Metal Trellis for Climbing Plants: Choosing and Fixing Steel Supports
Metal trellis for climbing plants is a steel panel or frame that gives climbers something to twine around or be tied to, fixed to a wall or fence or pushed into the ground. Steel trellis is slimmer than timber, doesn't rot, and can carry a proper design, so it looks good in winter when the plant has died back as well as in full leaf. This guide covers choosing the right support for your climber, fixing it properly and picking a finish.
Match the support to the climber
Climbers hold on in different ways, and that affects what kind of trellis works best.
Twiners such as honeysuckle, jasmine and runner beans wrap their stems around a support. They love the open lattice of a steel trellis panel or obelisk.
Leaf-stalk climbers such as clematis wrap their leaf stalks around thin supports. They grip well on narrow steel webs.
Scramblers such as climbing roses don't hold on by themselves. They need tying in, so choose a pattern with plenty of places to tie to.
Self-clingers such as ivy and climbing hydrangea stick directly to walls and don't need trellis at all.
Wall and fence trellis panels
For a bare house wall, the side of a garage or a stretch of fence, a flat trellis panel is the usual choice. Our Wrenfield Climbing Plant Trellis Panel is 600 mm wide and 1800 mm high, cut from 3 mm mild steel as a diamond climbing lattice with a crest of songbirds on a leafy branch. Even before anything grows, it works as garden art, and once a climber fills the lattice, the birds stay on show above the leaves.
If you want pattern along the top of a fence rather than up a wall, a fence topper does a similar job at a higher level. The Wrenfield Fence Topper and Hawthorn Fence Topper both give climbers something to weave through above a standard fence.
Fixing trellis to a wall: leave a gap
The most common mistake with any trellis is fixing it flat against the wall. Stems need room to pass behind the panel, and air needs to move behind the leaves, or the wall stays damp and the plant is prone to disease. Our trellis panel has six Ø8 mm holes for wall plugs or fence posts. Use spacers to hold the panel 25 mm off the wall.
Check for cables and pipes before drilling, and wear eye protection.
Use masonry plugs and exterior screws into brick or block. Don't rely on render alone.
Hold the panel level with a spirit level while you mark the holes.
Fix the panel before planting, so you're not trampling the young climber.
Plant the climber about 300 mm out from the wall, where the soil is less dry, and lean it back towards the trellis.
More fixing tips are in our assembly and fixing guides.
Free-standing supports: obelisks
Not every climber is near a wall. For a border, a vegetable bed or a large patio pot, an obelisk gives you height anywhere. The Hawthorn Garden Obelisk is about 1.5 m tall and made from two tapering leafy panels that cross-slot at the centre into a four-sided frame, with no tools or welding needed. The legs push into the soil or into the compost of a large pot. It suits sweet peas, climbing beans, a small rose or a clematis.
In exposed spots, push the legs well down and firm the soil around them. A fully grown climber in summer catches a surprising amount of wind. In a pot, choose a container wide and deep enough to keep the obelisk stable once the plant is grown.
Screening with climbers
If you're after privacy rather than just a support, a full-height screen gives you instant cover that climbers soften over time. The Hawthorn Privacy Screen Panel and Zellige Privacy Screen Panel are 1800 mm high, in 900 or 1200 mm widths, and fix to timber posts or battens. Plant a climber at the base and it will thread through the pattern.
Raw steel or powder coat for trellis?
Raw steel will rust outdoors to an orange-brown patina. On trellis, that warm colour blends into foliage and stems, which is why many gardeners choose it. The downside is run-off: rain can streak render, pale brick or a light pot beneath it.
Satin black and anthracite grey are powder coated for a durable coloured finish. Black gives a crisp outline that almost disappears once a plant fills in. Anthracite grey matches modern grey windows and fencing. Either is the safer choice against a rendered wall. Our guide to raw steel vs powder coat outdoors explains the trade-offs.
Training tips for the first season
Tie young stems in loosely with soft twine, spreading them out to fill the panel rather than letting them all go straight up.
Check ties a few times over the summer so they don't cut into thickening stems.
Once the plant is established, let twiners find their own way and prune to keep growth within the panel.
Don't let a heavy climber pull on one side of a panel. Spread the weight.
Need a different size?
Walls and gaps rarely match stock sizes. We can cut trellis panels, obelisks and screens to your measurements, and in other patterns. Send the details through our custom metalwork form. Everything is made to order in our Knowsley workshop, and we'll confirm your dispatch date by email. Browse the full range in the Metalwork shop.