Bonus. Here's a metal flower I cut from sheet metal, hammered into shape and welded. Proof.

Jeez. Maybe I should make the umbrella trellises and market them in the states.

If I were you, I would make one out of rebar. Those ones you linked to will not support a rose, not a large one anyway. I had a very large umbrella trellis from J&P and I had Teasing Georgia on it. Now in my zone, TG can put out 15 foot canes and gets loaded with buds. It looked great on the umbrella trellis. However, the metal was hollow and unbeknownst to me, it has started rusting at some of the joints. We had a very bad storm with very high winds and I looked outside and the trellis was laying horizontally on the ground. The wind snapped it off at the base where it had rusted. I had to cut TG down to the stump to get it off.

Darn. I was just talking to my husband about the same thing and we also decided I would have to make it out of rebar. Sigh.

These are just some of the amazingly classic, elegant and high quality items we could have if we lived in the U.K. Sigh. http://www.muntons.net/_common/pdf/brochure.pdf

I, on the other hand, have to fabricate my own out of rebar. And find someone with a welding machine ... or figure out another way to make it extra sturdy.

I have a feeling it's not going to look as nice. Sigh.

Cori, those from Muntons are quite expensive, and whilst I could, I choose not to as my garden just isn't graceful and modern enough to warrant such expenditure. No harm in browsing though... and such great quality...

This one at Classic Garden Elements is equally fine I think, here

but again, look at those prices. These are the preferred choices of Peter Beales Roses I believe, but I just enjoy looking.. and I love how they've named some of their plant supports after famous rosarians, as in ''Plant Support Rudolf Geschwind''.. etc..

You might like Rose Umbrella Giverny..?

Cheaper for me is this site here and I use them usually - I really want that Tricorn obelisk - but I'll even go to the discount store on occasions... as I'm not always convinced it's worth going to too much expense for my garden in particular. Yours though, is quite another matter and deserves the utmost in luxury....

Cori, check with Home Depot as they have a rental department and may rent welders.....

Once it's covered in the roses it will look beautiful.

Marlorena it's so true, but while they are expensive it's interesting that the option is available in the UK, but there is no option here in the states. Unless you have a metal artist create one. I love my garden, but that's just too much. I don't know. Maybe I could find a college art student. The sites you listed offer lovely alternatives at a lessor expense than Muntons. I just wish we had those same options here. It's so strange, since roses in this area tend to get so big and gangly they definitely need supports. Is there really no market for them here in the states?

Toolbelt that's a good idea. I just don't know if I have the energy to really design and fabricate what I want. Welding is pretty cool though... and so fast if you have the set up. I have always been proud that I know how to weld. I grew up on a ranch with a bunch of brothers. I haven't done it for a while and I miss it, but getting the rebar, bending all of them without letting my OCD kick in about each one's angle, renting the welder, wrapping them, welding it. Sigh. I just don't know when I would actually have the time to do all of that. It's a future project I will put on my list I guess.

Boncrow you're right. As long as it's strong (and I'm patient) I guess the look of the structure shouldn't matter... and yet it does. :/

Thanks for reading my rant.

I agree with hiring a college art student. Why do the work yourself when there are so many young folks, with degrees, that can’t find work…. Just plan out the process in steps and hire them to do the work. Don’t put anyone in charge and hire different people for each job. That way they don’t even need to know what they are building. A carpenter to build frames for sizing/bending the rebar, a welder (you could teach them), on and on it goes. Each section built to lock into other pieces to form the final product. Different builders for each section if you want. One way to make it very strong is to build tension cables that would be used to take up any slack. Once they were drawn tight other than falling over (if it’s top heavy) it should be very solid and strong. Have fun……note you could even form a small company building them to sell. Just build each section in a different part of town…. lol

Great ideas Toolbelt. Also... while reading your post I realized I know a teacher for a sculpting class at a local community college. He teaches metal sculpture as well. I just reached out to him to find out if he has any students who might be interested if I pay for their supplies. They would usually have to pay for their own supplies so this might be a win-win. :)

I'm not sure I will go so far as to have them built and then sell them... but hey it sounds like you have a great idea! If you decide to have them built and sell them let me know. I would buy. :)

Sounds GREAT!!! I'm sure the students would love doing something like that..... if you can keep them off their phones. Keep us all up to date on what you build.

