Clematis are very beautiful plants that delight the eye with their flowering throughout almost the entire summer. This decorative culture belongs to climbing vines, therefore, for normal growth, it is necessary to equip the supports for clematis. Reliable and original designs, installed next to the planted flowers, will decorate any garden or garden. To make them yourself is possible for any grower who does not even have special technical skills. We hope that several ideas for making supports for clematis with your own hands, presented in our article, will be useful for people who begin decorating their site with the cultivation of these brightly flowering "climbers". So let's get started.
Why do clematis support and requirements for them
In the process of growth, almost all types of clematis tend to go up. Therefore, for their normal development and subsequent flowering, it is necessary to equip the appropriate devices for which the leaf petioles will cling. The constructions of supports for clematis can be very diverse: from ordinary ropes stretched on the wall of the house up and down to complex architectural arches framing the front door or gate.
During periods of rapid development and lush flowering, these plants gain significant weight, which increases even more after rain. Therefore, regardless of the design features, the supporting devices must be strong enough to withstand not only the mass of plants, but also an additional significant load.
And, of course, the appearance of the manufactured devices plays an important role, because flowering plants will hide from the eyes details of structures only during the growing season. Therefore, the rest of the time, the supports should not introduce dissonance into the overall aesthetic picture of the design of a personal plot or garden.
Varieties of supports and materials for their independent manufacture
As supports for clematis can be used:
- Walls of various buildings (houses, sheds, garages) located on the site. However, this greatly narrows the choice of place for planting flowers.
- Columns of fastening of lamps of lighting or electrical wiring.
- Freestanding structures that can be purchased ready-made or made independently. They are installed in the most convenient place (taking into account the general landscape design of the site) and after that plants are planted around them.
- Trunks and branches of trees growing in the infield. During the flowering period, these plants will only emphasize the natural beauty of evergreen decorative spruce or thuja.
In the manufacture of supports for clematis with your own hands, you can use:
- wooden slats and bars;
- metal pipes (round or profiled), corners and reinforcing bars;
- various nets (plastic or iron);
- willow twigs;
- bamboo stems;
- wire, nylon building cord, rope or garden twine;
- unnecessary paneled doors or window frames (of course, with previously removed glass);
- as well as many other materials available at the farm (for example, headboards from a crib or an old spring mattress).
It all depends on personal preferences, creative imagination, enthusiasm, patience and minimal experience working with a particular building material.
How to make a clematis prop quickly
A simple, effective, however, very unpretentious (by strict aesthetic standards) method of manufacturing a support:
- We take two pieces of a metal pipe (round or profile) about 2.5 meters long.
- With the help of a sledgehammer, we hammer them into the ground. The distance between the columns depends on the length of the planting strip for plants.
- Between the pipes we stretch a metal wire. The distance between the individual "strings" should be about 20-25 cm.
Reliable and strong enough support for clematis is ready. You can plant flowers and wait for the transformation of the "wire fence" into a bright flowering wall that stands out in the landscape.
Lattices and nets on the walls of buildings or fences
To use the supporting structures of various buildings located on the site as self-made supports for clematis is an idea that does not claim to be novelty or originality. This method has long been successfully used by many growers. The popularity of this method is explained by:
- Simplicity of arrangement. It is enough to fix on the wall a lattice of battens, a metal mesh or ropes (cords or wire).
- Reliability and high strength (which is initially possessed by the supporting structures of buildings) of the equipped supports.
- The ability to give very dull walls (for example, of brick or concrete) an attractive appearance (at least for the period of flowering clematis).
With the help of flowering plants, it is possible to decorate not only the exterior surfaces of buildings, but also, for example, the supports of country balconies or outdoor terraces.
And just a fence surrounding the area around the perimeter, for the manufacture of which many summer residents use a metal mesh, is a ready-made and durable supporting device for growing clematis.
Obelisks of battens, bars, fittings or branches
The pyramidal supporting structure, which received (in accordance with its geometric shape) the name obelisk, is very popular among lovers of clematis breeding:
- Firstly, it is quite simple to make it on your own.
- Secondly, a variety of materials can be used for construction (bars, rails, reinforcing bars, metal tubes, and so on).
- Thirdly, it is easy to install (just sticking it into the ground) in any part of the site, and if necessary, rearrange it (for example, when the soil is depleted and the clematis needs a new place for planting).
