DIY Garden Trellis Tutorial

Looking for something to do this summer? Then, give this DIY garden trellis a try!

Summer is among us friends – and with summer, comes some great outdoor projects (at least at my house!)

If you’ve been following my gardening journey on Instagram, then you’ve probably learned a bit about my love for flowers. Of course, I’m still learning how to take care of them – but I’m definitely having some fun in the process!

We started growing climbing clematis on a cheap 4-foot metal trellis for the last two summers, but they would just wind up flopping around and growing downwards because they didn’t have anything to latch onto as they got bigger! This is when Marc and I realized we could easily create our own wooden trellis (or two!) so the flowers would continue to grow upwards. So, without further delay – a simple and affordable DIY garden trellis:

Materials Needed for a DIY Garden Trellis

• (4-6) 1 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft. pressure-treated board
• 8 x 1-1/2 in. multi-purpose flat head screw
• Outdoor wood stain
• Sand paper
• Drill
• Saw

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How to Make a Wooden Garden Trellis: Step-by-Step

• Start by sanding and staining your wood

• Allow wood to dry in between coats (I recommend at least two)

• Saw (8) 24″ strips

• Lay out (3) 8′ wood pieces on the ground side-by-side

• Arrange the 24″ strips horizontally over the 8′ pieces to get a feel for design and spacing

• Measure 6″ from the bottom of the (3) 8′ pieces; mark with a pencil on each piece

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• Next, center a 24″ piece horizontally from the point you just marked, letting it hang 2″ off either side; mark the center and both ends with a pencil

• Continue moving down the (3) 8′ pieces, marking the center and ends with a pencil at every 12″ increment (you’ll have (8) total)

• Now, it’s time to screw the pieces in! Carefully use a drill to nail each 24″ piece to the markings you measured

• TIP: we screwed the center first, then worked outwards

• If you want a simple pattern, try attaching the horizontal pieces like this:
  • 1st piece: attach over 8′ pieces
  • 2nd piece: attach under 8′ pieces
  • 3rd piece: attach over 8′ pieces
  • 4th piece: under – and so forth!

• We found it was easier to attach the (4) pieces that would be on top first:

• Then, flip the structure over and attach the (4) remaining pieces in between the other pieces you just secured. This gives it a nice “over-under” pattern.

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Marc was so proud! LOL

Now, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can go for round two and build a smaller wooden trellis to compliment the larger one. We did this because I’m planting more clematis this year and wanted a variety of colors!

In this case, you’d just apply the same steps you did with the 8′ trellis, but make it 6′ instead! The 6′ trellis used (6) 24″ pieces instead of (8).

• Once your trellis is complete, bury the ends a good inch or so into the ground.

• If you already have clematis growing, you can rest it carefully on top of the plant and weave the vines through the trellis openings, like I did here.

• So pretty! Eventually the clematis will attach and climb up your trellis frame.

And there you have it! A $25 garden project that you can complete on a sunny afternoon!

Want to give this DIY garden trellis a try? Then, be sure to pin this post for later! Enjoy!

P.S. For other DIY project ideas, check out the archives.