0
0
Posted: 15th April 2025 | Author: Adam Brown | Category: Fencing
Back to news
Trellises are a great way to add visual interest to your garden and make use of vertical space by encouraging climbing plants to grow upwards and spread outwards in a structured manner. They can also function as a privacy screen once climbers establish themselves, helping to protect areas of your garden from unwanted onlookers.
Before you can enjoy those benefits, though, you’ll need to fix your trellis in place. Here, we explain how you can attach a trellis to a wooden fence, as well as a few tips on how to protect and preserve your trellis for years to come. Keep reading to learn more.
(H2) How do you attach a trellis to a fence?
To securely fix a trellis to your fence, you will need:
You might also find it helpful to have a piece of chalk or a pencil to hand so you can mark the position of your trellis accurately.
Choosing the right location within your garden is key not for the installation process, but for the vitality and success of your climbing plants. If you’ve bought them from a shop, it’s likely they will have come with details about where they should be planted - e.g. in full sun or semi shade - which can help you to find the right spot for them.
If your climbers didn’t come with instructions, try looking online or in a plant handbook. Even if you can’t find instructions for the specific variety you have, general instructions for that kind of plant, such as clematis or honeysuckle, can be helpful.
While the planting instructions can give you a general idea of where your trellis should go, it’s likely that aesthetic considerations or practicality will be the final deciding factors.
Hold the trellis against the fence and move it around until you’re happy with the final position. Then use your chalk or pencil to make marks on either side of the trellis so you can see exactly where to position it when the time comes.
Top tip! At this stage, having a friend to lend a hand can be helpful. You might also need a third person who can stand back from the fence and get a better view of the positioning.
Climbing plants will automatically use the structure of a trellis as a climbing frame to help them grow and spread upward, making a lovely feature for your garden. However, it can be hard for them to do this if they don’t have the space to grow, which can happen if you fix your trellis directly against the fence panels.
To avoid this problem, you’re going to attach a pair of battens to the fence and then attach the trellis to those battens, allowing plenty of room for your climbers to grow. If your trellis is particularly big, you may need to use additional battens to better support it.
Using the marks you’ve made on the fence, you should be able to see where the battens will sit. Drill pilot holes at several points along the batten, then use wood screws to fix it to the fence. Do the same for any other battens you need, making sure they are secure.
Last but not least, it’s time to fix the trellis to the battens. Again, you may find it helpful to have a friend to help you hold the trellis in position while you work.
An 8-foot trellis can be held safely in position by three fixings on the left and right sides of the panel - but if you’re in any doubt about how many screws to use on your own trellis, remember it’s best to err on the side of caution and use more than you think. Or, speak to the supplier of your trellis, as they may be able to give you some guidance.
Once your trellis is securely fixed in position, you’re all set! All you need to do now is plant up your climbers and wait for nature to take its course.
Perhaps you want to paint your trellis a different colour to match the aesthetic of your garden, or maybe you just want to give it a few coats of wood stain to help protect it from the elements. Whatever the case, the answer is yes: you can paint your trellis. In fact, it’s much the same as painting a fence.
Here are a few pointers to help you get the job done:
Installing a trellis onto a garden fence can be a fun and easy DIY project for anyone, regardless of whether you’re a total beginner or a seasoned expert. With these instructions, you can add this pretty garden feature to your property and reap the rewards as your climbers thrive in their new environment.
Back to news
The Author: Adam Brown
With a background as a Mechanical Engineer, I started Nationwide Supplies alongside my brother with a vision to modernise what seemed a stuck-in-its-ways industry in the builders merchant sector. Since 2011 it has been my goal to source quality products at the correct prices to be able to offer a saving to customers along with high quality customer service which offers quick delivery and superior technical knowledge in the industry.
