Flower Box and Trellis Ideas: Maximizing Small Gardens with Vertical Growing

Trellising plants in a small garden helps address some of the challenges associated with limited space. While small gardens often lack horizontal space, there’s usually an abundance of vertical space. In a small garden where sunlight may be limited, trellising allows you to position plants where they’ll receive more sun for photosynthesis. Trellis wall: Make a long wall by creating two lines of poles about a foot apart, and tying the tops together (pictured above, left). Bamboo trellis systems work well with pole beans, runner beans, and other strongly twining climbers.

Growing cucumbers on a trellis is another space-efficient and practical approach that yields numerous benefits for home gardeners. By training cucumber vines to climb, not only do you save precious ground space, but you also promote better air circulation around the plants, reducing the risk of diseases. When fruits are suspended from a trellis and kept from the soil surface, they are less prone to disease, and going vertical means that plants can grow vertically instead of sprawling, opening up some garden real estate on which to plant other crops. This construction allows flexibility of width in the garden and flat winter storage.

Install T-posts or other stakes into the ground on either sides of a row of tomato plants. Tie one end of twine around a T-post. Make sure all tomato plants are on the same side of the twine. Adjust each plant so that its branches are above a line of twine. Drive two T-posts per panel into the ground, and attach hog wire panels to the posts with zip ties or twine. Bend the panel until it reaches the other t-posts, forming an arch. Twine can be used throughout the garden to provide support for vining plants.

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there - longing for a garden that feels spacious and full of life when all we have is a backyard lot or patio. In all the gardens my husband and I have created, it’s the climbing plants that have transformed our space. And while these plants haven’t always been easy to grow, we’ve learned a thing or two along the way. Choosing low maintenance varieties, avoiding invasives, and ensuring the plant fits with the space are just a few ways we’ve maximized trellis-plant benefits.

Trellising plants in a small garden helps address some of the challenges associated with limited space. While small gardens often lack horizontal space, there’s usually an abundance of vertical space. Small gardens in urban or suburban settings may benefit from trellises as natural screens. Trellises help define different areas within a small garden. What criteria should you use when considering which plants are best for your space? I like to look for compact or dwarf varieties of popular favorites, plants that have multi-season interest (such as blossoms, leaves, and seeds), and low-maintenance plants that won’t mean a ton of backbreaking work.

While many vining plants are beautiful to behold, some may be invasive in your area. These could include trumpet flower, kiwi, black-eyed Susan vine, canary creeper, ivy, passion flower, morning glory, perennial sweet peas, and more. For the past ten years we’ve been blending edible plants with ornamentals. We like this strategy because it reduces the harms of garden pests on edible crops, showcases stunning and tasty plants, and keeps our food within easy reach. Consider planting edible vines on your trellises for a beautiful and productive garden.

This quintessential flowering vine comes in a variety of colors and is known for its stunning large blooms. Our first foray into clematis growing was Clematis armandii, the evergreen variety that sports a profusion of fragrant white blooms in summer and glossy green leaves in winter. This variety needed a large growing area, however. Easy to mount and built to last, these trellises create a strong vertical support system. Favorite compact cultivars generally stay 4 to 6 feet tall without the extensive spread of standard plants. Choose from a wide array of purples, whites, burgundies, pinks, and more to fill out your clematis garden.

Sweet peas remind me of grandma’s garden. There was always a patch growing up a fence or trellis somewhere in her yard, and my little fingers sought them out to make pint-sized bouquets with scents to die for. Choose from a wide variety of colors to add a lovely touch to your trellis with their delicate, butterfly-like blooms. Opt for petit or jumbo blooms, depending on your space. Most vines grow 6 to 8 feet, except dwarf varieties, which average about ten inches.

