The Wonders of Skyward Gardens

By Seth Mullins

Many of us yearn for the beauty of a flower garden but lack sufficient space in our yards to make that dream a reality. What small plots we possess lay cluttered with debris and choked with weeds, or else they are needed for walkways and so would provide little chance of life for growing plants.

What's more, the labor involved in stripping a section of our landscape of its sod, and then tilling and fertilizing the soil underneath to make it habitable, might be too daunting for us to want to undertake it. So our yards remain fallow and unattractive - spaces that serve practical functions for us, rather than places we enjoy spending time in.

But though we may have insufficient ground for a garden, we still have much more area above the ground that we can make use of. It's time, then, to stop thinking only of the flat earthy surface and turn our attention skywards.

Some of the best (and most appealing) climbing plants include Morning Glory, Passionflower, Black-eyed Susan vine, grape vines, Scarlet Honeysuckle and Jasmine. It's possible to coax and train most types of vines to grow up a tall fence, if we have one, but a simpler way to a more attractive result is to use trellises. These simple structures, which are basically screens of latticework, are usually made of non-corroding metal or wood and have a number of little tiers that allow vines to inch up their heights. Trellises are available at most garden supply stores. They are even simple enough to design and make on our own using 1" by 2" wood pieces for the vertical parts and thicker, stronger wood for the horizontal ones. The designs we create can be a matter of personal taste, but the basic idea is to make rungs (with about a foot of space between them) that vines can use to steady themselves for their upward climb.

It's possible to make elaborate use of trellises so that you end up with something resembling an archway or even a small building. An arbor is a longer version of a trellis that bends at an overhead height to make an arch. Its top can also be squared. Another type of arbor consists of an overhead trellis that is held up by posts. Some arbors can be sturdy enough to support a hanging swing.

Skyward-reaching vine gardens, supported by the grid-like ladders of simple trellises, can be as breathtaking as more expansive flower gardens and take up a minimal amount of space in comparison. If there's little room for blooms, leaves and petals - even fruits - to spread out, we can train vines to grow upwards instead. If we do have the luxury of more space, using an arbor can transform a dull plot of yard into a beautiful area of repose. Its vine-covered archway can serve as a luxuriant garden entryway. We have many more options available to us when we cease to look only as the ground of our backyard landscapes and begin to consider the uses for all of that space above.

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