When you picture a formal garden, what comes to mind? Perhaps you imagine berms, overflowing with spring flowers. Maybe you envision a fountain, set at the confluence of gravel paths. Possibly, if you’ve toured some of Europe’s great gardens, you’ll also envision an elaborate trellis, covered in fragrant rose blossoms. Indeed, trelliswork—or treillage, if you’re feeling fancy—has been a beloved garden feature for centuries. And—if you’ve always dreamed of planting one yourself—you wouldn’t be alone in your admiration: Pliny the Younger described vine-covered pergolas as early as the first century. Back in 1625, Francis Bacon described lattice “carpentry work” as an ideal feature of a garden. Walt Whitman yearned for trellises in his 1855 book of poems Leaves of Grass. Even if your version of Pliny the Younger’s lavish villa looks more like a cramped urban patio, a garden trellis is a pretty way to update your space—whether you’re looking for a space-saving way to add greenery or cover up that unsightly wall or fence.
What Is a Trellis, Actually?
A trellis is typically an interwoven framework—The Oxford Companion to the Garden describes it as “a crisscross screen of slender wooden rods or strips”—used for training viny plants. While their use can be traced back to antiquity, trellises became extremely popular by the Renaissance. French gardeners, however, took treillage to the next level. In the 17th-century, landscape architect André Le Nôtre built elaborate trellises for Louis XIV’s elaborate gardens at Versailles. Here, at the apex of their fashion, trellises went on steroids, morphing into elaborate outdoors rooms and tunnels. The Oxford Companion to the Garden notes that the jardinier treillageur was the highest rank of gardener at Versailles. Today, your garden-variety trellis is usually a simple lattice frame. It can take the shape of an arbor, pergola, or pavilion at its fanciest, or prop up a climbing plant in a planter at its simplest. You can spot trellises indoors too, though these are usually strictly decorative wall treillage.
What to Plant on a Trellis
Trellises are designed for climbing plants. Just what climbing plant you choose depends on your space’s lighting conditions, climate, and personal taste, but possibilities abound. Want a romantic vibe? Go for climbing roses. Want a dreamy fragrance? Try star jasmine. Looking for a retreat straight out of the English countryside? Plant wisteria. Even if you don’t have a backyard, you can get a mini indoor trellis for viny house plants, like pothos plants. Still not sure where to start? Below we’ve outlined the prettiest trellis ideas, whether you’re looking to spruce up your patio or create your very own Versailles.
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Simple Backyard Trellis
One of the best benefits of trelliswork is its ability to cover an unsightly wall in a blanket of green. Designer Sara Ruffin Costello uses the tactic beautifully in her New Orleans home, where a wire lattice hosts delicate vines. Combined with planters and even a small tree, this look is giving whole new meaning to urban jungle.
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Simple Trellis
The contessa may be barefoot, but her garden shed is anything but. Here, in Ina Garten’s fabulously lush backyard, a petite studio building is positively smothered in vines. A simple wood trellis creates a moment of breathing room amid it all.
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Dining Oasis Trellis
Could there be anything more festive than a pool surrounded by palm trees? Yes, if you add a bougainvillea-covered arch! Here, fashion maven Liz Lange tapped her bestie Jonathan Adler to create the Palm Beach house of her dreams. She wanted “a surreal fantasy where nothing bad could ever happen,” Lange tells us. “And nobody gets that better than Jonathan.”
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Rustic Trellis
There’s something delightfully chic about this slightly disheveled French country home (no coincidence, it’s just outside Versailles). But that’s precisely what its owner, the fashion designer Agnès b., loves. Here, the garden is mostly let to run wild, including the vines that cover the house and race up a rustic arbor above the entry.
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House-Enveloping Trellis
Like evolution, some gardening ideas are about the survival of the fittest. Look no further than Charles Darwin’s own English country bolthole, where latticework covers the house’s entire rear facade.
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Pumpkin Trellis
Not all trellises are for blooming plants. You can also use these structures to help tame your vegetable patch. Here, the homeowner planted pumpkins, but the same tactic would work for squash and melons as well.
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Pergola Trellis
Why not use a trellis to create a lush garden tunnel to stroll through? Here, the rose-covered structure not only looks pretty, but also provides shade while you’re taking care of some pesky weeds.
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Grill Station Arbor
Outdoor kitchens are getting more tricked-out than ever, but we prefer a more natural approach. Here, a simple grill station is accessorized with planters, pottery, and a vine-covered arbor. What’s cookin’, good lookin’?
