Let your climbers come up and play with this rustic DIY rope trellis for all your indoor and outdoor explorer plants. You can create this trellis using upcycled materials lying around at home, or go totally eco-friendly with organic materials scavenged from the garden. Enjoy all the benefits of trellis growing and get the most from your curious creepers this summer.

A trellis gives you the edge

When planting edibles and decorative plants against a supportive trellis, you:

1. Save space by going vertical and neaten up your garden’s appearance.
2. Are able to home more indoor plants and grow more food in less space with easy-peasy harvesting.
3. Grow clean, ‘normal looking’ produce, instead of odd shapes splashed with dirt.
4. Reduce disease and insect damage by improving air circulation around plants and also by keeping foliage off the ground where soil-borne diseases can quickly spread.
5. Make it easier for pollinators to access flowers.
6. Experiment and play with architecture, landscaping, and visually intriguing décor.
7. Grow healthier plants with increased exposure to indoor lighting or outdoor sunlight.
8. Are able to prune and apply fertiliser much easier than if plants were on the ground.
9. Equip your plants with better support to withstand strong winds and rainfall.
10. Cover up baren walls and fences, and create your own indoor living walls.

Inquisitive indoor climbers

Here’s a list of five fabulous indoor creepers and climbers for inspiration.

1. Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)
2. Pothos (Caution: toxic to cats, dogs, and children if ingested)
3. Wax flowers (Hoya carnosa)
4. Creeping fig (Ficus pumila)
5. Maidenhair vine (Muehlenbeckia complexa)

Edible outdoor explorers

Plant and sow these scrumptious edibles on a trellis and maximise your harvest.

1. Beans
2. Peas
3. Tomatoes
4. Melons
5. Summer squash

Available in pots, seedling trays and seed packets from your GCA Garden Centre.

Begin your trellis assembly

You will need:

• At least 5 sticks from the garden or 5 store-bought wooden rods
• Some harvested fresh and pliable vines, or some bought twine
• A nail and hammer

*Top tip: If you’re going organic, try collecting an interesting variety of sticks to give your trellis the ultimate rustic and raw look.