15 Easy DIY Trellis Ideas to Support Your Morning Glories

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Gardeners dont usually get too far into their hobby before deciding they want to grow some vining plants.

Maybe your vegetable garden is ready for some cucumbers. Or youve been eyeing the neighbors clematis. Or perhaps youre going all in on cottagecore and want climbing roses everywhere.

Either way, you’ll need a trellis, or more than one, to keep those plants off the ground. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be very expensive or hard to make one that looks good. You can get creative with garden decorations like an obelisk, arch, or ladder that you buy, or you can use common household items to make your own.

A trellis is useful for holding up plants, but it can also be pretty and add something interesting to your garden design on its own. Ahead, our favorite trellis ideas for every style of garden.

This classic garden arch makes a nice entrance to your yard or home, and climbing roses over it will look even better.

Because it has big holes, a lattice fence doesn’t usually give you much privacy, unless you grow morning glory or clematis over it. Then youve got a beautiful looking screen that can offer semi-privacy while also helping to grow something!.

Morning glories are fast-growing annual vines that can easily take over fences, arbors, and trellises with their heart-shaped foliage and cheery trumpet flowers. To prevent them from smothering your structures, providing proper support with a dedicated trellis is ideal. With some simple materials and a bit of creativity, you can easily make a customized DIY trellis for your morning glories this season

Make a Basic Pole Trellis

Two tall, sturdy poles inserted into the ground make a simple vertical trellis Use

  • 1-2″ diameter plastic, bamboo, or wood poles

  • Galvanized wire

  • Wire cutters and pliers

  • Ruler

Space poles 1-3 feet apart based on desired trellis width. Hammer poles 1-2 feet into soil. Wrap wire around poles every 6-12 inches to create a ladder-like grid.

Upcycle a Wooden Ladder

Give new life to an old wooden ladder as a leaning trellis. Use:

  • Wooden ladder

  • Heavy-duty screws or bolts

  • Drill

Secure ladder to fence post or wall at top and bottom. Allow morning glories to climb up the rungs.

Make a Pipe Frame Trellis

Plumber’s pipes or conduits create instant grid trellises. Use:

  • 1/2″ PVC, copper, or galvanized pipes

  • Pipe fittings (elbows, T’s, caps)

  • PVC cement or pipe sealant

Assemble into a stand-alone frame or lean against a wall. Secure fittings and let vines climb the grid.

Craft a Twine String Trellis

Crisscrossing twine makes a living trellis that moves with the vines. Use:

  • Twine, jute, sisal, or cotton rope

  • Scissors and pruners

  • Wall hooks, screws, staples

Create a web by anchoring strands vertically and weaving horizontal pieces through.

Upcycle a Wire Closet Shelving Unit

Wire storage shelves become perfect cylindrical trellises for pots. Use:

  • Wire storage/closet shelf unit

  • Wire cutters

  • Florist wire or zip ties

Cut shelves to fit planter height. Secure into pot and watch vines cover it.

Make a Bamboo or Willow Tipi

Flexible bamboo or willow stems create conical trellises. Use:

  • Several flexible bamboo canes or willow branches

  • Twine or wire

Tie stems together at top to form teepee shape. Spread base in circle and push into soil or pot.

Build a Cattle Panel Archway

Steel mesh cattle panels make arched trellises. Use:

  • Cattle panel

  • T-posts

  • Heavy zip ties

Bend into arch shape. Anchor ends into ground with posts. Secure with ties.

Upcycle a Wire Garbage Can Frame

The domed wire frame from a garbage can easily transforms into a round trellis. Use:

  • Wire garbage can frame

  • Wire cutters

  • Florist wire or zip ties

Remove can portion. Bend frame into round shape. Attach to wall or posts.

Create a Garden Obelisk

Turn pruned branches into a tall obelisk trellis. Use:

  • 3-5 straight branches

  • Twine

Tie thinner ends together at top. Spread base into triangle/square shape. Push ends into soil.

Use a Tomato Cage

Ornamental grasses or vines grow beautifully supported by a tomato cage. Use:

  • Large wire tomato cage

  • Stakes

Surround with plants. Push stakes through base ring into ground to anchor.

Make a Window Box Trellis

Maximize vertical space with a narrow trellis in window boxes. Use:

  • 1-2 bamboo poles or metal rods

  • Florist wire

Insert poles/rods into window boxes. Crisscross wire between them for vines to climb.

Craft a Copper Pipe Trellis

Shiny copper pipes give an elegant, artistic look. Use:

  • 1/2″ copper pipes

  • Fittings and pipe sealant

  • Wire

Assemble pipes into shapes. Secure uprights to wall or posts. Allow vines to grow over framework.

Use a Garden Arbor or Pergola

Grow morning glory vines to cover large structures like garden arbors and pergolas. Use:

  • Large wooden garden arbor or pergola

Train vines up posts and along top supports. They’ll quickly cover the structure.

Make a Cinder Block Trellis

Who knew cinder blocks could make pretty trellises? Use:

  • Stacked cinder blocks

  • Rebar

  • Landscape staples

Stack blocks in pyramid shapes. Run rebar through openings to stabilize. Staple twine to blocks in grid pattern.

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.

Cedar Board Clematis Trellis

diy trellis for morning glories

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. For this project, cedar boards cut into short strips make a simple trellis.

Get the tutorial at The Handyman’s Daughter.

diy trellis for morning glories

This wire trellis uses masonry anchors, eye hooks, and cable wire to make a base for your plants to grow on. It will help you grow plants on your brick.

Get the tutorial at Salvaged Living.

Old Grapevine Branches Trellis

diy trellis for morning glories

Making a trellis out of things you already have is one of the easiest things you can do. Here, some old, thicker vining branches have been woven together using some thinner vines, then allowed to dry.

This makes a great light trellis for small vines like sweet pea.Advertisement – Continue Reading Below

diy trellis for morning glories

Ivy, Virginia creeper, and other vining plants dont need much encouragement, especially during the growing season.

You can lean and attach the top of an old ladder to an outdoor wall or shed, or you can securely attach the top and bottom of the ladder as well. Then, tell some of the tendrils to start growing up the ladder.

diy trellis for morning glories

A salvaged window proves the perfect support for a climbing vine, such as star jasmine.

Remove the glass panes and hang on a wall or rest on your potting shed worktable.

diy trellis for morning glories

This idea for a container garden trellis is great for growing cucumbers and other vegetables that grow on vines. You can also grow beans, tomatoes, and other “tall” vegetables without putting them in the ground.

You can also bring the plant inside or into a greenhouse during cold spells or to keep hungry animals away at night. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below.

8 Easy DIY Trellis Ideas From Other Gardeners

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?

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.

Can you grow morning glories without a trellis?

Location should be one of the first considerations before planting morning glories. They need a location that receives at least six hours of full sun per day and a trellis, fence, arbor, arch, pergola, or other structure to climb.

How to get morning glories to climb a pole?

To achieve that lamppost massed in morning glories, get them to climb either strings tied from the top of the post or lightly wrap the post in chicken wire. The tendrils can then wrap themselves in their telltale clockwise direction and begin their journey upward. These vines can reach 16 feet in height.

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