How to Build A Garden Obelisk Trellis | Easy 7 Step DIY Tutorial

There is just something stunning about a garden obelisk covered in vines in the garden, the moment I saw one I knew I had to have them in my garden- and was shocked to find out just how easy they are to build. Since then we have built them over and over again and I’m just as in love with them. 

They are truly a wonderful trellis to have in your garden, so we wanted to put together this tutorial so you can build some for your garden too! This is so easy to make, you won’t regret adding these beauties to your garden.

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I saw them for the first time when I was looking through Pinterest for some garden inspiration, and discovered these gorgeous garden trellises. Be still my heart as my eyes fell on the fateful picture that would set off this DIY project and a new trip to the hardware store (not that we really need an excuse to go to the hardware store). Of course, I had to share it with the girls and soon we were all agreed that this was the arbor for us. 

We absolutely fell in love with the way they looked- but after a little research, the price tag scorched that love until that is we remembered that Mr. Cottage is an engineer and remodeled the kitchen from the ground up. So, of course, this would be no problem for him. Right? Of course right!

After a bit of convincing the promise of growing okra for him and homemade ravioli he saw the vision and got excited- ok so he may have been more excited about the ravioli but that is beside the point. On a trip to Lowes and about an hour of work I was looking at three gorgeous garden obelisks holding a spray can of white paint in my hands and beside myself with joy. They were just what I wanted and everything I hoped.

Building Garden Obelisk Trellis

Since we built our first garden obelisk a few years ago the first thing everyone who sees our garden asks is “where did you get those!” followed by a gasp and “How did you build them?”. Recently we had to build a few new ones for our garden and we finally decided it was time to share how we build our garden obelisk trellises.

These garden arbors are truly one of my favorite ways to trellis our vine veggies, they are such a show stopper out in the garden and make harvesting so easy. Plus they are really beautiful, which is really important to us. We wanted our vegetable garden to blend seamlessly with our flower gardens and not only be functional but beautiful. These trellises fit that bill perfectly. 

If you live someplace really windy these are a great option for your garden! Ours have survived tornadic storms, straight-line winds, and everything else Tennessee has thrown at them. We’ve had these in our garden going on 3 years and haven’t had to replace them once. 

What You Can Grow On A Garden Obelisk

There are so many things you can grow on a garden obelisk trellis! Like:

• Cucumbers – these make the perfect cucumber trellis.
• Melons – We’ve grown smaller melons (like cantaloupe etc.) on ours with great success. We didn’t use something to support the melons but this is absolutely something you can do on this kind of trellis. 
• Squash – These are my go-to for trellising things like butternut squash and spaghetti squash. They have always done amazing. 
• Sunflowers – I love to use these trellises to support my mammoth sunflowers every year. 
• Roses – These garden obelisk would be STUNNING with roses on them.

What You Need To Build A Garden Obelisk Trellis

Building a garden obelisk is surprisingly a really easy garden project that you can whip out in no time. Here’s what you will need to build one:

• Wood Screws
• 4 2×2’s and 1×2’s (how many you need is going to depend on how big you make your garden trellis) *we only use untreated wood in our gardens, they say that it is now safe to use treated wood but the choice is yours. You can read more about safely using treated wood in this article.*
• Drill
• Tape Measure
• Sharpie or another marker
• Ladder (depending on how tall you want to make it)
• Miter Saw
• Paint (I use Rust-Oleum on all of my garden trellises and it holds up great)

How To Build A Garden Obelisk Trellis 

1. Mark how long you want the legs of your trellis to be on on the 4 pieces of wood ( I went 16 inches apart from bottom).
2. Take the first 2 legs and place them 4 feet apart, the tops should be touching and the bottom should be about 2 feet apart.
3. Measure the distance from the first mark on one of your base pieces to the same mark on the second 2×2.  Cut a 1×2 slat to the distance and attach it with screws. Repeat until all of the slats are in place. 
4. When finished repeat this process with the other side so you have two triangle-shaped trellises.
5. Set each side up so that the legs are on the ground, and the tops are touching. *You are going to need someone to hold them while you secure the first couple of slats* Measure between the marks on both sides of your trellis, cut and secure the slat in place with screws.NOTE: It’s best if you put one slat in on both sides that way it will be freestanding while you put in the rest of the slats. 
6. Measure and cut 1×2’s for each slat and secure with screws.
7. When your garden obelisk is finished give it a quick coat of paint to seal the wood.  

Tips For Building A Garden Obelisk Trellis

• Make sure you get help when you are putting the sides together, it will save you a headache. 
• Always build your garden obelisks somewhere flat.
• Paint your new garden trellis before you put it out into the garden. The paint will help to protect the untreated wood and make it last longer.
• We put a solar light globe at the top of our garden obelisk, but I’ve seen people leave them plain or even add a small birdhouse.

Before you go, check these out!

• The Best Trellis For Pole Beans
• How To Build Raised Beds
• 29 Of The Best Spring Gardening Essentials Every Gardener Needs