beautiful, make me one

How tall are they?

Jeri

How tall are they?

8' plus the cap on top with finial.

Nice! As long as you can keep them stable, they should be lovely.

Jeri

I think they're lovely too, but perhaps not adapted to roses. Too upright: rose canes need to go more horizontally to encourage flowering. And think about either pruning inside that structure, or removing it in order to prune. Now, if you had the upright part of the structure--though I would give it a broader base--and then had removable horizontal pieces, you might have something quite interesting.

My husband and I had similar, but much less beautiful, cages built from rebar after I got tired of puny commercially constructed tomato cages. I can't remember now whether I originally wanted them for tomatoes, but in any case I soon realized their value for clematis. They're great for clematis. I think roses need a different kind of structure.

Melissa

I built one last year on a whim without any plans or anything...I just got creative and went at it with 2x2x8s and 1x2x8s. Uses some finishing nails and liquid nails and this was the end result. My way was a little more difficult since I made a pointed tip which required delicate splaying of the ends and compressing the tip with liquid nails to hold it together. It was fun though and I'm pleased with the end result.
{{gwi:260218}}From 11-6-2010

{{gwi:260218}}From 11-6-2010

{{gwi:260219}}From 11-6-2010

I need to straighten it up a bit...it's leaning slightly here.
{{gwi:260220}}From 5-10-2011

{{gwi:260221}}From 5-10-2011

jeffcat

LOVE your obelisk, well done! You are a way more talented carpenter than I will ever be, especially when it comes to that tricky angled top part where they come together.
I purchased a similar pointed one at a box store and am using it for Zepherine Drohin now, anchored with rebar and with pavers under the bottom legs because after a year on the ground there was termite damage where it sat on the ground.

melissa
I understand your point about being upright. What I do is let the canes grow several feet tall, then bend them horizontal and wrap around the obelisk securing with twine to a small nail or screw on the structure, this forces new blooming shoots. It's important, of course, to choose roses with flexible canes. Big stiff roses would not be a good choice.

In the early months I gently pull all the new cane shoots to the outside of the structure. As the rose grows there may some shoots in there but not many since it becomes shaded by the roses outside. Of course you could plant the rose outside the obelisk but that didn't seem balanced to my eye.

Denise

Denise and Jeffcat,

Very inspirational! I have some 1 X 2 cedar or cypress sticks. I may see what I can do.

Jeffcat, What rose is on that structure? Sure would love to see a pic in the fall.

Veronica

The rose is Abraham Darby. Abe has never exactly been super vigorous........YET. This is his 1st year in the ground so things may prove to be different this year. He is floriferous, but I haven't obtained the large, long canes that others tend to get with him....YET. Hopefully, I will this year so he fills out the obelisk.

Those towers even make tomato plants look good. That is an amazing achievement in itself!

jeffcat that structure is wonderful and your home is lovely.

I think those towers can work well for roses. You arrange the blooming tips to hang out every opening of the tower and it looks really good.

This is my store-bought obelisk about 8' tall planted with Zepherine Drouhin. Someday I hope not to see the structure at all and it be covered in roses.
{{gwi:260222}}

here's a close-up. Zeffy's canes are so pliable that on the bottom they can be tucked between the rebar stake and the obelisk and they stay. Higher up (not shown) I used brown twine to tie loosely to it.

{{gwi:260223}}

Before the rose took off growing and was small (2 months ago) I re-stained the obelisk because it will be the last time possible. Florida sun is brutally strong but soon there should be very little wood showing.

Denise

Correction about the height, it's probably 6' tall (wish it was as tall as jeffcat's).

Mine isn't super tall. It's probably just a little over 6 feet. The 2x2s are 8ft long a piece and I buried it about 1.5 feet down into the ground because it gets windy and I didn't want it to blow over during storms.