| I recently bought a trumpet vine that I want to train on lattice. I'm a first time homeowner, and though I'm an experienced gardener, I have no idea how to attatch lattice to the side of my house. Do I need special brackets? Does it depend on the kind of lattice I get (i.e. wood vs man-made)? I really need to get this vine planted asap, please help! |
| I wouldn't recommend attaching the lattice trellis directly to your house. First, when the vine climbs up, there will be no room for it to twine around the slats in the lattice. A second consideration is that you'll want to provide some space for air circulation - both for the health of the vine and to keep excessive moisture from coming in constant contact with the side of your home. Finally, if you keep the lattice 2-3' away from the side of your house, you'll have room to squeeze behind for any maintenance that may have to be done. One of the easiest ways to secure a lattice trellis is to attach the bottom of the trellis to a 2 x 4 which you bury in the ground. The top of the trellis can be wired to the roof overhang, or attached to 2 x 4 arms which are then attached to the house with metal brackets (called joist hangers). As your vine scrambles up the trellis, it will hide the wood and metal attachments. The brackets you attach to the house will be the same kind as are used to hold decking supports to a house. Hope this clarifies things for you. |
