Hold 'em up
Mark Rayner comes up with a quick and easy frame for climbing plants.
You will need: Seven 19mm x 19mm x 1.8m garden stakes, tape measure, pencil, set square, saw, drill with 2mm drill bit, exterior PVA glue, 30mm x 2.5mm galvanised clouts and a paintbrush. Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat and Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Bright Red.Top tip: If you plan to grow a rose on your climber support, make the horizontal bars 50% longer so you can spread the ‘fan’ wider or add additional sections on the outside of your ‘fan’. This will help increase the number of blooms your rose produces.
Step 1
On a flat surface, arrange five of the garden stakes to form a fan shape, as shown.
Step 2
Measure across the top and bottom of the fan shape and measure and mark crosspieces to fit (ours measured about 700mm and 120mm).
Step 3
Position the top crosspiece, as shown. Use the set square to ensure it’s at 90° to the central vertical stake.
Step 4
Drill pilot holes, as shown, and fix with PVA glue and galvanised clouts.
Step 5
Attach the bottom crosspiece in the same way.
Step 6
Measure, mark and fix the three remaining crosspieces, ensuring they are evenly spaced. Allow glue to dry.
Step 7
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the plant support frame and allow two hours to dry.
Step 8
Apply two coats of Resene Bright Red to the plant support frame, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.