How to make a custom rose trellis

when we first moved to our house (three years ago today!), there was a tangled but beautiful rose bush precariously pulled back against the porch with a flimsy and small metal trellis.  it did not take long for this mess to spill over the gravel, shortening the driveway by more than half.  the thorns grabbed at our clothes each time we rolled our bikes past.  we were also unable to keep disease and pests under control in this state.

the trellises available for purchase were either the wrong size or too expensive.  in order to keep this bush, we needed a low-cost diy solution.  building simple cedar frames filled with mesh fencing ended up being the answer.

materials used

1x2 pieces of cedar
measuring tape, pencil
circular saw

wood screws (exterior grade)

L brackets

stockyard mesh fencing

staples/staple gun
rubber mallet
scrap wood

garden twine

for our space, we made four separate frames.  one is taller than the others for the porch post.  the porch wall was divided into three sections, with the middle section wider.  no structural reason for this difference.  i just like the look of it better.

i am not going to give specific measurements, because i am highly doubtful you will have the exact needs we had.  just guessin'.

(i outlined the trellis in red, to make the frame easier to see.)

determine the height and cut long sides first.

make sure to add 8"-12" length for the buried part of the legs.

next, measure width and cut.  sandwich these shorter pieces between the long ends.  we placed our bottom piece about 12" off the ground.

attach the corners with L brackets and wood screws.

laying the frames flat, unroll the stockyard mesh fencing and cut pieces to fit your frame.  staple the mesh to the back of your frame.  we chose to keep the L brackets in front, in case we needed access once they were in the ground.  the porch wall and post, would make it near impossible to reach these at a later date.

since we wanted the rectangles of the mesh vertical, we needed to cut two pieces for each frame, due to our height.  once it was stapled to the back, you didn't notice.

getting the legs into the ground took a l o n g time.  like over a period of days.  first, we made pilot holes in the ground with a smaller piece of wood.  then we used a rubber mallet on a block of wood to hammer the frames down.  (the block of wood protected the frames from the mallet.) 

although it is not visible in these photos, we loosely tied the long rose canes to the mesh with garden twine.  we completed this project last summer and the frames have held up just fine.  and the rose grew in so much healthier this spring as a result.

i love being able to lovingly care for our home and land in a frugal manner.

and seriously, how gorgeous are these blooms?

(thank you previous owners!)

source :  http://www.annaleahart.com/2011/06/how-to-make-custom-rose-trellis.html?spref=tw