Mandevilla is a genus of tropical and subtropical flowering vines prized for their striking trumpet-shaped flowers and glossy green foliage. Thriving in warmer climates, mandevilla requires well-draining soil and full to partial sunlight. Since it can reach heights of 6 to 15 feet when trained on a trellis, it’s important to keep branches and stems pruned when growing in small spaces. Simply trim back every few weeks during the growing season. Another cottage garden favorite, honeysuckle is fragrant and fast-growing, with long vines that produce colorful, tubular flowers. One of my earliest farm jobs included routinely weeding a perennial flower patch beneath a mature honeysuckle vine. That’s where I saw first hand how popular these vines could be with pollinators. While some honeysuckle varieties can be aggressive, these tend to be the bush varieties. Look for Lonicera periclymenum (European Honeysuckle) or Lonicera sempervirens (Coral Honeysuckle), which are less likely to spread quickly. The University of Iowa offers more information on avoiding invasive honeysuckle plants.

There’s nothing quite so romantic as rambling roses on a cottage wall. These classic beauties evoke quiet summer afternoons and simpler times, while also offering divine fragrance. Climbing roses such as the David Austen ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ and ‘New Dawn’ gracefully ascend trellises and arbors, showcasing a profusion of fragrant, multi-petaled flowers. Other favorites include anything in the ‘Arborose’ family, available in a spectrum of colors. With proper support, care, and a sunny location, climbing roses can create a stunning focal point in outdoor spaces.

After observing my sister-in-law’s star jasmine thriving against an old shed, I decided to grow one of these tender beauties in my own garden. At the lower edge of its temperature range, I knew I was pushing things, but the experiment was worth the risk. Now when summer comes around in my zone 7 garden, we have the gorgeous fragrance of this delicate plant wafting across our patio. Perfect for trellising, star jasmine offers an abundance of small, white flowers scented like the finest perfume. One of the first plants I added to my current landscape garden was a climbing hydrangea. This deciduous vine is known for its large, attractive lacecap flowers. While some sources call it a slow grower, I’ve found it grows quickly in the Pacific Northwest. Either way, it will eventually cover a trellis with lush foliage and blooms. It’s especially well suited for brick walls and espalier trellises.

It’s amazing how many grapes you can grow on a small fence or trellis. With proper nutrients, full sun, and careful pruning and training, a mature grapevine can produce 10 to 20 pounds of fruit per plant. That’s enough to eat fresh and save some for freezing or juicing in some cases. It also gives you an endless supply of grape leaves, perfect for dolmades and as an additive for pickling (thanks to their alum content-crisp pickles anyone?). Adding grapes to your garden trellis offers a good blend of aesthetics and practicality. Our favorites include seedless table grapes in green and red for variety. Scarlet runner beans. Learn how to build this trellis here.

One of the easiest vines to grow has to be the pole bean. Nothing finds its way to a trellis like a young bean plant, wrapping itself sturdily around supports without the need for twine or guidance. Plant beans directly into well-draining soil after it has warmed in springtime. As the vines ascend, watch as they develop lush foliage and vibrant flowers, followed by crisp, flavorful beans ready to eat raw or cooked. We stopped growing shelling peas some years ago when we saw how much of the plant ended up in the compost heap. Edible pod peas, such as sugar snap peas and snow peas, bring a burst of sweetness to home gardens, with little to throw away. Gardeners love these versatile legumes for their tender, crisp pods that can be enjoyed straight from the vine. They’re also ideal for small spaces, thanks to compact plants that work perfectly on trellises, balconies and patios. With minimal care, regular harvesting, and a preference for cooler weather, edible pod peas offer rewards worth waiting for. Plant directly into the ground as soon as the soil can be worked in most locations.

We’ve grown squash up fences and posts, over archways, down hills, and even on obelisks and trellises. The beauty of lifting squash off the ground? You’ll need far less space for these ground-hogging (but tasty) crops. If you’re growing in a small garden, training your squash up and over structures will free up space and provide an aesthetic focal point. It will also make harvesting easier. Just be sure not to trellis any of the heavier varieties: we learned the hard way that even winter vegetables can pull down a fence when they gets big enough.

