By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
This trellis in the garden at Bishop Museum.

Leave it to
bamboo

Dried bamboo can be the perfect
trellis, criss-crossed and crafted to
use as a natural divider or
an inviting entryway

By Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin

LEAVE the yard for a minute, and suddenly the plants are climbing everywhere. Don't blame them; it's what they do. The trick is to channel that type of behavior. One way is to create a trellis or an arbor. The terms are often used interchangeably, but essentially, a trellis is a latticework that allows plants to grow in a predetermined path, and an arbor is the place where trellises are located. An arbor can also refer to arch made of trellises, so that the plants can grow overhead as well as vertically.

We spotted this attractive trellis at the Bishop Museum's "Filipino-Americans" exhibit. It's a type popular in the Philippines but not often seen here, because it's so easy to prop up plastic netting or pre-made trellis materials. But for a natural look, it can't be beat.

The branches of the top of a dried bamboo plant are trimmed off on two sides, creating a type of fan or branches. Then long, straight bamboo staves are split down the middle and then tied back together, sandwiching the branch fan in between. The structure is surprisingly strong.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
The trellis in the garden at Bishop Museum is made of
dried bamboo that is split and tied back together.

Bamboo is available from a variety of commercial dealers listed under "bamboo" in the yellow pages, including Bamboo Hawaii, Source Tropical and Tantalus Bamboo. The quick-growing plant can also be seen near rainy portions of mountain trails.

A trellis allows delicate, climbing plants to pull away from denser ground cover that might otherwise overwhelm them, as well as provide shade and privacy. Though a trellis is often placed against a wall, with proper support it can also become a free-standing yard divider. Make sure it's strong enough to support the weight of plants.

A recycled trellis can be constructed of the plastic rings that hold six-packs, stitched together with twist-ties.

A nearly invisible trellis can be constructed of nails driven into the wood or concrete wall and painted the same color. String monofilament fishing line from nail to nail.

And don't forget those clothesline poles in the yard if you sun-dry your clothes. The poles can be effectively hidden inside a cloak of plants such as Japanese wisteria. Other climbing plants include ivys, morning glory and peas.