns of bright blooms. The trellises will provide lots of vertical space for vegetables to grow.

Pop of Color

The flowers sprouting from the trellis don't need to be the only color in the equation. Painting your trellis a bold color is gorgeous and exciting alongside contrastingly bright florals.

Color Coordinate

If you're set on your favorite floral to plant alongside your trellis, a splash of paint can go a long way in completing the visual. While a contrasting color will make an impression, a matching shade can be beautifully cohesive too. Trumpet vine makes a statement on its own, but the red door elevates the space even more.

Cool Beans

Why limit your trellis' potential to flowers and tomatoes when the wonderful world of legumes beckons? Beauty meets function in this garden trellis. Tall-growing bean vines like this one will make for a stunning and fruitful feature in the garden.

Frame Containers

Place striking planters underneath your trellis to accentuate any container garden. Having plants at the ground level, in containers, and up on a trellis creates a dynamic garden that flourishes at multiple levels.

A Rosy Resting Place

A trellis is just the thing to frame a garden-side resting place. This hanging bench is cozy and whimsical thanks to a tall trellis bursting with pink flowers. Choose climbing roses that will offer blooms from summer through fall. Since they don't have tendrils or suckers, climbing roses need to be secured to a structure.

Private Oasis

Carve out a space in the garden by sectioning out gated walls and an overtop trellis. The open-air trellis will prevent the space from becoming too closed-in while still creating the cozy environment you were going for. Add ivy and potted hydrangeas for a cottage vibe.

Outdoor Shower

For those whose backyard includes a pool or a large garden, an outdoor shower could be your ticket to an easy, practical clean-up before heading inside the house. Cover the shower head with a bright trellis and blossoming florals to distract from the eye-sore nozzle.

Create a Pathway

Tired of guests striding right on through your greenery? Accentuate your pathway by framing it with a series of arched trellises. The wonderland this sequence of trellises creates is functional and appears out of a garden fantasy. When in bloom, guests will want to hang out in this magical space.

Take To New Heights

A robust and tall trellis is an excellent way to make florals stand out amid a surface-level garden. It allows blossoming flowers to stand tall and set themselves apart from their budding peers.

Tucked Away

Carve out a corner of your garden for relaxing and entertaining by using a large trellis to separate the space. Over time, flora will blossom across it to create the perfect garden getaway.

Rock Wall Trellis

If you have a stone wall or border in your garden, it's time to think outside the box. Let your rock wall become an extension of your garden by allowing climbing vines to take hold. Creeping fig is a fast-growing evergreen vine that offers color year-round and grows in almost any lighting conditions.

Frame the Front Door

An eye-catching climber is just the thing to welcome guests into your home. A beautiful bloom climbing up and around your front door is an easy and exciting way to heighten your curb value and exterior interest. This climbing rose pops against a neutral-colored entry.

Full-Circle Trellis

A lovely climbing vine wrapping its way all around your home's exterior features is aesthetically pleasing and visually satisfying. This greenery uses a brick wall as its very own trellis and makes its way around white windows. If you're worried about structural protection, place a trellis, wires, or frames near your home for climbers to grow on.

White and Green Everything

Stick to the classics and go for a white and green color scheme for your landscape. This color combo is always a winner and evokes timeless style that will be beautiful for many years to come. A rose-covered arch gives everyone a chance to make a grand entrance.

Well-Groomed Trellis

This trellis with climbing greenery is so well-maintained that it resembles a hedge. Luckily, it requires far less maintenance than a needy hedge because of its structural trellis foundation. It also transforms a basic parking area into a welcoming space.

Mailbox Trellis

Your mailbox is a trellis waiting to happen, too. Let tall flowering vines climb up your mailbox to impress passers-by and your favorite mail crew. Choose from a variety of climbing plants, such as clematis, mandevilla, or purple passionflower.

Green Gates

In this garden haven, florals bloom beautifully atop deep green fencing. This strategic paint color matches the flowers' greenery, almost tricking the eye into believing that we're seeing the tall stems rather than a fence. Growing vines along the top add to the effect.

A Trellis Between Houses

Show some neighborly love by building something beautiful that you can both enjoy. A trellis between homes makes even the most simple pathways magical.

Brick Trellis

Brick and leafy vines are a match made in garden heaven. Create your very own Eden by planting vines to embrace red brick walls in your garden. Choose a shade-loving plant like ivy for tucked-away spots.

Fenced-In Trellis

Start at the fence and let the flowers take it from there. Thanks to a trellis on the entryway fence, blooms will welcome guests and follow them as they head deeper into the garden. Climbing hydrangea can reach 50 feet long at maturity, but it takes time to get going.

Fountain-Side Sanctuary

A trellis is a wonderful excuse to spend more time outside in your garden admiring the view. Build a trellis with seating underneath in prime view of your garden's main event, like a fountain, bird feeder, or prized plant collection.

Tent-Shaped Trellis

A towering trellis is the trick to this garden stunner. An intriguing shape is an easy way to boost the interest factor of a necessary support system in a vegetable garden.

Outdoor Room

Call it the green room. A true outdoor room, this space is enclosed on all sides by living green walls. Vines grow up the columns of this lower porch to merge indoor and outdoor spaces, creating a secluded hideaway.

Small Space Expansion

Even the smallest spaces have the potential to expand. This kitchen garden is practical and pretty thanks to a stylish trellis. Add a trellis to the garden to make room for plants that need a bit of extra space. Bonus, it can be a focal point too.

A Proper Pergola

Climbing flowers are all that’s needed to create a cozy nook like this pretty garden patio. Transform a pergola with anything from bright bougainvillea to sweet potato vine. Train vines or climbing flowers up the sides and watch them create an overhead garden.

Trellis Shutters

A pair of simple white trellises frame windows to turn this cozy courtyard into a storybook garden. The trellises sit slightly in front of the structure so the vines aren’t tempted to veer off.

Private Dining

Trellises act as walls to enclose this small patio. Leave them as is or allow plants to fill in the spaces. Vines growing atop the roof provide protection from sun and rain, while creating a private spot for a garden dinner.

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Read the original article on Southern Living.