At the moment there are 3 'Abraham Darby' growing at it's feet, (they've been in that spot for about 3 years), but it will soon be home to the climber 'Isabella Skinner' I got from Ashdown last year.

I love the blooms on Abe but due to our zone 5 winter dieback the bush lacks everything a shrub rose should be and acts like a HT, with wiry and lanky stems swaying everywhere. I'll just have to put them somewhere else, I love them too much to compost... yet.

It's made out of Redwood, (from responsible managed sources), stainless steel screws, polyurethane glue, and 40" of 1/2" copper pipe anchoring it to the ground at each leg.

Of course the day I finish it and am ready to install it there are gail force winds all day. Maybe you can see one of the downed branches from the 70' Ash tree in the background of the first pic. I had to have my little helper stand on the trellis while I was pounding the anchors in the ground just to keep it from blowing over. The roses look like heck from all the rain from 2 weeks ago, the heat from last week, and now today the wind. Hopefully things will calm down for the 2nd flush.

Here are some pics:

Is it worthy of a rose garden?

In case you're wondering, I chose to make the finial in the shape of an arrowhead due to my Wisconsin pride. :^)

Thanks for looking,
Rob
BC:)

It most certainly is, beautiful craftsmanship on that. It looks like something you might be able to buy - somewhere - but has unique touches of individual creativity.

You have every right to be pleased with it and your abilities. It will be so pretty when roses start climbing it, but it's kind of neat as stand alone.

I also sympathize with your feelings about Abe. He's not perfect in my garden either, but those fragrant blooms are hard to resist!

Pattie

Wonderful craftmanship!
-terry

Rosefolly

Carol

Sue

So maybe you'd be kind enough to explain how you anchored the legs in copper, like do the feet slide down into the tubes once they're in the ground? Since copper is soft, I'm having trouble figuring out how you pound it in without damaging the copper pipe. How long are each copper section cut, and what is the diameter? Maybe pvc pipe would work just as well.

I could probably figure out another way to anchor it, and if the screws aren't stainless steel, I could buy some replacements. It will help tie together a spot that has a floppy rose and difficult and make it more aesthetically pleasing, I hope.

It was at bestnest.com. There was a quantity of 1, and when I sealed my fate, I mean my credit card, the quantity is still 1 lol.

There was another kind of pretty one but only 4', had lattice in the sides, couldn't use that very well.

I was able to find the location and angle for each pipe by placing the trellis in the exact position that I wanted to install it, with copper pipe and hammer in hand, I aligned the pipe with the BACK side of the leg and held it at the same angle of the leg. Since there is wood above where the pipe will be attached to the leg of the trellis you have to offset the pipe to the left or the right of the legs, aligned with the back, and held at the angle of the leg. It doesn't matter which side left or right as long as it's the same side each time you pound one in so that when you get to the point where each pipe is at the proper depth and 3 holes are drilled through each pipe for your screws, you then just rotate the whole trellis an inch or so to the left or right so that the pipes are now where they will be attached to the legs of the trellis. You can see from the 2nd pic that I didn't allow the legs to make contact with the ground so that they don't rot. You can do this by simply holding the trellis leg an inch or two off the ground while you're putting the first screw through the pipe and into each leg. Once you get one screw in each leg you can go back and put in the rest.

I wouldn't suggest using a PVC pipe to put the legs into, they will fill up with water and rot the legs.

I hope this isn't too longwinded and that it makes sense.
Sorry that the pics are a little blurry, it was raining, a little windy, and I was swatting mosquitoes away from my ankles and head... all while trying to get some decent pics for you.:^)
Let me know if you have any other questions, I'll be happy to help.

Thanks for the complements,
Rob
BC:)

BUT, I've been ruminating for a long time now on the best way to reset my large arbor which was a huge disappointment when it fell over, ruined all my plans for front and center, in the garage now waiting, and you may have hit the nail on the head here so to speak. There were concrete footings for a stainless steel but too flimsy piece that came with it, too small for what it needs to do. Guy who installed it for me missed a couple of concrete footings IOW it was a lousy job.

