How to Make a Flowering Vine Support

Flowering vines like clematis, climbing roses and cardinal vine can add color, foliage and height to your garden, but only if you have a support system like a trellis in place to hold them. While you can find pricey trellises at your local home and garden center, you can make a flowering vine support from basic 1-inch garden stakes in an afternoon. Know how many supports you need ahead of time so you can purchase and make all of your trellises at the same time.

• 1

  Lay your two 50-inch boards on the ground vertically and parallel to one another spaced 3 feet apart. Place the four 43-inch stakes in between and parallel to the 50-inch stakes. Space out the 43-inch boards evenly.

• 2

  Adjust the 43-inch boards upwards so all of the ends of the boards are even along the top. There should be a gap along the bottom where the 50-inch boards extend past the 43-inch boards by seven inches.

• 3

  Set the seven 3-foot boards perpendicularly over the other stakes and space them evenly apart from one end of the 43-inch boards to the other to form a grid. Screw through the 3-foot boards and into the stakes directly underneath them at each point where the stakes intersect.

• 4

  Sand over the entire support system to smooth it and remove splinters. Apply a wood stain or paint over the trellis as desired with a paintbrush according to the directions on the can and allow it to dry fully.

• 5

  Cover the entire trellis with a water resistant sealant either over the bare wood or over the stain or paint. Allow the sealant to dry fully overnight. Stake the trellis into the ground behind your flowering vine by inserting the extended ends of the 50-inch stakes into the soil as far as they will go.