Carole,
Those certainly look very nice. I've gone with the more economical approach of using three 10 ft pieces of rebar driven into the ground and secured at the top with a hose clamp. I've got need for MANY such structures, so this has been working well for me so far. I do want to mention that the rebar really needs to put into the ground at least 18" and that the base of the structure should form a triangle with sides at least 24-30". I made some narrower tripods and some of the roses are pulling them over somewhat.

Robert

I got several structures from bestnet.com and I was very satisfied with their sturdiness. Far better than the flimsy and expensive Monet Umbrella I got from J&P for Papi Delbard.

Check them out,they have many, many items in various styles, made of steel (my preference in this climate), wood and vinyl. Delivery is free over $75.

Here is a link that might be useful: bestnet.com

Thanks to both of you!

If my intended spot for this was anywhere else in the yard I would definitely go the rebar route. Paul from Ashdown even suggested that I just bury one end (adding a bit of cement) of a tall, treated 4" X 4". It is a very visible spot so I wanted to use something that would be aesthetically pleasing while I wait for the roses to grow.

That link to Bestnet.com was just what I was looking for. You guys are great! And you are definitely correct in that they have many, many items....I need to do some more shopping. ;-)

Thanks again!

Carole

Carole, I paid a whole lot of money for structures that you no longer see once the rose is established. I tried the rebar last year and it really isn't obvious that it is rebar unless you are standing right next to it. It doesn't look bad at all and it cost less than 15 dollars and took about 10 minutes to put up. We used a hose clamp to secure the top.

Carol

Robert can you post pictures?

We also tried the rebar but not instead of three we used 6 - it looks much better and it is easier to train the rose onto it. On the other hand, Bestnet has structures for about $14 -15 that are very similar to the rebar tepee of 3 but the finial is nicer; we couldn't find anything similar around here.

I guess it depends where the structure is placed and how much work you want to put in afterwards. A structure consisting only of three bars requires more work and you have to balance it well when you insert it (them) into the ground otherwise it may look strange.

Alicia, I don't have a photo of the entire rebar structure, but here is part of it. I planted Secret Garden Musk on this structure last spring.

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Here is a photo in fall, the rose has covered 2/3 of the structure. You do have to keep tying in and training the canes. You can see one that escaped in this photo :-)

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The good thing about using the rebar is you can have a larger diameter and you can get 10ft rebar which still leaves 8 1/2 ft above ground if you pound them 18 inches into the soil. They are very sturdy and aren't going anywhere. I had Reve d'Or on a tubular steel obelisk and it broke from the weight of the plant. I have a couple of smaller roses on the tubular obelisks and they have done fine, so far.

It's all a matter of what appeals to you but you won't see much of the structure after a couple of years anyway. If you don't use the rebar in this application, keep it in mind for the future. I love climbers and got tired of paying lots of money for structures that weren't particularly sturdy so this works well for me.

Carol

Wow, Carol, thanks for posting those pictures. Your garden is gorgeous. Did I say wow already?

Rebar sounds like a great idea. I have about 40' of fenceline that I could put climbers on, except that I don't really have that much because some of it is in too much shade. And I keep seeing these climbers that I want! Training climbers on rebar is a very economical and sensible idea, and really shows off the roses from top to bottom.

Here's a slightly smaller version. I cut each piece down to 7 feet, then put a foot in the ground. I've an Abraham Darby growing on it. I expect the rest of it to get covered up this year. I recently just hung a little bird house from the top of the teepee...it hangs nicely within the teepee, just below the apex.

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I think it's a nice way to grow roses when you don't a have ton of horizontal space.

Eric

What a gorgeous garden. I used 4 x 4s and buried them on the ground. Now, am inspired to use rebar. Again, gorgeous.

I ordered the 5' obelisk from Plow & Hearth for a clematis I'll be planting in a large pot. It would be too flimsy for a rose. Also, it looks like all three sizes are the same diameter which is much too narrow for a rose. A climbing rose would topple it within three years. They're fine for daintier growers though.

I do have some pictures, but, the pictures that have been posted are wonderful.

I'm not sure why the 3 pieces of rebar would be more difficult to train the roses on than 6 pieces. I would think just the opposite personally.

I saw a wonderful idea for making an arch with rebar and galvanized tubing. Perhaps I'll scan the diagram and post it in a different post.

Robert

Gosh Carol....your yard is GORGEOUS!!!! That's what I want mine to look like when it grows up! I love that fence.

I went ahead and ordered the pillar for the front garden. It is just such a visible spot...but the rebar idea will work for a bunch of other climbers that I have (and will have). Thanks so much everyone for your input on this.

(Did I mention that I love Carol's garden?)

Carole

centerum, are you speaking about the Panacea tripods? They don't look strong enough to hold a climbing rose,are they?

I have Golden Celebration, CP Margarete and Graham Thomas that I want to grow up pillars or tripods.

Here is my 4x4 with a finial on the top. I painted this post and attached the finial with liquid nails.

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Yes Buford, I referred to the Panacea structure. Actually I want to train Crown Princess Margareta on that. O plan to do it in the next couple of days, so hopefully I have more to say by the weekend.

Robert. 6 rebars make it easier to train the rose (in this case Laguna) in a more or less spiral ways, keeping the distance between the various branches more even - I find that solution more pleasing. IN addition the shorter branches could also be tied to one of the poles while in case of working 3 bars a lot of shorter branches I could not tie up or place right.Laguna is already heavy with thick canes. OTOH, Crown P. M has thinner and flexible , not many laterals, so hopefully will look right on a tepee only with three bars.

Thank you all for the nice words! It doesn't take long for the roses to get rather large in the south. I have too many plants (of all kinds) in too small a space but I like the way it looks :-)

I've found that as long as I keep an eye on the climbers, I don't have any trouble tying them neatly onto the structures made with 3 pieces of rebar. If the shorter branches won't reach the next pole, I just tuck it into a branch growing in the direction I want it to go until it gets long enough to tie in.

Carol

thank ceterum. I think you enabled me to those!

Buford, I want to emphasize that those Panacea structures most probably sustain only relatively small and 'lighter' climbers. If you need very strong and tall structures their obelisks are the ones to get.

Here are those I got for bigger climbers, as you can see they are 96" tall.

Here is a link that might be useful: Obelisks at bestnet

If you yourself are handy, or have access to a friend who is, you might consider making exactly what you want out of copper pipe from the local building supply store. Tom has made me a number of trellises and obelisks. I just love them. If we ever move, the obelisks are coming with me. Here is a picture which shows one in full, and a closeup of another.

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You can see that the older one has turned dark. Others are beginning to take on that beautiful verdigris color in the crevices. In our dry climate this takes a long time. It would happen faster in a wetter climate, I think. In any case, I only ever get to see it in the winter when I have finished pruning. The rest of the time these beautiful structures are competely covered by the roses and you cannot see any of the details. This picture is from last February. I am not nearly so far along in my pruning yet this year!

Rosefolly

EVERYONE's structures are beautiful. I am so thankful for the information in this post. Rhonda in carolina, I am glad you posted a picture of your 4x4. I was thinking about doing something like that, although I'm not sure what climber would stay small and mannerly enough in the south to put on one. Any suggestions from anyone would be great. I think one topped with a bird feeder would be nice.

I have Papi Delbard there. So far manners have been good for a pillar. He doesnt seem to mind being tied and twirled around the post. I love the coloration of this rose and it came highly recommended by forumers as the pillar rose to have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Images at HMF of Papi Delbard