Mount a trellis between windows
“Between windows can be a nice place to create interest or to highlight a home’s architecture,” Gerstle says. Here, a trellis with vines in a diamond grid draws the eye to redbrick accents and the landscape design. Gerstle adds, “If you prefer a solid screen of green, then you can make the pattern small and tight and allow the vine to fill the holes between the wire. Otherwise, trim and twine the vine to maintain the decorative pattern on the wall.”
Adorn an outdoor seating area
Create an oasis for afternoon tea or a sunset glass of wine by doing up an outdoor space like you would your living room. Here, corner trellises are similar to indoor millwork and a chandelier is the perfect finishing touch.
Use a trellis as a fence
Make your structure do double-duty by supporting your morning glories and serving as a trellis fence. This model by Craiger Custom Design separates two neighboring yards.
Upgrade a patio
Segbefia is a fan of metal and wooden wall-mounted trellis styles. She says, “If you have a blank wall, a mounted trellis truly elevates the space; it becomes a piece of art in itself.” Plus painting the trellis to coordinate with patio furniture and planters streamlines the look.
Go for a modern look
A trellis doesn’t have to be rustic. In this design by Eddie Maestri of the Dallas-based Maestri Studio, a simple wire trellis added to existing vertical beams provides a touch of plant life while keeping with the home’s overall modern aesthetic
Cover an outdoor kitchen
To create shade for an outdoor kitchen, the team at Trellis Structures used a cantilevered arbor, which minimizes the space taken up by support posts, and the trellis sides allow for vine support. Growing fresh ingredients is ideal for this grill-side garden. “There are any number of fruiting plants that do well on a trellis, from beans to squash,” Schumacher says.
Line a driveway
Enjoy your yard’s lush greenery every day as you come and go by lining your driveway with wooden trellises or a pergola to create a canopy of plants. In this example, created by Trellis Structures at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, the wooden beams support two 100-foot-long rows of wisteria branches.
Add greenery to an urban patio
Maximize every inch of your outdoor space by using trellises as pergola posts. This way even structural supports can host beautiful blooms.
Carve out a patio space
If you’d like to create a patio space that’s not attached to your home, either a pergola or perimeter of trellises can help you do so. In addition to delineating your seating area from the surrounding garden, these structures also provide shade.
Consider an accent trellis
Narrow spaces can still get the trellis treatment. Mount a small trellis on porch posts or on either side of a window (almost like clapboards). If you pick a piece with decorative elements—like the one above with curvy, copper-colored slats—you can enjoy the look even before your climbing plants fill in.
Pack on the planters
For a trellis alternative, create a wall with raised beds and planters at different heights, like this one by New York City–based Birch & Basil Design. It’s ideal for small gardens, such as those on urban patios, as you make the most of vertical space and leave room for furniture and a grill.
Go full circle
A garden arch—like this one from Trellis Structures—is sculptural and creates a frame for a favorite focal point in the yard. Use an arch trellis to highlight a prized tree, pathway, or pond.
Lean into outdoor privacy
A pergola, the larger, more structured cousin to the trellis, is ideal for providing both privacy from neighbors and shade. This pergola—designed by Hello Kitchen and overseen by Simply Home, both based in Austin, Texas—creates a private outdoor room with plenty of airflow.
Pick a sculptural piece
Sculptural trellises add artistic flourishes to yards, with or without plants. Here, a leaning obelisk supports climbing plants, while a spiral trellis with wooden slats is plant-free but still complements the trees behind it. Both designs are by Trellis Structures.
Extend your garden
Add trellises to the walls that line your garden to extend your yard’s flowering potential vertically. That’s exactly what Michael Jarnagin, a landscape designer based in California’s Bay area, did here with climbing roses. He says that trellises “are great for framing and highlighting the exterior of the home, whether it’s the front door or a kitchen window.”
Create a lush entryway
Like a red carpet for your garden, an arbor welcomes visitors into a foliage-filled environment. And when the arbor has trellis sides, like the one above by Trellis Structures, it’s also another opportunity to grow climbing vines.
Give a gate visual interest
Patterned woodwork makes a functional gate even more appealing. Plus the trellis slots give passersby a preview of the greenery behind it.