20 Upcycled Growing Supports: Unique Alternatives to Traditional Trellises
A few seasons ago, a summer storm tore through my garden with such force that even my strongest trellises splintered and toppled. Standing ankle-deep in broken stakes and snapped tomato vines the next morning, I realized I needed sturdier support—and maybe a little more creativity, too.
Instead of heading to the hardware store, I wandered through the sheds, poked around the attic, and asked neighbors if they had any old junk they wanted to part with. It was surprising what I found—bent ladders, rusted gates, forgotten bed frames—all quietly waiting for a second life.
That messy, unexpected beginning led to one of the most joyful changes in my garden. Now, almost every climbing plant reaches toward the sky with the help of something rescued, something with a story woven through its cracked paint and weathered edges.
Let me show you some of my favorite upcycled supports—each one a small reminder that gardens, like people, often grow best when we find beauty in the unexpected.
#1. Bicycle Wheel Garden Dome for Climbing Vines
One bent bicycle wheel poking out of a neighbor’s yard sale bin was all it took to spark the idea. I gathered a few more abandoned wheels, bolted them into a dome shape, and anchored the frame deep into the soil.
Now beans, morning glories, and even tiny pumpkins race up the spokes, spinning their vines around the soft curves of the old metal. Every summer, it turns into a living dome that kids love to crawl under, laughing in the dappled green light.
#2. Charming Vintage Gate Trellis for Roses
After the storm, I found an old iron gate leaning awkwardly behind a barn, its black paint flaking like ash. It looked forgotten, but strong—the perfect anchor for my stubborn climbing roses.
Mounted between two cedar posts, the gate now frames a waterfall of blooms. Soft pink petals tumble over the metal scrollwork, and every breeze seems to carry a little whisper from the past.
#3. Vintage Window Frame Trellis Charm
One pane cracked, one pane missing, the window frame I pulled from a junk pile wasn’t pretty at first glance. But propped against the garden fence, it became a magical doorway for sweet peas to climb.
Their delicate tendrils stretch eagerly toward the sky, threading through the empty glass spaces like nature sewing its own tapestry of color and scent.
#4. Rustic Garden Tool Trellis for Climbing Blooms
An old birdcage, rescued from a dusty attic corner, now hangs from a thick tree branch near the potting shed. I packed the bottom with moss, nestled in trailing ivy and violas, and watched as nature slowly took over the skeleton of iron.
In the early mornings, dew clings to the wires like tiny jewels, and the whole thing sways gently in the breeze, catching the light.
#5. Vintage Birdcage Hanging Planter for Flowers
One battered headboard, once destined for a junk pile, found its second life in the garden. Its ornate curves, a little rusted but full of grace, offered the perfect stage for clematis and black-eyed Susan vines.
Planted at its feet, the flowers reach up as if drawn by memory, weaving color and life into every old, twisted scroll. Watching them climb reminds me that nothing beautiful is ever truly lost—it just waits to bloom again.
#6. Elegant Vintage Headboard Trellis for Climbing Plants
A roll of worn-out fencing, abandoned in a shed corner, almost went to the scrapyard—until a second look revealed its quiet potential. Stretched between two rough posts, the wire netting now holds an airy wall of sweet peas and sugar snap vines.
Their green fingers dance upward, weaving lace across the wire in a slow, steady rhythm. Even the sun seems to soften when it shines through their fluttering leaves.
#7. Rustic Netting Fence Trellis Design
When I dragged the old mattress frame from behind the barn, the coils groaned and rattled like a ghost. But scrubbed clean and anchored against the garden fence, it became one of the most reliable supports I’ve ever used.
Now it hums with life each summer, as cucumber vines snake through the twisting loops, heavy with fruit and tiny yellow blossoms nodding in the breeze.
#8. Rustic Mattress Spring Trellis for Climbing Plants
An old wooden ladder, too cracked and splintered for safe climbing, leaned against the back of the garage until a neighbor suggested I try it in the garden.
Propped across a bed of squash and gourds, the ladder now stretches upward like a bridge to somewhere magical, each rung a new resting place for heavy vines to cling and climb.
#9. Rustic Ladder Trellis for Climbing Vegetables
An old wooden ladder, too cracked and splintered for safe climbing, leaned against the back of the garage until a neighbor suggested I try it in the garden.
Propped across a bed of squash and gourds, the ladder now stretches upward like a bridge to somewhere magical, each rung a new resting place for heavy vines to cling and climb.
