Howdy, everyone from dismal SW PA! I stumbled onto this forum from another list, and have been really excited by all of the ideas. I am hoping that someone can help with a project that I have been planning-I need some ideas for engineering it.

A few years ago my DH took out a huge row of bushes next to our house. Now that it is gone, the area looks out of kilter- too empty. I have planted some lilacs and hope to have mock orange in this year, but it will be a long time before they will be large enough to rule the space. In the meantime, I plant sunflowers in the space to give it some height, which helps.

I came across a very simple trellis pattern (two 4X4 posts, with 2X4 cross beams secured by fence brackets; twine is criss crossed between "eye" hooks). The scale is perfect for the space- it will be flush on one side against the house, and it will be a sort of visual extension of both the house and the garden, if that makes sense.

The problem is that the plans call for digging out a 36 inch hole and using both gravel and cement to anchor the trellis. Long story short, this is not possible in the area in question. I can't bury rebar, either. So the question is, is there a way to anchor/secure/balance the trellis above ground without making it look too horrible?

I have brainstormed a few ideas, like square or trough planters secured with gravel, but there are engineering problems that I can't completely solve. Part of the problem is that the area in question is at the end of an alley, and it faces west, which puts it in line with a lot of wind. We have a small off street parking spot directly in front that helps, but I don't want the trellis to fall on the car, so it has to be freestanding *and* secure.

Any ideas about this project, or can you suggest another that would be a better fit? Any help would be really appreciated. I did search for this topic on the whole site, but didn't find anything; if it has been answered before, my apologies! Please feel free to direct me to the thread.

Thanks in advance!

Jen