A place for tillandsias, and other plants

Even in the best of gardens, with the most talented gardeners, sometimes a plant just doesn’t flourish.  We had a beautiful tree form tupidanthus that had been declining for a few years. It gave us valued privacy, so Lisa put tillandsias in its bare branches to create a green screen for us.

The branches finally started to sag, so we decided to build a trellis for the tillandsias. Our first thought was a trellis in the shape of the tree it was replacing. It took the form of a triangular base with projecting branches. I made a rough chopstick and popsicle stick model so we could study it. I even had fun making a movie of a 3D model of the “tree” trellis.

After spending some time with the tree trellis design, we decided that it just made the horizontals too low. I had been resisting doing a standard rectangular trellis design, but I finally had to accept that it really was the best approach. It gave us higher horizontals, fit the space we have and the length of lumber that I can easily carry in my car. I made a second rough model of it, but no movie.

There are lots of roots right below the surface in this area, so I decided to use pre-cast concrete footings that sit on top of the ground (see the drawings at the bottom). They don’t require any digging, and I like the way they resemble big cartoon feet.

If you look closely at the second rectangular design (model and drawing), you will notice that the diagonal brace detail with a middle connecting piece and overlapping ends comes from my redesigned bench.

I came up with this detail to allow our cat to walk under the bench, but it also solves a detail problem I have struggled with. I like to use overlapping connections rather than connections where pieces butt into each other. They are easier to build and stronger than butted connections. I also like to form triangles, which are strong and stiff. However, when you overlap three pieces of flat wood to form a triangle, such as the horizontal beam, the vertical post and the diagonal brace, they don’t lay flat. This creates an awkward and weak connection. The connecting piece from the redesigned bench solves this problem – everything lays flat. Hard to explain, but try it with some popsicle sticks and you’ll see what I mean.

Next article   Finished Trellis