An obelisk twisted from willow twigs , in shape resembling the skeleton of an Indian wigwam, even after clematis fades, it will look good on your site.
Tree trunk as a support
As a natural support for a climbing plant, you can use the trunk of a tree growing in your area. You just need to help Clematis a bit to “climb” upwards by wrapping the bottom of the trunk with a net or pulling ropes from branches to pegs driven into the ground.
Moreover, professionals argue that clematis does not do any harm to trees or shrubs (on the branches of which they also grow safely).
Sometimes they are even included in joint compositions with “powerful” spray roses or lilacs. This creates a special visual effect if the color scheme of various plants is selected correctly.
Mesh cylinder
How to quickly and easily make a support for clematis with your own hands:
- A piece of coarse mesh (which is usually used to reinforce pavement) is turned into a cylinder with a slight overlap.
- We fasten the edges with a metal wire.
- We paint with green enamel.
- We install the cylinder vertically in the right place of the site.
- In a circle, we drive 3-4 rods of reinforcement into the ground and fix them to the grid.
A clematis planted around such a support will turn it into a bright column in the summer.
Arched structures
Arched vaults as supports for curly flowers will very effectively decorate the space in front of the front door or gate. Such supporting structures are most difficult to do on their own. Although for those who have completed the bulk of the work on building a house, garage, shed and do-it-yourself fence, the arrangement of such architectural structures will not be particularly difficult.
The upper part of the arch can be semicircular, flat, gable or broken. It all depends on personal preferences. At the same time, care must be taken to ensure that it blends well visually with the style of other buildings.
The main requirement that the arch must meet: a person must pass through it calmly, without touching the delicate and fragile flowers.
Lamppost support
A piece of mesh (metal or plastic) mounted around a lamppost will turn a conventional functional lighting device into a designer lamp mounted on top of a magnificent bouquet. It’s even hard to imagine how this splendor will look in the dark, when the lantern will fulfill its direct “duties”.
Also for these purposes can serve as an ordinary birdhouse, installed in the center of the site, most likely, a long time ago. Blooming clematis will transform it into a magical castle for birds, soaring over a beautiful bouquet.
Bicycle Wheel Dome
It’s probably very difficult to come up with a more original way. In addition to the main function (to be a supporting structure for a climbing plant), a dome built from worn-out bicycle wheels can become a favorite place for children's games. In addition, a similar support for clematis is a great way to recycle the wheels. Bypassing the holiday village and collecting unnecessary spare parts from friends and acquaintances, you can arrange such a futuristic structure on your site. To do this, you only need a little time and a metal wire (or crimp plastic clamps). First we set a certain number of wheels in a circle (with a slight bias towards the center) and fasten them. Next, we make several more of the same structures (the number depends on the height of the structure), which we install on top of each other, be sure to fasten them in a reliable manner.
Backs from a crib
Your baby has grown. Replenishment in families with relatives, friends and acquaintances is not expected. Disassemble the crib. We install two long side backs at an angle to each other and fasten together (for example, using an ordinary rope). Built (within a few minutes) do-it-yourself support for clematis (photo below) is ready.
Old mattress
Does your berth require another update? Do not rush to throw out the old spring mattress. Removing excess tissue (leaving only its metal “stuffing”), we get an excellent workpiece support for clematis (photo below).
We only need to dig into the ground two reliable vertical racks (from a wooden beam or a metal pipe), fix the base of the former mattress between them (for example, using wire) and plant clematis next to it.
Step ladder
The old wooden step-ladder (just leaning against the fence), on the steps of which you yourself are already afraid to lean, will become a creative and quite acceptable device for growing climbing plants. The main thing is for them to have a ladder along which they can "climb" up. At least three positive aspects in this decision can be noted with confidence:
- In the barn there was a place to store a new working ladder.
- Not a single penny has been spent on arranging the support.
- The inner side of the fence (or at least some part of it) will delight you with beautiful flowers in the summer.
In custody
Naturally, the above ideas of supports for clematis are not a technical guide for repeating the described structures. We really hope that they will help you, using your own ingenuity, perseverance, patience and imagination, to equip reliable and comfortable places for the growth of amazingly beautiful plant "climbers" that fit well into the landscape of your particular site.