Project Overview

Working Time: 1 – 2 hrs

Yield: Six-foot wood obelisk trellis

Skill Level: Beginner

Estimated Cost: $50 to $75

This six-foot DIY obelisk garden trellis is versatile and perfect for plants that love to climb and trail. Use it as a tomato cage or as a general support for any type of plant like wisteria, honeysuckle, or snapdragons. At the top, there’s space for a lightweight planting pot.

Build this DIY obelisk trellis for around $50 to $75—less than half the cost of buying a wood obelisk (which costs around $125 to $200).

DIY Trellis Basics

You can build this obelisk DIY garden trellis in about an hour. Though it has several pieces, the trellis is built in just a few main sections:

• One ladder side: Create one ladder with two legs and five rungs.
• Opposite ladder side: Duplicate the ladder shape for the opposite side.
• Connection rungs: Add five rungs per side to connect the two ladders.

Tip: Save money by using less expensive wood such as whitewood furring strips or pressure-treated lumber.

Safety Considerations

Though the base of the obelisk is broad, the top can become heavy, especially if you place a planting pot at the top. Anchor the trellis to the ground by burying the legs. Choose a lightweight resin, rubber, or metal pot rather than a heavy terracotta or stone-like pot. Watering makes the pot heavier.

Materials and Tools

Equipment / Tools

• Electric miter saw or circular saw
• Drill
• Drill bits and drivers
• Paintbrush
• Pencil
• Tape measure

Materials

• 8 two-by-two lumber, each 8-foot
• Wood glue
• Paint or stain
• 1 box 3-inch exterior screws

Instructions

Cut the Lumber

Cut the lumber with the electric miter saw to these dimensions.

Mark the Bottom Rung of the First Ladder

Lay two of the 72-inch pieces on a flat table or surface. Measure up and mark 6 inches from the bottom as the placement point for the bottom 24-inch rung. Place a 24-inch cut piece across the two 72-inch pieces as the first rung.

Angle the Legs

With the bottom rung still in place, angle the tops of the legs toward each other. The top-left corner of the bottom rung should be flush with the outer edges of the legs.

Fasten the Bottom Rung

Pre-drill a hole for the screw, then fasten the bottom rung in place. Use only one screw per attachment point to allow the wood pieces to be adjusted.

Fasten the Top Rung

Fasten the top 8-inch rung at the very top of the legs. Again, the top corners of the rung should line up with the edges of the legs.

Check for Square

The top and bottom rungs of the ladder should be parallel. Check this with the tape measure. Adjust the legs as needed.

Dry-Fit the Middle Rungs

Dry-fit the three middle rungs, spacing them evenly between the top and bottom rungs. Starting at the top and progressing downward, mark the positions with the pencil. Lay the following cuts across the two 72-inch pieces as the middle rungs, starting with the shorter piece below the 8-inch piece and moving down.

• 11 5/8-inch piece
• 15 5/8-inch piece
• 19 3/4-inch piece

Fasten the Middle Rungs

When you are satisfied with the look of the first ladder, add a dot of wood glue to each attachment point. Attach the pieces with the 3-inch screws.

Build a Second Ladder

Duplicate the previous steps to make the second ladder. Lay the pieces for the second ladder on top of the first ladder to perfectly match leg angles and rung spacing.

Attach Ladders on One Side

Position the ladders on their sides. Attach the remaining rungs so they connect the two ladders and overlap the ends of the ladder rungs. These should be at the same levels as the ladder rungs. Starting at the top and progressing downward, place the pieces in this order:

• 11-inch piece
• 14 5/8-inch piece
• 18 5/8-inch piece
• 22 3/4-inch piece
• 27-inch piece

Attach Ladders on the Other Side

Turn the trellis over and attach the final set of rungs to the last open side, from top to bottom in the following order:

• 11-inch piece
• 14 5/8-inch piece
• 18 5/8-inch piece
• 22 3/4-inch piece
• 27-inch piece

Finish the Trellis

Stain or paint the trellis as desired. For a rustic look, leave the wood to weather on its own. Cedar weathers to a silvery-gray color. Whitewood should be painted or stained and coated. Pressure-treated wood can be painted or left as-is.

Secure the trellis to the ground by wrapping the legs in plastic bags to protect them and then burying them roughly a foot in the ground. To permanently secure the trellis, place the legs in holes, add dry concrete around the legs, and then fill the holes with water.

Best Plants for an Obelisk Trellis

Add suitable climbing plants and trailing vines to the obelisk trellis such as:

• Blue Moon Wisteria
• Bougainvillaea
• Clematis
• Climbing Hydrangea
• Climbing Monk’s Hood
• Jewel of Africa Nasturtium
• Mandevilla
• Morning Glory
• Passion Flower
• Sweet Pea

Add trailing plants to the pot on top of the trellis.

Maintaining Your Obelisk Trellis

Because it’s difficult to repaint or re-stain an obelisk trellis after plants have become established, it’s important to do a thorough job on the initial build.

Keep the bottoms of the legs protected. If you choose to bury the legs for stability, paint the legs for protection. Ground-contact pressure-treated wood does not need to be painted.

FAQ

What are obelisk trellises used for?

Obelisk trellises are good for vining and climbing plants. They allow vines to wrap around the trellis while still providing sufficient airflow throughout to keep plants healthy.

Do you plant a rose inside or outside an obelisk trellis?

Some people plant roses inside an obelisk trellis; however, this can make the trellis shift or lean if the rose plant grows beyond the structure’s size. A solution is to plant the roses next to the trellis on the outside and train them to grow around the trellis.

What’s the difference between a tuteur and an obelisk trellis?

A tuteur is a garden structure that holds and trains crawling and trailing plants. An obelisk trellis is a type of tuteur structure, and it is narrow, tall, and shaped like a pyramid.