Bonkers Blooms & Juicy Goods: Trust the Experts, Trellis Your Plants
Trellising Certain Plants: Insights from the Horticulture Experts (11 Plants Included)
Turn your gardening game up a notch and watch your vertical spaces come alive with these expert-approved plants that thrive on trellises, pergolas, fences, and more! Skilled green thumbs Damon Abdi from Louisiana State University and Ankit K. Singh at the University of Maine join forces to reveal the plants that will make your garden buzz with beauty and be beneficial to your efforts in keeping pests at bay.
Climbing Hydrangeas
Elevate your garden's aesthetic with graceful climbers like climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala). If you don't trellis these pretty numbers, they may bloom into mounding shrubs, taking up much-needed space in your garden. By trellising, you can control their spread and create a unique focal point in your outdoor oasis.
- Zone: 4 to 8
- Size: 30 to 50 feet tall x 5 to 6 feet wide
- Care: Partial shade to full sun, well-drained soil
Morning Glories
These charming morning glories (Ipomoea) tend to sprawl, so trellis them to keep their growth in check and save your other plants from getting choked. By trellising, you get to show off their vibrant blooms without worrying about entanglement issues.
- Zone: 2 to 11
- Size: 10 to 15 feet tall x 2 to 4 feet wide
- Care: Full sun, well-drained soil
Pole Beans
Drought-tolerant pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are a fantastic addition to any veggie garden, but they can take over your yard if not given the proper vertical support. Trellis yours for improved yield, reduced fungal disease, and easier harvesting!
- Zone: 3 to 10
- Size: 6 to 9 feet tall x 18 inches wide
- Care: Full sun, fertile, moderately moist, well-drained soil
Bougainvillea
Who needs a boring fence when you can adorn it with exotic fiery blooms? Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.) captures hearts with its beautiful flowers in shades of red, pink, orange, and purple. These climbers are a popular choice for fences, trellises, and pergolas. For better manageability, grow it in containers.
- Zone: 9 to 11
- Size: 15 to 40 feet tall x 15 to 40 feet wide
- Care: Full sun, well-drained, acidic soil
Cucumbers
Vining cucumber varieties are notorious for overtaking gardens if not trellised. By giving your cucumbers the proper support, you'll enjoy cleaner, straighter fruits that are easier to harvest and benefit from improved airflow, which helps prevent fungal diseases like powdery mildew.
- Zone: 3 to 11
- Size: 5 to 8 feet tall x 2 to 3 feet wide
- Care: Full sun, rich, moist, well-drained soil
Indeterminate Tomatoes
Indeterminate tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) produce bountiful crops throughout the growing season, so it's essential to trellis them to keep fruit off the ground, prevent rot, and enhance airflow. This reduces disease pressure like blight and makes for a happier harvest!
- Zone: 4 to 11
- Size: 5 to 10 feet tall x 2 to 3 feet wide
- Care: Full sun, rich, moist, well-drained soil
Trumpet Vine
Avoid having a runaway vine crisis by trellising your trumpet vine (Campsis radicans). This aggressive spreader looks fabulous climbing on a trellis, where it benefits from more sunlight, resulting in more magnificent flowers. Choose varieties that spread at a more manageable rate for easier maintenance.
- Zone: 4 to 10
- Size: 30 to 40 feet tall x 4 to 10 feet wide
- Care: Full sun to partial shade, well-drained soil
Peas
Peas (Pisum sativum) especially sugar snap and snow peas, benefit from the support of trellises, fences, or other vertical structures. Vining peas prefer vertical support, which reduces disease and makes pods easy to pick.
- Zone: 3 to 11
- Size: 3 to 6 feet tall x 1 foot wide
- Care: Full sun to partial shade, rich, moist, well-drained soil
Malabar Spinach
This heat-tolerant, vining leafy green not only thrives in your garden when allowed to climb but also benefits from being trellised. This trellis-assisted method keeps the leaves tender and clean.
- Zone: 7 to 11
- Size: 6 to 10 feet tall x 2 to 3 feet wide
- Care: Full sun to partial shade, rich, moist, well-drained soil
Climbing Roses
Climbing roses are the perfect way to add romance to your outdoor retreat. Their stunning blooms create a whispering canopy when grown on trellises, fences, or pergolas. A trellis helps promote airflow and display their breathtaking flowers, keeping the canes from breaking.
- Zone: 5 to 9
- Size: 6 to 12 feet tall x 3 to 6 feet wide
- Care: Full sun, moist, fertile, well-drained soil
Melons
Melons (Cucumis melo L.) perform brilliantly when trellised, preventing rot and allowing for even ripening. Use slings to provide extra support for those heavy fruits, so they don't break off the vines.
- Zone: 4 to 10
- Size: 6 to 10 feet long x 1 to 3 feet wide
- Care: Full sun, rich, well-drained soil
Enrich your garden with these expert-recommended trellis-lovers and enjoy the aesthetic harmony and practical benefits they bring to your vertical spaces!
Footnotes:
[1] Growing Climbing Hydrangeas: An In-Depth Guide. (2021). Growing Your Greens. https://www.growingyourgreens.com/guide-climbing-hydrangeas
[2] How to Grow Bougainvillea. (2021). The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/growing-bougainvillea-plants-1429844
[3] How to Trellis Cucumbers. (2021). HGTV. https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/gardening/vegetables/how-to-trellis-cucumbers-photos
[4] How to Grow Cucumbers: A Complete Guide. (2021). Sunset. https://www.sunset.com/garden/growing/cucumbers/
- To create a visual oasis in your home-and-garden, explore various vegetable garden ideas, such as the expert-recommended trellis plants detailed in a collaboration between Damon Abdi of Louisiana State University and Ankit K. Singh at the University of Maine.
- For an attractive and beneficial addition to your lifestyle, consider improving your garden by trellising morning glories for controlled growth, climbing hydrangeas for unique focal points, or bougainvillea for exotic fiery blooms.
- When beginning your gardening journey, take a tip from Martha Stewart by incorporating flower gardens and veggie gardens into your garden, providing both aesthetic beauty and practical benefits to your residence.
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