This year we’ve been going up…up…and UP. For a few reasons: we’ve run out of horizontal space in our small 1,700-square-foot garden, and we needed a tall structure for one of our favorite young plants, Passiflora edulis, to climb and bask in the afternoon sun. (We’re very into climbers lately.) There’s also a structure from our neighbor’s house located right over our fence. So some privacy would be nice. Back in January, our beloved Passiflora edulis had nowhere to climb. See how it loiters on and around the hammock? Meanwhile on the south end of our garden, we have a vertical clay pot garden (DIY here) planted with tropical climbers. The plants (tropical clematis and two species of Dutchman’s pipes) are potted in clay pots six feet off the ground. Copper pipe in the form of a grid, on the other hand, was a better fit for our aesthetic.
Most copper trellis DIYs that we’ve seen are soldered together (yes, requiring a torch). Not inclined to invest in extra equipment, we instead connected our copper pipes with stainless steel fasteners. This gave us two quick, lightweight trellises that met the needs of our plants. They can also be disconnected easily and even reconfigured in the future. After climbing 13 feet high throughout the first part of the summer, our passion vine is now producing fruits larger than racquetballs. Here is how we built the custom trellises for our garden.
Materials and initial planning
- 1/2 in. x 10 ft. copper pipe (Type M Hard Temper Straight Pipe) runs about $10 each at Home Depot.
- Depending on the climber you are growing, space the vertical and horizontal pipes accordingly. Smaller-leaf vines will normally need a tighter grid structure to fill in better.
- Calculate pipe lengths and distances between intersections of your custom grid.
- The copper will only stay bright for a couple of weeks before tarnishing. Make your sketch. Passion vine is very aggressive with large leaves meaning that our grid could be wide.
Copper is easy to work with, and it’s decorative in addition to functional. A few simple tools-including a pipe cutter and soldering torch-are all it takes. Using soft, easily bendable copper tubing to make curves, assorted lengths of pipe for straight sections, and T-shaped and 90-degree elbow fittings to join pipes together, building a garden structure is as easy as playing with Tinkertoys. My first trellis took just about three hours to build.
Cutting and shaping the copper
- Don’t hurry the pipe cutting. Place the pipe between the tool’s cutting wheel and its rollers, so that the cutting wheel hits the pipe where it should be cut. Turn the set screw to put pressure on the pipe. Keep the pressure gentle-too much can crush or crimp the pipe. Rotate the cutter around the pipe twice. This first cut scores the copper. Tighten the set screw a little more, and rotate the cutter twice around the pipe again.
- Gently bend the arched pieces to shape. For the curves, I use copper refrigerator coil instead of standard plumbing pipe. It’s softer and bends more easily. It comes in a roll, and I simply uncoil some, measure along the curve and cut off 17 inches. With soft tubing, it’s even more important to make the cuts gently. Don’t straighten out the tubing while measuring or cutting; it may crimp or dent. Once I’ve cut the piece to length, I bend it gently to a shape that is almost a quarter circle.
Joining and assembly
- Clean and flux the pipes, then put them together like Tinkertoys. After cutting the pipes, I use a nylon or metal cleaning pad to scour away any oxide from the ends of the pipe. Then, I don a pair of latex or rubber gloves and set up in a well-ventilated, bright work space to avoid fumes from the solder and flux. Brush a thin coat of soldering flux onto the end of any pipe that is to fit into a fitting. I start at the bottom of the trellis, fitting the top end of the four longest pipes into a T-shaped fitting. They should fit neatly. I connect shorter, upright pieces to the opposite side of the fitting, creating a pole about 38 inches long, with the T fitting near the middle and an 18-inch, horizontal bar to link two of the poles into H-shaped assemblies. I place reducer-T fittings at the top corners, and connect the two pieces with the second pair of 18-inch, horizontal crossbars. To help align all the pieces, I mark a 20-inch square on the garage floor, and use it as a guide for the base of the trellis.
- Assemble the top and curved pieces. To make the top, flux the ends of each pipe and assemble four identical pieces, each with two 3-inch lengths of pipe joined by a T fitting in the middle. Then, using the elbow-shaped fittings, join the four straight pieces into a square. The stem of each T fitting should face out in order to connect to the four curved pieces that link the square to the rest of the structure. The other end of the curved piece fits onto the small opening of the reducer T fittings on the base. I usually turn the soldering over to my brother, Terry. He’s an expert, but I’ve done enough to know soldering takes practice. Wearing safety glasses, he works from the bottom of the trellis up, squaring or straightening each joint before applying solder. He heats the area evenly, then touches the solder to the joint; it melts on contact and flows smoothly into place. Any excess is wiped away. Pipes should always be handled with care-they can be very hot, even a foot or two from the fitting.
- Final adjustments and aging. Once the upright and horizontal pieces have been soldered, adjust the curved pieces and the square top. Check by eye to make sure the curved pieces are arranged symmetrically and that the square top is parallel with the ground. After we adjust all the pieces, Terry solders the dome joint by joint, checking to make sure that unsoldered pieces have not shifted. I like to let the copper age naturally. Copper structures are easily installed in the garden. I take a 3-foot length of rebar and drive it 18 inches into the ground, then slip the copper pipe over the rebar. That’s all there is to it. Sturdy yet lightweight, these obelisks provide ample support for climbing plants while being easy to install and move.
Applications and aesthetics
The medium obelisk stands 68 1/2" high overall with a diameter of about 9 1/2", compact enough for smaller containers indoors or out. A crevice garden replicates the environmental conditions of mountain tops, deserts, coastlines, and other exposed or rocky places on earth. Copper is decorative as it weathers from bright to a deep warm brown that blends nicely into the garden. The trellis can be used against a wall or as a free-standing structure, adding verticality to any garden style - traditional, modern, or even steampunk.
Assembling methods vary. Some builders use polyurethane glue for an objet d’art look, while others solder the joints for maximum strength. If you don’t have the tools to solder, polyurethane glue can create a sturdy structure with careful assembly. A practical tip is to build a jig from 2x4s to keep tubes aligned while soldering, or to design and cut a custom jig to hold pieces in place. This approach makes the project accessible to both beginners and experienced DIYers.
For plant management, the trellis is versatile: it can support climbing tomatoes with a lower and lean configuration, Horta Nova Netting can be attached for vertical growth, or a shade cloth can be added for extra protection. The copper trellis is not only functional; it also serves as a sculptural garden element that adapts to different planting schemes and seasons.
In practice, the trellis is modular and reconfigurable. It can be disconnected easily and reassembled elsewhere, which is ideal for changing garden plans or experimenting with different climbers.
Use a lightweight copper grid as a decorative yet sturdy support for Passiflora edulis and other climbers, with the option to reconfigure as garden needs evolve.
Key steps recap: plan layout and spacing based on climber needs; cut copper pipes with care; bend curved sections gently; flux, fit, and solder joints securely; mount on posts or a fence with straps; let the copper age gracefully; and consider adding a middle support for larger beds. This approach yields a durable, elegant structure that ages beautifully while supporting vigorous climbers.