Iron Wrought Trellises Worthy of Passion Vines

Posted by hpotterblog on February 14th, 2012in Dianne Benson, Gardening Products, Trellis | No Comments

By Dianne Benson, author of Dirt: The Lowdown on Growing a Garden with Style

I have not yet met any single plant — let alone a vine — that is as awe-inspiring and heart-stopping as a passion vine (Passiflora).

Passiflora passion and trellises

If I had the pleasure of living in a climate hospitable to growing these exquisite creatures in the ground — I would have many more varieties than the four I now proudly boast.

But my four are just heaven…as they should be, given their highly graphic, if not religious significance (stamens are the Holy Trinity, corolla the Crown of Thorns, and so on).

One oversized, mauvey, multi-colored beauty resides in a biggish terracotta pot and grows at the sunniest end of the grape arbor on a rather graceless piece of lumber

The frilliest passion flower has the terrible job of scrambling over a deer fence which is impossible to beautify

But it is the remaining two passion vines that are much happier because they are growing — as they should be — on handsome trellises. As this emblematic, exotic plant sends out amazing curlicue tendrils (another Passion of Christ reference), its ability to climb on and arrange itself around a trellis is unsurpassed.

A trellis is better than a lattice or a fence

The framework of a trellis can be fanciful or straightforward, right-angled or tripartite, pillared or domed, intricate or simpl

The very best selection I can find is here at H. Potter where they have all of the above and more — there is one trellis with hanging bells that seems exceptionally delightful — style and garden sounds at the same time.

Made of strong iron, they are coated with a special finish that is not brown or green or gray, but a totally neutral color that fits perfectly into the garden palette — even when it is brand new and before it is covered with passion or any other vines.

The one pictured is the Leaf Trellis; the next that I have my heart set on are the Pillar Trellis or the Onion Dome. You will be thrilled when you see what a difference they make in your own garden. And what’s even better — some designs are now available at a sale price…treat yourself….

East Hampton, New York

19 September 2010

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Nasturtium Moonlight climbs a garden trellis, garden arbor, or gazebo.

Nasturtium Combinations For a Trellis and a Planter — Edible Flowers

Posted by hpotterblog on January 14th, 2011in Arbor, Birding, Charlotte Germane, Container Garden, Garden Planters, Gardening Products, Gazebo, Outdoor Decor, Trellis | No Comments

By Charlotte Germane, Editor of H. Potter Knowledge blog

All plant photos courtesy of Renee’s Garden

Nasturtium Display on Your Trellis

Beautiful when bare, this trellis and copper planter will be your own dazzling garden statement when you add your favorite climbing and trailing plants. Continue Reading >>

How NOT to Buy a Garden Trellis

Posted by hpotterblog on June 19th, 2010in Charlotte Germane, Gardening Products, Trellis | No Comments

By Charlotte Germane, Editor H. Potter Knowledge blog

How NOT to buy garden trellises

1. Wake up the day before your outdoor summer party.

2. Sit down with a cup of coffee and write out your shopping list of party supplies. Don’t include a garden trellis.

3. Get dressed, and choose the smallest car available for your shopping trip.

4. Buy refrigerated food, chilled drinks, and bags of ice for your party, and load them in your car.

5. Notice that it’s getting pretty hot outside.

6. Drive past a colorful display of plants in front of a drugstore.

7. Decide that the plants might make a fun addition to your party.

8. Park at the far side of the parking lot in the only spot left. Leave your windows rolled up because you have expensive items in the car.

9. Wander among the flowering plants for sale and fall in love with a clematis vine.

10. Don’t read the label on the clematis to see how tall it grows.

11. Buy the clematis and jam it into your front passenger seat, next to a bag of melting ice.

12. Knock loose the clematis plant tag and read that it will grow eight to 10-feet tall.

13. Walk back to the drugstore and ask for a 10-foot, sturdy trellis in a dark color.

14. Buy the last six-foot, wire, white trellis they have in stock, even though it’s bent at the top.

15. Carry the trellis across the parking lot. Attempt to fit the trellis in the car.

16. Attempt to tie the trellis to the roof of the car.

17. Return the trellis to the drugstore.

Now go home and buy a real trellis for that clematis from H. Potter. Here’s a new video of one of our favorite trellises.