Growing a small garden can be a challenge, but the key lies in thoughtful plant selection for your vertical space. Looking for more vertical garden content? Shannon Cowan is EarthEasy's editor. She lives on six acres with her family where she grows a wide variety of ornamental and edible plants. After my latest hammock stand build I had several treated wood scraps leftover that I needed to get rid of, but I hated to just trash them. I’m sharing the video of the build process here and the step by step plans below. This post contains affiliate links. Now, I totally get that you may not have the scraps in your shop to build this with. The box fit a planter pot 27″ long, 10″ tall, and 12″ deep. Note the materials list is PER PLANTER. I didn’t have enough wood to make 2 four-sided boxes for the plastic pots to sit inside. So I screwed the three sides together using 2″ wood screws-I needed two of these PER PLANTER. By some miracle, the lattice panel was almost the exact same size as the frame I was planning to mount it to. I absolutely didn’t plan that and expected to have to trim it down some. If, however, you did need to trim your lattice panel, you could use a circular saw or a jig saw to do so-I prefer a jig saw as the staples you are likely to hit in the lattice can screw up a blade and jig saw blades are cheaper to replace. So, I ripped it in half and added the pieces on the top of each trellis. These could be 2x2s, 2x3s, or even 2x4s if you wanted. Until next time, friends, happy building!

An easy, step-by-step tutorial on how to make a DIY Raised Planter with Trellis for about $50! It’s Fall planting season, friends! We are so excited to get some fall veggies planted in our brand new DIY raised planters with trellis. Don’t they look great against the Woodhouse Workshop? It’s the cutest little workshop that ever was and the planters add so much charm and functionality. It’s my happiest place! This planter was so easy and affordable to make, I made two of them! I’m thrilled to be partnering with Arrow Fastener on this DIY raised planter with trellis project. The Arrow Pneumatic Brad Nailer and Compact Electric Stapler made this build fast and easy. As always, I’ve got the PDF plans available for you to download below.

Approx. I was excited to give my new pneumatic brad nailer a try - I’m happy to report it’s lightweight and easy to operate. First, I cut the legs, long rails, and planks down to length on the miter saw. Then I ran the leg and rail parts through the table saw, ripping them down to 3 1/2 inches wide. Sometimes cedar fence pickets can have a smooth side and a rough side. If this is the case, lay the good side down so that the rough side will be on the inside of the planter. I laid the legs and rails down on my workbench, with the smooth side facing down, then positioned the planks on top of them, leaving a 5/8-inch inset on each end. Then I used my brad nailer to attach the planks with 1-inch brad nails and wood glue. Repeat and build two of these panels - these will be the front and back panels of the planter. Cut the legs, short rails, and planks to length. Once again, rip the rails down to 3 1/2 inches. However, this time, you’ll rip the legs down to 2 7/8 inches. Construct the side panels in the same way you did the front and back panels. Lay the legs and rails in position, then attach the planks with 1-inch brad nails and wood glue. Once all four panels are constructed, they should come together like a puzzle. Next, we attached the cleats to the inside of the planter box - this will support the bottom slats. You can place the cleats at any height in the planter. I’m no gardening expert, but I believe a good rule of thumb is to have at least 8 inches of soil for your plants (although don’t quote me on that). I placed the cleats about 12 inches down from the top of the planter. To add the trim, I ripped a couple of pickets down to 1 1/2 inches wide, then measured and mitered the ends at 45 degrees. It’s best to “sneak up on the cut” here so that you get the tightest fit. I usually cut the boards long and then shave off a little at a time until the miter joints are tight. Now that the planter is complete, I moved onto building the trellis. I used pressure-treated 1×4 boards here. I measured, marked, and cut the 1×4 boards to length and constructed the frame with pocket holes. I didn’t want to see the excess lattice under the planters, so I used a cordless circular saw to cut the excess from the bottom. To attach the trellis to the back of the planter, I drove 1 1/4-inch wood screws in through the back. Look how adorable!!!

These raised planters turned out to be a charming and functional addition to the garden, filling space and adding vertical interest. We planted broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, and cauliflower and I’m really hoping we reap a good harvest! This project demonstrates how trellises can blend aesthetics with practical growing space, especially when space is at a premium. With thoughtful planning, you can create sturdy vertical structures that support a variety of climbers and edible crops, while keeping maintenance reasonable and harvests plentiful.

tags: #flower #box #and #trellis