Check out this post Cori Ann: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1664560/handmade-obelisk-questions

Scroll down for the most amazing umbrella. I'm now thinking where can I fit one. It's just amazeballs.

That is exactly what I'm looking for and what I'm hoping if the art students could build. It is totally amazeballs!!!

That looks like the one I had, except mine was wider on top and narrower on the verticle part. Which is probably while it snapped.

Cori, I did a google image search on rose support ideas and came up with a lot of neat ideas. One I really liked, even though it’s for tomato plants is: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1502&bih=881&q=rose+support+ideas&oq=rose+sup&gs_l=img.1.4.0l10.11567.20651.0.24848.8.8.0.0.0.0.89.551.8.8.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..0.8.547.8L3aaQ6z0zU#imgrc=q93UJkzyHfYv_M%3A

Look for colored spiraling stakes covered with tomato plants if the above link doesn’t work.

From Gardener's Supply.

That is a neat idea! I love vertical gardening. I was at home depot today for something else entirely, but went and checked out the rebar. It comes in pre-cut 10, 8 and 3 foot pieces now (in addition to 20), making it easier to transport. I have a feeling my creativity will take over and I will succumb to this project after all.... sooner rather than later. Maybe yours will too!

How cool would a rose like Henri Martin (Red Moss) look on a rebar tree like this...

OMG, what a great idea! Cori Ann, I totally wish that I knew welding. Here in Italy I doubt that they have any adult-ed classes for learning it, either, but being an artist I am constantly frustrated at the fact that I don't know how to do it. Alack and alas, in my youth, in college, I never knew I'd get into gardening like this, and was only interested in painting and drawing; never thought to take welding. Still, maybe I could make something like the rebar tree...that baby would TOTALLY solve my Rene Andre conundrum (it's way too big for the place I planted it, needs a tree up which to grow, but a live tree might be too squished-in in this particular spot...) Thank you for posting that picture! You got my wheels a-turning, methinks...

YES, build that!!!!!!!! lol

Bart, look up welding called twig, or something like that. Maybe Cori can suggest where to educate yourself. Since you wouldn't be welding that requires perfect welds it should be easy to build that tree.

I think it'd be a heck of a lot easier to find a course on welding if I lived in the USA. Here in Italy all I've ever seen as far as non-school, adult-ed-type lessons are for things like yoga,or sometimes language courses,and even these would be challenging for me to frequent, since they always tend to be held in the evenings,and not in our town.

Cori Ann, I agree with toolbelt68 that you should go and do it. To judge by the photo of the metal flower you made, you are very talented, and it's a shame to waste that!!!

You're probabaly right. Even here in the states it's hard to find a place to learn. Probabaly a metal working or metal sculpture class at a community college would be the best bet here... totally not sure about Italy.

I think I am going to build a couple! I have been thinking about it a lot. They might even be possible without welding... I have a couple of ideas. :)

When I do I will post pics and how I did it. :)

I found metal (rusty tin) wire garlands with leaves that could be wrapped around each rebar limb.

http://factorydirectcraft.com/catalog/products/1302_2113_2080-4151-primitive_rusty_tin_fall_leaf_garland.html

Ok. It's official. This is happening. I'm doing it. Stay tuned.

Cori, Those leaves will really set it off. You could call your tree a Rose-of-Ann.

When positioning the tree limbs if you were to let some of limbs touch each other and then tack weld or wire wrap at the junction would add strength for supporting canes.

That's that's exactly what I was thinking. :)

PLEASE POST PICTURES!!! I can't wait; GREAT project!!!

I think doing a bit of welding would be fun. I recently did a project for a rose show and soldered for the first time. I would think welding would be similar, but on a larger scale. But yes, you could attach the rebar with wires, it think that is what a lot of people do. I have put small rebar posts in the ground and attacked obelisks to them with wire, so it works.

I vote for welding. If you plan on keeping your ‘tree’ for years then weld, if not then the wire hopefully will work. The wire will rust to the point that any bending of the limbs by the wind will cause the wire to break and down comes the tree…. :-) You wouldn’t want to see a young kid under the tree when it fell apart due to the wire breaking…… weld

Now I’m still in favor of wrapping the wire around the junctions but just weld the junction first.

That’s my 2 cents….. have fun and as Bart says, post pictures ! ! !

So..... I made it. It's temporarily tied together until I figure out if I want to either rent a welder, find someone who has a welder, or possibly find another way to clamp it together.