#10. Rustic Spring Chain Trellis for Vining Plants
Tangles of old bed springs, salvaged from a roadside cleanup, were too full of texture and strength to throw away. Strung vertically along a fence, they now shimmer silver in the sunlight, half-hidden by lush clematis vines.
The plants love the tight coils, gripping them like dancers finding balance, and every new bloom feels like a tiny triumph.
#11. Elegant Lantern Planters for Charming Greenery
One dented lantern with missing panes became the heart of my favorite container project. After cleaning it up and nestling moss inside, I planted tiny trailing ferns that spill from the openings like soft green waterfalls.
On misty mornings, the lanterns glow gently with captured light, little green beacons tucked into quiet garden corners.
#12. Charming Ladder Trellis with Birdhouse Topper
At a dusty yard sale, I found an old ladder missing half its rungs, leaning tiredly against a barn. It didn’t look like much—until I imagined it draped in greenery, crowned by a little birdhouse.
Now nestled in the garden, the ladder stretches upward with a cascade of clematis, while the birdhouse perches proudly at the top like a beacon. Every spring, sparrows flutter through, weaving their songs into the climbing vines.
#13. Framed Hanging Basket for a Floating Garden
One rainy afternoon, an abandoned wooden picture frame sparked an idea. Instead of tossing it, I painted it bright cobalt blue and strung a hanging basket inside its open center.
Planted with trailing nasturtiums and tiny white alyssum, the frame now floats mid-air like a living painting—an unexpected splash of color that makes every passerby pause and smile.
#14. Upcycled Umbrella Trellis for a Cozy Retreat
When an old patio umbrella frame finally gave out, I didn’t throw it away. I anchored it into the garden bed, imagining it not as shelter from rain, but as a scaffold for life.
Climbing roses twine up the metal ribs now, creating a soft, shaded retreat beneath the green canopy. In midsummer, it feels like stepping into a secret garden room made entirely of blooms.
#15. Charming Wire Globe Trellis Planter
A bent wire garden globe, once used for holiday lights, ended up in the garden pile by accident—and stayed forever. Planted inside a weathered clay pot, it became a delicate climbing frame for sugar snap peas and morning glories.
The globe shape gives the plants freedom to spiral and twist naturally, creating a soft, shimmering ball of green that catches sunlight like a dream.
#16. Rustic Branch Trellis for Climbing Plants
After a strong wind snapped some limbs from the old willow tree, I gathered them instead of tossing them onto the burn pile.
Lashed together into a rustic grid, the branches became a home for sweet peas and moonflowers. Their rough textures and curves invite the vines to weave in and out, making the trellis look almost like it grew there on its own.
#17. Rustic Woven Willow Garden Obelisk
Early one chilly morning, hands numb but determined, I wove flexible willow stems into a tall cone shape. It wasn’t perfect—leaning slightly and knotted unevenly—but the sweet peas didn’t seem to mind.
By midsummer, the obelisk brims with blossoms, their soft colors swirling upward in a spiral dance, wrapping the handmade frame in quiet celebration.
#18. Upcycled Mattress Spring Trellis Magic
Another mattress spring, salvaged just before a junk pickup, became a wild wall of green one unforgettable season.
Strapped tightly to a garden shed wall, it turned into a vertical playground for beans and squash, with tendrils threading eagerly through the endless spiral loops like explorers following hidden paths.
#19. Creative Repurposed Bed Frame Trellis
An old metal bed frame painted sunshine yellow transformed a dull garden corner into a joyful climbing structure.
Peas and cucumbers scramble up both sides of the A-frame, and the cheerful color shines through even when vines are thickest, like laughter woven into the greenery.
#20. Elegant Upcycled Ladder Plant Trellis
One battered aluminum ladder, once destined for the scrapyard, now stands proudly in a giant ceramic pot at the center of my herb garden.
Vines of scarlet runner beans race up its rungs, their fiery blooms dotting the steps like fairy lights. Every glance at it reminds me that strength—and beauty—can be found in the most unexpected places.
Final Thoughts
In every creak of a weathered gate, every bend of an old wire frame, there’s a story waiting to bloom again. Giving these forgotten things a second life in the garden doesn’t just help my plants climb—it helps hope grow, too.
Gardening with upcycled treasures reminds me that beauty often rises from what others leave behind. I hope these ideas spark your own imagination and fill your garden with new life, built from pieces of the past and dreams of what’s still to come.
