How to Make a Trellis for Morning Glories

Morning glories open up in the morning, but close by midday.

Morning glories (Ipomoea tricolor) grow as short-lived perennial vines in their native Central and South America. In the United States, morning glories grow well in the warmth of summer as an annual vine, dying once fall frosts return. Fast-growing and light, a simple wooden trellis provides ample support in the garden for these frost-intolerant plants. Inexpensive pine lumber or lathe suffices to create a basic ladder-like structure for the morning glory vines to twine around and better display their blue, purple or violet flowers.

Things You'll Need

• Two 6- to 9-foot lumber pieces, 1-by-1-inch thick
• Multiple 12- to 18-inch-long cross bar lumber pieces, 1/4- to 1-inch thick
• Package of 1- to 1 1/2-inch nails.
• Tape measure
• Hammer
• Large, level, sturdy work surface

Instructions

1. Acquire lumber to construct the basic trellis for a morning glory plant. Scrap lumber pieces do not need to be thick, but just sturdy; dimensions may be 1/4-by-1-inch, 1/2-by-1-inch or 1-by-1-inch. The upright rails on the trellis should be no smaller than 3/4-by-3/4-inch. Cross bar pieces may be thinner, but no less than 1/4 inch thick and 3/4 inch wide. Avoid lumber with lots of knots as it creates problems with driving in nails. A soft, inexpensive wood suffices, such as pine. Harder woods that are rot-resistant may be used, but cost increases and more force is needed to drive nails through the grain.

2. Cut the lumber into multiple pieces to construct the upright rails and cross bars of the trellis. The rails need to be a minimum of 6 feet long but don't need to be more than 9 feet. Cross bars are 12 to 18 inches long, and are evenly spaced 9 to 12 inches apart on the rails.

3. Place the two rails parallel to each other on a flat, sturdy surface, such as a floor or sturdy table. Lay the rails evenly so the lengths mirror each other and then adjust the distance between them anywhere from 9 to 15 inches apart. Use a tape measure to ensure the ends of the rails are the same distance from each other.

4. Measure up 18 to 24 inches from the same end on each of the parallel rails. Make a pencil mark at the same distance on each. This is the location of the first, lowermost cross bar on the trellis.

5. Lay a cross bar across the two rails, centering it so that either the cross bar ends rest flush with the outside edge of the rails or the bar extends 1 to 2 inches beyond the rails. This is an aesthetic choice; flush orientation makes the trellis look like a ladder, while overlapping rails adds a bit more visual interest. Rails that jet out an inch or two beyond the rails create a convenient nook for morning glory vines to rest and clasp as they climb upward.

6. Drive one or two 1 1/2-inch nails through the cross bar downward into each of the rails. If your cross bars are 1/2- to 1-inch thick, shorter nails are required, such as 1-inch-long nails.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to attach the remaining cross bars on the upper part of the trellis rails. Space cross bars parallel to each other anywhere from 9 to 12 inches apart. You may choose to have a cross bar flush with the very top of the rails or allow the rails to extend beyond -- it's a personal choice of aesthetic and construction.

Tips & Warnings

• While you may drive the bottom 18- to 24-inch-long bottom of the trellis rails into the soil for support, the trellis cannot support its own weight and the plant. Drive a stake or rebar pole into the ground and then also attach a trellis rail to the pole with wire for extra sturdiness. This prevents a gust of wind from pushing the trellis over.

• Depending on your creativity and ability to construct a basic trellis, you may opt to make a four-sided trellis with four rails rather than two. A four-sided trellis is more work but is sturdier on its own than a two-rail trellis.

• For added strength, screws may be used instead of nails when attaching cross bars to the rails.

• Wood trellises are not infinite. Even with painting, any garden trellis begins to weather and rot, especially in nail holes and where any wetness collects or the wood comes in contact with the soil. Expect an untreated trellis to last one year before starting to become flimsy.

References

• Learn2Grow: Ipomoea Tricolor
• Learn2Grow; Propping Up Your Potted Plants and Trellised Troughs; Rich Binsacca

Resources

• Learn2Grow; Glory in the Morning; Amy Dee Stephens