What you will need
PLANTS
■ Ipomoea
■ Nasturtium
■ Tropaeolum (optional)
■ Cornflowers (optional)
OTHER MATERIALS
■ Lengths of timber
■ Wooden crate
■ Screws
■ Garden twine
■ Hessian for lining
■ Plastic bag for lining
EQUIPMENT
■ Electric drill
■ Handsaw
■ Measuring tape
■ Screwdriver
■ Pencil
■ Scissors
■ Staple gun
1 Work out how wide and tall you want your trellis frame to be and mark on the four lengths of timber with pencil – two for the sides and two for the top and bottom edges of the frame.
2 Using your handsaw and a stable surface for support ,cut the timber along the marked lines to the correct size.
3 Use your electric drill to drill holes in lengths of timber at regular intervals.
7 Finish by tying the other end of the twine around the screw to secure it, and trim off the excess.
8 Then line your crate, first with the hessian fabric cut to size, followed by the plastic. Use a staple gun to attach both layers to the crate.
9 Once secure, fill with compost and then use the drill and more screws to attach your frame to the back of the crate.
4 Using the electric drill, make holes at the timber junctions and join the sides of the frame together with screws.
5 Turn a screw halfway in near one corner at the back of the frame. Tie one end of the twine securely to the screw and feed the rest through the holes to create a lattice.
6 Thread all the horizontal strands of twine first and then work the vertical strands.
10 Now add your plants. The ipomoeas are the climbers, so place those at the back of the crate and gently weave their stems in and out of the trellis twine.
11 Along the front edge, position your nasturtium plants around 20cm apart.
12 Water well and watch your plants flourish. If there’s space, you can add other plants such as centaurea and tropaeolum, if you wish.