It's been bugging me off and on, and I intend to have that concrete jack hammered out (finally can rent an electric one). I want every last chunk out of there. But I'm going to have to hire someone to do it; it's too big a job for me.

Then whoever redoes the arbor for me, I can use your instructions and SUPERVISE to make sure it gets done right. If it needs more support, I can use extra anchors to either side, am sure that would make it strong enough. We won't have to worry about angles on those (perpendicular), just getting them aligned properly.

So while we're at it, I want to get the concrete out of the back one which doesn't need as much support and four should be more than strong enough there, much better than what is now. It's leaning and bowing, and I want it right. This would work perfectly for that.

And the beauty of your idea is that if the ground heaves, it might take a little effort, but the arbor(s) can be adjusted much more easily. Plus it would be nice to have the feet not down in the soil because of rot; thanks for the heads up about the pvc, you are right.

So maybe this could be an answer to prayer here, literally; however, I was resigned to maybe it was not meant to be for me. I think that way sometimes.

According to wiki, Cadfael evidently was a fictional character but a Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey during the 12th century heh.

I was able to copy all your instructions and photos into a Wordpad document and save it. After a couple more reads, I'll have it. Thank you SO much for explaining how you did it. Of course, if it gets messed up, you will in no way be held to blame.

You are very patient and kind to give such detailed instructions.

BTW--I'm sure we would all love to have one just like yours !!

Florence

I'm going to check another forum if there is an easier and safer way to spray.

You have soooooooooooooo many beautiful roses, they all look so clean, and there must be some in your area, maybe not, but what do you do about them?

After fighting those things, I don't think I'd ever attempt to grow that many roses ever,

I'm not going to ask you how you cut the opening in the copper pipe or drilled for those odd screws. My ink or something just ran out so it isn't clear from what I printed out to take to the hardware store. They will know what I should do and if I knew where to cut would do it for me. I don't dare to that yet until we're closer to the goal post. I'm figuring I'd use my 3# sledge hammer to pound the pipe in, even that is kinda hard for me at my age.

Thank you for the compliments to my roses. Yes, we get the JB's here, I saw my first one yesterday, but none today. We don't get that many here. If I figure I'm only able to catch 25% of the ones that visit my garden, I'll guess that there are about 150 per day total that come to my garden. I pick them by hand and drop them in soapy water.

I'm too afraid of upsetting the balance of beneficial and predatory insects to use insecticides anymore. I have a pretty good balance now, but your environment could be very different than mine so you should do what you feel you need to in order achieve what you feel is good for your garden.

As far as the trellis is concerned, you don't have to use the same type of screws that I did, but if you want to ask about them at your hardware store they are called "SWAN-EZE" stainless steel screws, with a #1 square drive. You could use any stainless steel screw with a phillips head.

Regarding the larger hole in the pipe, because your trellis is lighter and shorter, you won't need to do that, it's just a heavier lag screw. Three stainless steel screws on each leg should be more than enough to hold it.

A 3# sledge hammer is what I used too.

Are you by chance in Wisconsin? If you are nearby, I'd be glad to come by and give you a hand.

Hope this helps,
Rob
BC:)

I jotted down what you said and am happy that beetles are not such a problem for you. I'm wondering if there is something about my soil or the way I'm doing things. I will keep trying to make healthier growing conditions, not in a giant leap but in small steps, and get a better ecological balance going here.

Wisconsin is not THAT far from Texas, is it?!

Lynn

Does anyone know if there's a steel stake, like a nail stake, have large enough holes for stout bolts?

Seriously...THAT ROCKS! Can't wait to see it covered in blooms!

That is also a pretty little flower you have there in the background of the 5th pic. Seems like a variety of , hmmmm, Brunette?? What a lovely little helper you have!

Patrick

Rob
BC:)

Patrick