Isn’t it crazy how you can end up with so many of something? Some examples are plastic grocery store bags, packing peanuts, nick-knacks – well there are really too many things to name. Sometimes we don’t even know where we got most of these items but we just know we have too many of them. If you’ve noticed that you have way more yardsticks than you really need why not put them to good use everyday? That is, make a mini trellis out of them, and they’ll serve a real purpose in life! You don’t have to be a master craftsman to create the trellis; most anyone can easily put together the yardstick trellis.
If you’ve never seen a trellis it’s a group of vertical wooden pieces, bound together, and set in the ground. The trellis is generally used as a climbing post for many different kinds of plants and flowers. Plants that grow tall or climb love a nice trellis. The trellis serves a purpose as well; it keeps tall plants from slumping over and breaking. When you make one from four yardsticks you’ll be able to support any number of plants and flowers in your garden with a wooden arrangement that looks beautiful.
Start by stacking the four same-size yardsticks on top of each other. Paint the yardsticks, if desired, or use them as-is. Now you’ll decide how you want to connect them depending upon your abilities and the types of tools and supplies you have around your house. The best way is to use a small-diameter bolt and nut to attach them. You’ll have to drill a hole through each stick, at the bottom, then insert the bolt and screw on the nut. If you don’t have a drill you have other options. For now, you can simply tape around the bottom of the yardsticks. Tape them very snug and tape around them several times. The tape you use can be good masking tape or even duct tape. Another option is to wire them together. Go up a couple inches from the bottom, then begin wrapping the wire around the stack, and stop when you’ve completed several wraps.
You’ll have the easiest time completing the trellis if you take it outside. Dig the hole for your trellis and stick the taped or bolted end of the yardsticks in the hole. Fill in the hole and tamp the dirt well. It’s important that the end of the trellis be well-inserted in the ground. You’ll be pulling, somewhat, on the yardsticks and you don’t want the bottom of the yardsticks to pop up out of the ground. A length of wire will help you complete the project.
Wrap the wire around the top area of the first yardstick a couple of times, near the top. Pull this yardstick away from the next one by several inches. Allow a foot or so of space between the first two yardsticks. After wrapping the wire around the first one, position a length of the same wire between the first and second yardstick. Now wrap the wire around the second yardstick, a couple of times, close to the top. The length of wire will hold the two yardsticks apart. Continue wrapping around one yardstick, then allowing the length of wire to hold the sticks apart, then wrapping around the next yardstick. Make sure each length of wire, between the yardsticks, is the same size as all the others. When you get to the last yardstick, wrap the wire a couple of times, then cut off the remainder of the wire.
As you spread the yardsticks apart, and keep them separated by the wire pieces, the top of the trellis will fan out whereas the bottom of the sticks, which are in the ground, will stay butted together. This fanning of the trellis allows plants and flowers to grow and crawl in various directions.
Make a much smaller version, for an indoor houseplant, by using rulers instead of yardsticks. The rulers can be bound and separated in basically the same way as the larger version. Place them in a potted plant before planting the flower or place the tiny trellis towards the back of the pot, and insert it, where you might not damage as many roots, if the pot already has a plant in it.
If you know someone who likes to garden the mini trellises are fabulous gifts. Besides painting them there are all sorts of other things you can do to embellish. Use rubber stamping methods to create floral patterns or use colored tape to make stripes on each yardstick. Whether you’re making the trellis for yourself or someone else, for indoors or out, you’ll love the finished look! They’re really very easy to make and will have everyone enjoying the garden area even more than they ever did before!
Reference:
- Purchase gardening supplies here: www.lowes.com
