arches?

[megglessar]

I have a passion flower which was grown from seed and has gone mad ;D it has outgrown it's wigwam support and taken over all the other shrubs and front fence so I need a new way of supporting it. I know you can buy metal arches of which I would need 4 as I also have two clematis, but wondered if they could be made easily from timber? Any DIYers out there?

[DAG]

Hello megglessar, pleased to meet you, your passion flower sounds like a friend's one that I know and it has gone up their pergola, all over it, up another bush and across onto the fence and working it's way down the garden! ;D

So I know what you mean, and I think the best bet might be to have a very flexible system that you can adapt as it changes. I am thinking of something like those small balls that you fit onto bamboo canes and construct whatever shape you like, and can pull them apart and change your mind as much as you like. Never used them, but seem like a good idea, and I think I have seen them in B & Q or somewhere like that. That is probably the easiest. You could of course design and build your own timber construction, but no timber seems to last well outside if it is just softwood and preservative or paint, and pressure impregnated timber for outside use can be a pig to work with, try sawing some of it!

Another way would be to buy pieces of trellis and fix them together, preferably onto solid posts or similar and just replace them every few years.

Sounds like it is for the front garden, so beware of having it stolen, I once planted a whole row of conifers supported by bamboo poles and someone nicked all the bamboo and left the plants hanging!

I do hope I have been of some help?

[megglessar]

Found the balls on ebay, where else will get some and report back. Thanks for the advice.

[DAG]

You're welcome!