I decided to start a post showing some trellises I've made out of livestock fence paneling over in the Texas Garden Forum. For those of you who love vines I highly recommend the fence panels. They are galvanized steel and won't rust or break apart. I've been using them in my yard since 2002 when I bought this place. I have way too many larval host and nectar vines growing so I need all the trellises I can make! I still need to make some tall obelisks - to utilize more space in my yard - another project for the coming Spring!!! :o)
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/684265/
~ Cat
Some photos of livestock panel trellises I've made
Cat - Those trellis are fabulous! Truly! You are so creative! I love it! My only problem if I tried to do something like that would be high winds (I'm thinking hurricanes). Any ideas to make them more wind sturdy?
Becky,
Guess you could stake them into the ground with rebar poles or something like tent stakes? We haven't had a hurricane here since I bought this house...so no telling how well they'll hold up under gale force winds. If you have no vines growing on them the wind will blow right through them :o) heh heh...sorry, couldn't resist!
~ Cat
Or if they are NOT staked down good, they become flying projectiles! YIKES!!!
Cat, The galvanized steel fence panels look like they would help me figure out a way to increase the area planted in vines in my little backyard. I am going to check with HD tomorrow to see if they carry them.
Thanks for sharing with us,
Chuck
Chuck...
If you lack for space...grow up!!! :o)
I had tall obelisks (8 to 10 feet tall) made out the fence panels - they were triangular and each side was about a foot wide. Here is a photo of one from a few years back...I had Henka Asagao Blue Blizzard Morning glories growing up it. I planted the morning glory in the middle and as the tendrils grew I started winding them through the obelisk. They quickly caught on and covered it completely.
The only morning glories I grow now are the rare yellow ones. I gave a friend the tall wire obelisks a couple of years ago...but after seeing my old photos am thinking I'm going to have to make some again and put them to use with some larval host vines instead.
Guess you could roll a strip of the fence panel into a tube and weld or wire the ends together but to me the triangular shape offers more stability. The wire is 1/4" thick so it's a bit hard to roll into a tube...it's easier to bend or fold them over to form the triagle or even a tall rectangle.
~ Cat
Dear Cat,
What I was thinking of doing is installing the livestock fencing all the way on my west facing fence just as they are. Then I could intersperse vines along the flower beds. I already have Granpa Ott's morning glory seeds and I am anxious to start them this Spring. Maybe another passiflora or two...LOL. Yes, I will definitely 'grow up'. Can you tell me where I can purchase this type of fencing please?
Thanks. It seems like the longer I subscribe to Dave's Garden, the more I learn that fits my garden.
Thanks again, Cat,
Chuck
Chuck,
Out here the local ranch supply stores carry them. Tractor Supply Company, McCoy's and such. Guess you can check around places that sell farming and ranching merchandise.
After seeing my old photos of morning glories I need to start "growing up"again...but will be using larval host vines such as aristolochia and passiflora. I just don't want to go too tall as I'll never be able to see the butterfly eggs or caterpillars of even photograph butterflies if they are over my head :o)
Glad to help...enjoy!!!
~ Cat
Okay .....
Cat - I've been pondering your great idea to use the livestock fencing. Do you think that if I cut 12" or more off the ends of the fencing and set them in concrete that they might hold up under windy conditions? Of course, I would also bury the concrete in the ground as well. I need something that will hold up in gusty winds. I know that it might not hold up in a hurricane, but strong enough to withstand gusty rain storms is what I am thinking.
Hmmm...going through all that trouble defeats the purpose and ease of using these for trellises and moving them around the yard...but considering high winds...your idea of burying the ends in cement would be the safest thing to do.
Perhaps you can bend the prong ends into an "L" - and set them into a 16 ounce papercup and fill the cups with concrete? You could then use a post hole digger or make a hole deep enough and wide enough to bury the prongs that are now embedded in cement??? The top of the 'cement cup' would be wider than the bottom and provide more resistance against getting pulled out when it's buried underground. Don't guess any amount of cement will stop a hurricane though...
Or maybe you can set the end that will go into the ground into a an old rain gutter trough and fill that with concrete? You'd be making a concrete base or pedestal of sorts.
Whatever method you decide...am sure your livestock fence panel will be "swimming with the fishes" with those concrete boots!!!
~ Cat
Thanks Cat for all the concrete ideas! My brain is ticking away! :-)