hiya garden artists,
Last year some of you remember I built a rose garden for my loving wife and planted it with her favorite roses, many of which are ramblers, climbers, and just really rank growers. So we hunted for good, sturdy pillars for a price we could afford with some level of originality. With a need for about 20 of the darn things, it wouldn't work to get some of the ones from Smith & Hawken, as it would cost thousands and they only have a few, rather pedestrian designs. So I thought a bit (yes, it did hurt), and came up with a very strong solution that is also durable....Rebar!
I built a jig for the half inch bar that is used to make the vertical elements and the horizontal elements are of 3/8ths rebar. Each one cost about $25.00 in materials and took about a day to cut, weld, bend and place. So far I've got five done in this design which allows for the rose to climb up the center, build up a bushy plant on top, then cascade over the sides. They are hammered into the soil about 2ft and can hold the weight of an adult. The one in this pic is over Rosa sempervirens, a species rose known for its enormously long canes that will now shoot up the center of this pillar....hopefully...lol.
