Support for Clematis

Clematis are very beautiful climbing plants that are simply irresistible during flowering. However, there are some points that are important to observe in order for clematis to perform its decorative functions. One of these whims is the need for sufficient sunlight. However, the root system should be in the shade. In addition, the vine will look beautiful only when it is directed to the vertical support. If you let the development of the bush take its course, the stems will intertwine, and the plant will die. In addition, vertical hedges (vertical support) are an excellent and fashionable solution in landscape design. With such vertical gardening, you can make the zoning of the site, you can hide some inconspicuous corners and, conversely, add a zest to any composition, so the choice of support must be approached thoroughly.

Further in the article, we will talk about which supports are better to choose, where to get them and what the material of construction should be.

Support function

The supporting structure is a prerequisite for growing not only clematis, but all climbing plants.

Vine stems usually reach 2 or 3 m, and sometimes even 4 m. However, the diameter of the stems is small, so thin shoots can simply break under the influence of the wind or under the own weight of large flowers.

-Firstly, the decorative function of clematis, which grow on the proposed support, is performed here more efficiently.

-Modern landscape design is not complete without vertical green fences.

- It is necessary to organize a vertical support also because the plant needs constant air circulation in the leaves and stems. In addition, the flowers should be evenly illuminated by the sun. This cannot be achieved without establishing a support. A crowded vine will eventually rot and a favorable environment will be created inside the bush for the development of rot, fungus and the reproduction of parasites.

- In addition, it is much easier to care for clematis, curling along a support, since you can easily approach the plant, its roots are freely available for watering, spraying and for feeding. It is easier to carry out formative and sanitary pruning of the bush vertically.

The modern choice of supporting structures allows you to establish bright and unusual shapes, geometric shapes. In the autumn and winter seasons, such a structure will look no less beautiful than entwined with clematis in the summer season.

There are various arches, trellises, fences on sale, but every household florist can build a structure on his own if he has a minimum set of tools.

Types of supports

There are no strict rules for choosing a support and its shape. The gardener includes imagination and does everything according to his tastes and also the design of the site. Below are the most common ways to organize a support.

-Walls and facades of the house, as well as other structures on the site can serve as a support. This can be a veranda, terrace, barn and other structures.

-Supports can be vertical long sticks, poles, lanterns, pipes, etc.

-You can direct the vine around various openings: window and door openings, openings in the gazebo.

-Walls and roofs as well as arches are in great demand as support.

- You can use separately built structures, flowerpots, stands or other climbing plants.

- And finally, the fence that surrounds the site can be landscaped with flowering liana.

Besides choosing a place for landing, as well as the choice of the supporting structure itself, you should think about how and how to fix the climbing vine on the support offered to it. So, there are special brackets and fasteners for tying up growing stems.

Since clematis has a very high growth force, it is necessary not only to direct the leading stems in the spring, but also to tie up the plant throughout the season.

Material of construction

There are also no requirements for the material from which the support should be made. It can be any material. If you do not have the opportunity to purchase ready-made structures or new materials, you can get by with the tools at hand that you may have left after building a house or performing repair work. There are sure to be items in the shed that fit.

-May need wooden materials: various boards, bars and slats.

- Trunks and branches of large trees, willow twigs, bamboo are also suitable.

-Metal structures will serve for a very long time.

-Nets that you have left from the fence or from other structures, such as a chain-link, are suitable for building a support.

-In addition, you can use a wire made of metal, a cord, a fishing line, a rope will also be needed to prepare support structures.

-Maybe old frames or doorways will come in handy.

-Some even use things like playpen parts, old rusty bicycles, wheels, scooters, and box springs.

Construction types

The easiest way is to build a wooden support, since you do not need special skills and abilities. A few wooden materials will suffice, as well as a saw, hammer, and nails. If the hostess is a woman, then supports from various nets, as well as other light materials, will be in demand here.

The most professional gardeners who know how to work with metal structures and have the necessary tools at hand can build forged and other structures.

You should take care of the beauty of the structure, since the liana can completely cover it with a floral carpet only by the middle or end of summer. The rest of the time, the support should also look attractive, so it is better to paint or varnish it, or decorate it in some other way.

As for the form, it all depends on the taste and imagination of the gardener. It can be an arch, an obelisk, it can be a trellis, trellis. It can be any geometric figure: a ball, a cube, and even animal silhouettes.

Here it is important to focus specifically on the design of your site, on your personal preferences, and, of course, on the possibilities. In the absence of the possibility and desire to create separate additional supporting structures, you can use the lower branches of old trees or just old trunks or any large shrubs that do not need good sunlight as them.

Types of trellises

If we talk about the simplest method, it will be two support beams, pipes connected by wire. Let the support look so creative to me, but it will fulfill its functions.

To make such a simple structure, you will need two identical support sticks - this can be a pipe, corner, fittings, and so on. The height of the vertical supports should be approximately 2.5 m. However, here the length will depend on the variety of vines, since each one differs in the length of the stem.

Having noted a distance approximately equal to the width of the bush, and this will be about a meter, the pillars should be simultaneously strengthened in the ground, hammering them with a sledgehammer.

Further, a wire or twine is pulled between these two supports, there can be an old cable at an equal distance in parallel. The gap should be about 25-30 cm. Thus, you will already have the simplest design ready.

In the same way, you can make an arch-shaped support. You can also use a net-rabitsa instead of twine. You can make some kind of weaving from twine or rope.All this is available to every gardener, both man and woman.

Wall trellis

This option will be more difficult, since here you will need not only wooden slats, bars and boards, but also a hammer and nails, since the trellis will need to be nailed to the wall of a house or other building. But such a support will look more decorative, and besides, the structure is available for manufacturing even for a beginner.

It is important to choose beautiful and identical slats so that they do not look too bulky. Better if they are 40mm by 10mm. Wooden lathing can be of absolutely any shape. It can be a fan, and a rectangle, and a multi-tiered structure, and it can also be in the form of a grid and lattice.

The size between the horizontal and vertical beams here will be at least 5 cm. This is necessary so that the air circulates freely inside the entire plant, and also so that leaves and flowers can freely pass through the grate. It should be noted that the maximum size of the cells should be no more than 20 cm, since it will be necessary to tie up the newly growing stems and leaves. Also, the antennae themselves should reach the support.

Metal arch

The structure made of metal is more robust, reliable and durable. There is no need to be afraid that the support will break under the weight of the plant or rot during the winter under the snow. It is also necessary to process the metal structure and paint it so that rust does not appear. A well-groomed metal support will last a very long time, performing a supporting function not only for clematis, but also for other plants.

Currently, you can see all kinds of art forging products on sale. However, the cost of such a design would be very high. A more economical option is prefabricated frames, but they will be less durable.

If you know how to use a welding machine, then it will not be difficult for you to independently make a beautiful metal shape for clematis. If there is no welding machine, then you can also build a metal structure made of metal using duralumin pipes and a metal mesh.

Dural pipes should be bent into an arch using special tools. Then, using screws, you need to attach the crossbars, also made of metal. The finished structure must be covered with enamel or acrylic. Then you need a mesh - a chain-link that will exceed the dimensions of the frame. Thus, the mesh is stretched, bending over the prepared supports, and fixed there. The entire structure must be anchored in the ground so that it does not fall. The depth here will be at least half a meter.

If you already have some frames left on the farm, then they can be safely used for the construction of supports, reinforced with a metal mesh.

Conclusion

Support is necessary for any climbing plant. The structure can be purchased in specialized stores or made by yourself, using both improvised means and metal materials. The shape and size of the structure must be chosen based on the style of the landscape, as well as the size of the vine that will wrap around this support.