Garden Trellis

solid welded 1/2" round steel (clear coated for rust protection) (1995)
2" brackets welded onto back for mounting on wall
height: 7-1/2 feet plus 2 feet underground; width: 4-1/2 feet
sold
I live and paint and sculpt in the country. When I can get out of my studio for a few hours, I am passionate about gardening. A friend of mine had her tiny but packed Cobourg garden visited recently by a well known authority on Canadian gardening. The latter's comments on Cobourg's gardens was that they seem to shun the vertical dimension. Giving it some thought, my friend and I concluded that the problem with the vertical dimension is that either it costs a lot of money or it is boring (consisting of ladders, grids, and fans).
In my own garden I ignored the lack of verticality until the perennial beds were well stocked. Then I turned to the problem and thought hard. What can I find in vine supports that is pleasing, interesting, and affordable? As a painter and sculptor I felt it was also important that my garden should not reflect an origin or heritage that was not my own. And it seems to me most of my Canadian friends are in the same boat. Why should we forever imitate the Victorian, the Italian, and the Monet-ian?
The answer, it seemed to me, was to have shapes that are organic and playful. I have tried to follow this spirit in my designs.