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Door-Flanking Trellises
Want a warm welcome? Frame your door with twin trellises. This look is not only simple to execute, but also imbues your entry with a dash of English country charm. Top of the morning to you too!
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Mobile Trellis
Always on the move? Or simply can’t make up your mind where to put your vegetable patch? Put your plant pals in a trellis-on-wheels, as shown in this clever greenhouse idea. Use it to move your plants when lighting conditions change or simply use it as a leafy patio partition.
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Privacy Screen Trellis
In addition to covering unsightly walls, a trellis can be a chic alternative to a humdrum backyard fence. In this charming al fresco vignette, one covered in vines forms a verdant partition while blocking out curious eyes from outside.
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Patio Trellis
"It was a sleeping beauty covered in vines," Mona Nerenberg says of her Sag Harbor home. She leaned into the romantic look on her back patio, where a pergola covered in white wisteria gently drapes over a rustic dining table.
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Combined Fountain Trellis
A trellis can be a style statement all on its own. Just ask London-based garden designer Butter Wakefield, who transformed this urban patio into a country-chic oasis. Here, a trellis adds visual interest to an otherwise hum-drum wall, thanks to finials, lighting, and an edgy black paint job. Bonus points for the elegant water feature.
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Versailles Trellis
Nothing beats the real thing, which is why it’s worth examining André La Notré’s masterful 17th-century gardens at Versailles. The Enceladus Fountain is surrounded by am impressive tunnel of treillage. And while you might not have one of gardening history’s greats at your disposal, you can actually buy quite a convincing replica—for a pretty penny—from a U.K. dealer. Let them eat cake? We happily will beneath this beaut!
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Go Barely There with a Stainless Steel Grid
As this garden designed by Janice Parker proves, opposites attract. “A clean, modern stainless steel trellis of cables looks beautiful on a rustic wall, as well as on a smooth surface planted with white climbing roses,” the landscape architect explains. Not only are thin stainless steel wires strong enough to support your growing flora, but they look almost invisible when paired with a textured wall. Just be careful about where you put the (ahem) petal to the metal. “We [don’t] put the trellis on the side of a painted wood surface of a house or a barn, as when it comes time to repaint the structure, it becomes very difficult,” Parker adds.
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Create Contrast
If you want to make your trellis pop, consider affixing a thick wooden structure to your garage or barn. “A trellis is a timeless way to create architectural interest in a garden, as well as showcase a plethora of flowering vines,” designer Kristina Phillips explains. “They evoke a sort of romantic English garden feel—and can be kept clipped or left rambling.” Though the white roses here certainly speak for themselves, the bold lattice creates a country contrast as you wait for those flowers to bloom.
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Make a Moment
You don’t need to have an opulent water fountain or pergola to elevate your garden’s design. Instead, let your trellis work overtime to deliver on form and function. “Nothing is better than an arched iron trellis over an urn planted with apricot campsis vines,” Janice Parker adds.
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Mix and Match Materials
Trellises often come in a variety of woods and metals, so juxtaposing materials can be an effective way to bring a homey quality to your garden. Don't believe us? Just take a look at this stunning space from Janice Parker. “A 25-year-old trellis is one of my favorite projects,” she shares. “The trellis is teak with concrete columns and bluestone caps and is planted with purple flowering wisteria.”
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Embrace Your Exterior
No sprawling garden? No problem. It’s possible to bring a great garden trellis idea to any home—yes, even one that lacks a big backyard. Here, blogger Jenna Sue affixed two expanding trellises to the exterior of her home so her bougainvilleas had a convenient place to grow. Bonus: This tip is easy, affordable, and adds a textural touch to her stucco facade.
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Accessorize an Arbor
Did you know that a trellis can turn any archway into a grand entrance? Case in point: This arbor from Jenna Sue Design. By adding white flowering bushes at the base, the star jasmine vining up the trellises takes on a whimsical attitude. It’s almost as if the two species seamlessly blend into each other.
Anna Fixsen
Deputy Digital Editor
Anna Fixsen, Deputy Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, focuses on how to share the best of the design world through in-depth reportage and online storytelling. Prior to joining the staff, she has held positions at Architectural Digest, Metropolis, and Architectural Record magazines. elledecor.com
Kelsey Mulvey
Kelsey Mulvey is a freelance lifestyle journalist, who covers shopping and deals for Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, and ELLE Decor, among others. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos.