I will post another thread with the "how to" but here's the basics of what I did and the materials and cost for mine:

I pounded a steel stake into the ground then pulled it out to make the holes for six 2 -foot long PVC pipes. I pounded the PVC pipes in the ground (about 18 inches deep with 6 inches above ground) where I thought I wanted the rebar "limbs" to go. That way I could put the limbs in, take them out, try them in different areas, bend them more, etc. I also found an old metal topiary I had and set it into the middle. The topiary had a hollow metal pipe in the middle, but was attached to a flimsy base, so I sawed off the bottom to expose the hollow pipe, then set the stake in the ground and slid the hollow pipe on top of it. Once I decided where I wanted the limbs I tied them to the old metal old topiary. Voila. I still need to set the base of everything in concrete, but I'm waiting on that to make sure I really like where it is and what it looks like.

Here's the cost breakdown..

6 rods of 10 ft rebar (I used 3/8 inch, but you could use thicker 1/2 for about a dollar more) at about $3.65 each = $21.90

1 spool rebar tie wire = $3.73 (lots left over for other projects)

6 precut 2 foot PVC pipes at about $1.50 each = $9.00

1 heavy duty stake at least 4 ft (you could probably also use thick rebar) = about $5

6 decorative rusty tin wire garlands with leaves at $4.79 each = $28.74

6 decorative rusty tin wire picks with leaves at $1.19 each = $7.14

Quikrete or similar fast setting concrete = $4.00

Old metal topiary collecting dust in the garage = free

Total = $79.51 (and about 2-3 hours of time, allow a lot more time if working with metal is new to you!)

You would also need a conduit bender (or rebar bender in this case) if you don't have one already should be about $40. You don't need the heavy duty $100 version.

I had 2 old metal topiaries so I'm making another one just like this if it seems to work.

Any thoughts on how to make this better/stronger/sturdier? Thanks for your encouragement everyone! I would not have tackled this project if not for these forums. I totally would have put it off. Thank you thank you thank you. I think it is pretty darn cool. :)

Maybe put Sally Holmes in with it... Sally doesn't really need any supports though. She becomes more of a tree herself. But I still think it would look good. Then I could put another small climber in with Sally and the rebar tree. Thoughts? The base is 2 ft in diameter so there's possibly room for Sally and another ... ?

I love it, Cori Ann! How interesting and creative. Keep the photos coming. Clematis would love this too if they grow where you are.

Those little left over flagstone pieces at the bottom are also a possible idea. I was thinking that if I set the limbs in quick setting concrete, I might just want to create a little raised bed around it with concrete and set the flagstone pieces into it. I don't really have any experience with creating raised beds though, or really working with concrete besides setting things into it (underground so I never really pay any attention to what it looks like). So I'm hesitant. I have a lot of left over flag stone pieces though.... so I'm thinking about it. :)

Thanks Sheila. Clematis SOMETIMES grows here. It is super finicky here. Not sure if I want to use the limited water on something so fussy... but maybe.

I'm not sure the photos do the rebar tree justice. It looks quite spindly in the two dimensional photos. In person it's pretty substantial looking and pretty darn cool. I just have to figure out the right way to set it so it's stable and the right rose or roses to grow in it. We are finally getting some rain here so it will get a nice rusty color over the next couple of days and look even better. It's also a good test to see if the rebar limbs move around a lot in a storm.

:)

Ignore the pots in front. They're just temporary housing.

Don Juan in the front of the tree. Henri Martin in the back.

Rebar is tied with wire. Stabilized at the base in quik concrete.

Took another look at your ‘tree’ today and I still LOVE it. Should the wind bend some of the branches you can always add a new piece of rebar to shore it up. Maybe you should commission some young entrepreneur to build them for sale. Note: I said young…. which leaves me out… :-)

So I finally finished both of the "Rose of Cori Ann" rebar rose trees! Posted photos here... http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4243730/umbrella-rose-tree-trellis-in-the-making?n=33

Thanks for all of your encouragement everyone! They turned out awesome!

I can't wait for the roses to grow across the "limbs."

Looks fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing your progress.

So beautiful ! I think you have done a great job

I forgot all about that beautiful tree you made, Cori Ann. How wonderful to see it again. It looks great with the roses growing on it! Its hard to believe that nearly a year has gone by. What did you plant on the second one? I'd like to see a picture of that one, too:) Lisa

Oh it's the exact same. I'm all about symmetry. ;-)