The Most Beautiful Tomato Cage in the World

Posted by hpotterblog on May 28th, 2010in Charlotte Germane, Garden Planters, Gardening Products, Trellis | No Comments

By Charlotte Germane

Are you like me, with a tomato plant growing in a garden container on the deck?

Every summer morning when we eat breakfast outside we check the tomato plant’s progress.

If you’re living up-close-and-personal with a tomato plant you don’t want to look at a shaky, rusty and boring tomato cage.

H. Potter to the rescue! For an edible garden with style, you came to the right place. What a hit the Hoop Skirt Lawn Ornament and Pedestal Planter make.

You see why I call it “the most beautiful tomato cage in the world”?

Form and function too: six feet of solid-iron trellis with an all-weather, powder-coated finish. Perfect for small-space gardens where every item has to earn its keep, or use it on a large patio or deck as a unique accent. The heirloom-quality copper planter gives it that extra design oomph.

Most of us grow indeterminate tomatoes (the kind that ramble around and produce for many weeks)–and we need a tomato cage to support each plant.

Tomatoes grow best, resisting pests and diseases, when they have the extra air and light that comes with a cage or flat trellis.

How to choose which tomatoes to plant

Your local growing conditions are the most important factors in selecting tomato varieties.

The short-season classics that work well in most areas are ‘Early Girl’, ‘Better Boy’ and the cherry tomato ‘Sweet Million’.

For the real skinny on what’s best in your garden, consult the academics and Master Gardeners in your region. Here are some links to put you in touch with your local experts:

I can’t talk now, I’m busy with my Ornamental Garden Trellis

Posted by on April 15th, 2010in Charlotte Germane, Gardening Products, Trellis | No Comments

by Charlotte Germane, Editor of the H. Potter Knowledge blog

My pal, the Ornamental Garden Trellis

My Ornamental Garden Trellis

The Ornamental Garden Trellis is my new best friend. We’re spending a lot of time together while she helps me plan my summer garden design.

Six-feet tall, broad-shouldered (32”) and lovely, she’s not just a pretty face but a strong garden assistant.

Going plant shopping with the Ornamental Garden Trellis is such fun

She volunteers to stand in the sun or the shade, and looks good in any color.

With her on my team I feel liberated–free from worrying about what USDA hardiness zone I live in.

No, I’m not delusional, I’m waking up to the fact that the warm season is right around the corner, bringing me at least five months of frost-free weather.

I can plant whatever tender vine my horticultural heart desires and the Ornamental Trellis promises to support my choice in any spot in the garden. I can lift her myself and she has 12” stakes to keep her steady where I place her.

Tender vines for a garden trellis

Spoiled for choice, I’m focusing on tender vines for full sun. The three finalists:

Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) has round, white flowers that open as the sun sets. Perfect for the white garden next to the deck where we sit on summer evenings.

‘Heavenly Blue’ morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor or Ipomoea purpurea) is a true blue that would be a fun morning shot of color at the back of my blue border.

Cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) is the most dramatic vine on this list. The cup-shaped flowers open cream and turn purple, with wavy stamens. Ideal as a vertical accent near our front door.

I could start any of these from seeds, but this year I’ll go for instant gratification and buy a vine at the garden center. With that head start I’ll get earlier blooms. Which is the whole point of these vines.

Garden trellis vines through the seasons

Moonflower and morning glory vines are annuals and die at the end of summer.

If you live in a frost-free climate, cup and saucer vine will be a perennial. If it snows in your neighborhood then this vine is one of the fleeting joys of summer, to be savored on your garden trellis each warm day.

*My friend the trellis is now starring in a new video — check it out!

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