Building a Birch Wigwam Trellis
How to Build a Wigwam Trellis
Search out a thick stand of small young birch or any twiggy crowded saplings. 1 ½” diameter is ideal, over 2" they are too stiff.
Poke a hole in the ground with crowbar and place one of your saplings in it to test flexibility. It should curve to almost reach the ground opposite. Pre-bend all of your poles now for ease of use later. Measure the distance from the poles base to where the tips touched the ground. This will be the basic diameter of your trellis.
Use the gauge stick to space the locations of the holes around your circle. (Each is a full length of the gauge stick apart).
Poke a hole with the crowbar about a foot deep or more and place birch in hole and tamp dirt around it.
Opposing pairs are bent over each other and tied with strong twine, starting at the bottom and lashing upward as needed to shape. Repeat with each pair bending over the previous pair. Lash all pairs at the top where they crisscross to shape further. (Some muscle may be needed to shape to an agreeable uniform shape)
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| Sweet peas growing on a natural wood support |
This is a great idea for those of us with access to woods, branches, etc. So many trellises in garden catalogs are VERY expensive so this is a real help besides looking beautiful. I've started 4 varieties of sweet peas inside in peat pots and need something like this to have they climb on....Thanks!
ReplyDeletelove hummingbird's, they love red flowers sweet water and a quiet garden with a water feature.
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