How to Build a Trellis

Learn how to build a trellis with our easy step-by-step instructions. Make your own simple trellis in an afternoon, then plant your garden and watch it grow up.

Caitlin Sole

Updated on February 1, 2023

Garden trellis with climbing vines — Photo:
Peter Krumhardt

Working Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours
Skill Level: Beginner

Cultivate a living wallpaper by training a flowering vine up a trellis stuck in the ground or mounted on an exterior wall. The result: a wall treatment lively and artistic. Bees and butterflies will be drawn to the flowers, adding color and beauty to your garden. The possibilities for building trellises are endless.

Use rot-resistant wood for trellis construction, such as cedar or pressure-treated pine, to make your garden trellis durable. Use exterior-grade stain or primer and paint to protect your wooden trellis. Painting before you assemble pieces may spare you brushwork later but may require touch-ups where screws have been inserted.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

Paper, pencil
Saw
Chalk
Screwdriver or electric drill
Posthole digger
Shovel

Materials

1x2 cedar in 6- or 8-foot strips
1-1/4-inch exterior screws
Exterior paint or deck stain
Gravel
Vining plant

Instructions

Make Cuts

Cut your wood to the below dimensions.

Cuts

Piece Dimensions Quantity

1x2 cedar 6- or 8-foot strips 0
Peter Krumhardt

Plan Your Trellis

Sketch out your trellis on a sheet of paper, including the dimensions. Tally and gather the number and lengths of boards needed. Cut the boards to the correct size, according to your plan.
Peter Krumhardt

Create a Guide

Using one of the straight cedar boards as a guide, draw several parallel lines 6 inches apart on a concrete surface in chalk. This will serve as a simple guide during assembly. Follow this guide to ensure the proper distance between boards when assembled.

Vertical Gardening
Peter Krumhardt

Finish the Grid

Draw another series of parallel lines perpendicular to the first set, creating a grid of 6-inch squares. This isn't intended to create an actual pattern for the trellis but to offer a visual reference. This way, when you lay out the pieces of your trellis, it's easy to keep the boards parallel with right angles true.
Peter Krumhardt

Lay Out Trellis Pieces

Create the desired trellis pattern by laying the boards on the chalk grid. Try laying out a few designs before deciding on the one you want. Then, before securing with screws, make any adjustments to get the pattern you want.
Peter Krumhardt

Assemble Trellis

Wherever boards intersect, drive two screws. Do this from the back side, so the screw heads won't be visible on the front. After securing the trellis pieces together, you can stain or paint the wood for the trellis as desired with stain or exterior paint. Or, leave the cedar boards and allow them to turn gray with age naturally.

Vertical Gardening
Place the Trellis and Plant

Dig postholes at least 10 inches deep and fill the bottom few inches of the holes with gravel. Place the garden trellis posts in the holes and plumb them. Backfill with soil, tamping every few inches to ensure the posts are stable.

Plant vining annuals, perennials, or shrubs at the structure's base. Morning glory, black-eyed Susan vine, and sweet peas are particularly easy to grow and striking when grown on garden trellis panels against a lackluster wall. They'll quickly light up the wall with a colorful flower show. Remove the spent vines at the end of the growing season.