One of my favorite ways to spruce up an otherwise dingy and bare exterior wall is to grow a climbing rose. Though many climbers are voratious and will climb up just about anything, they all need a structure on which to attach themselves. A trellis, the easiest and most common structure, is available at most home centers in a variety of materials. While there is PVC (plastic) and pressure-treated wood, I prefer cedar. It is naturally rot resistant and fades to a beautiful silvery gray color.
The key is to connect the trellis to your house and leave sufficient air space between the trellis and house while doing the least amount of damange to the exterior surface. If it's too close to the house, there will not be enough airflow behind the roses and trellis, thereby increasing the chance of rotting your shingles. You need to have at least a couple of inches between the trellis and the house. I made blocks out of leftover cedar and screwed them into the house using exterior screws (which you can see in the photos below).
If you are really ambitious, you can make your own trellis and create custom squares, as I've done. No matter how you decide to create a trellis, make sure it's secure to the house with enough air circulation. Then just sit back and watch your climbers climb!
1 I made blocks out of cedar and attached them to the house. The trellis is mounted on the blocks to ensure that there is some space between the trellis and exterior of the house.
2 Another shot of the blocks
3 My beautiful trellis with climbing roses
4 Another shot of the trellis and roses
From: Leah Camara | 10/8/11 at 8:08 am
Brian love your trellis on the house. But the climbing rose is magnificent. Looks like New Dawn, is it? And, do you take care of it? Gorgeous!