After a very long, hot, and abnormally dry Phoenix summer, many of our plants died and needed to be replaced. Our back wall that is a very long narrow space was one of the main areas to be re-landscaped . Originally we had a series of hopseed bushes growing here however after they died, it was time to plant something new.
Considering the space is 42 feet long, 20 inches narrow, and really close to the pool, we were very limited with what we could plant. Ideally, we wanted something to cover the wall (for aesthetic purposes), stay compact, manageable, minimal shedding, and wouldn’t get over-grown or cause root damage to our pool and patio. We researched and researched and ultimately decided on creating a jasmine vine trellis!
My friend Diana, who I met through blogging, is a gardening guru and has created a trellis wall just like this before. She wrote a great blog post that I referenced many times to help me get started! Here’s Diana’s post:
How to Create a Diamond Patterned Trellis Vine Wall
FIRST, I measured the wall and created several trellis design scenarios on my computer. This helped me visualize how big and far apart each diamond should be. I tried a few scenarios with smaller diamonds stacked however I was told that the smaller your diamonds get, the harder it is to maintain the pattern and shape. So my husband and I ultimately decided on large diamonds which are more dramatic and make more of a statement anyway! For reference, we have 11 diamonds and each bottom touch point is 3.5 feet apart (the very bottom design shown below).
SECOND, we ordered the supplies (I’ll link everything we used below). You’ll need 1) eye screws, 2) sturdy vine wire, and 3) Jasmine. We drilled eye screws at every bottom and top diamond point and later went back through and added eye screws to every cross point to add more support since our diamonds are so large. After all the screws were installed, we threaded the vine wire through and that’s it! The trellis was done!
NOTE: Originally we wanted to avoid using screws in the wall so we decided to try 1) trellis wall anchors + 2) liquid nails glue. It was really easy to apply to the wall however you need to let it dry for a good 5 days (and in a dry climate). Overtime the moisture from the ground and rain didn’t allow the liquid nails to dry completely – just an FYI. You could try this however I personally think eye screws is the best and most secure solution to creating this trellis.
THIRD, We planted 13 jasmine vines at each diamond bottom point. For reference, they are planted about 10 inches away from the wall and were already 3-4 feet tall at the time of purchase so we simply just wrapped them around the trellis wire and used floral wire to secure them where needed.
I hope this helps you with creating your own trellis wall!
