Twig Obelisk

Fast growing annual vines such as Tropoeleum, both majus and officianalis (nasturtium), Ipomea (morning glory) and Cobaea (cup and saucer vine) love to grow up a twig obelisk.

I build obelisks made from twigs inside large pots which then are direct seeded with these vines, marigolds, lobelia and other fast growing annuals. They usually stay in the greenhouse until they’re big enough to be hardened off in May, when I put them in their final place outside.

Use your twig obelisks as a focal point to emphasize openings such as gateways or doorways.

I’ve even joined them together to form an archway, which looks lovely with white blooming morning glories twining over them.

Twig Obelisk Construction - what you will need

• You’ll need an odd number of tall thin willow or other twigs – one year canes that were grown very quickly work best for this. Use either seven or nine canes for the best look. Sometimes I pre-bend these using my greenhouse bench for a jig, but it’s not essential.

• 
  Grapevines – these can be dried, or fresh. If dried, soak for at least a couple of hours or overnight before using. This will prevent them from snapping or shredding when you attempt to weave them.

• Several lengths of wire to attach the long willow twigs at the top, plus more short lengths for attaching the grapevines.

How to Build Your Twig Obelisk

Fill a large pot with potting soil – pack this down firmly. Use a plastic pot that fits inside your favorite pottery cache pot if you wish.

Insert your long willow canes equally around the outside of the soil, pushing them down to the bottom of the pot. Don't tie or wire the tops together just yet.

You’ll notice once you go around a few times, the vines will firm up the canes a lot.

Once you have one where you want it, you can wire it in place, and then weave another long vine to hold it in place and also hide the wire.

Take all the canes at the top and make sure they are evenly bent outwards, and wire them together. To do this, wind a piece of wire around several times, tightly, and using pliers twist the ends together.

Plant seeds in the soil in the container. Once they emerge and start growing, they’ll flail around looking for a support to use, and you can start training them up the twigs. Eventually, they’ll almost completely cover the obelisk to make a vertical accent. Once they start blooming, deadhead the old blooms so they’ll continue and you’ll have colour up until the first frost in your area.

Once the vines have died back, you can put the whole thing under cover to be used again the following year, or move it indoors to provide a support for indoor vines. You can also string Christmas lights on it and put it on your deck or patio for winter use.

go to Drought Smart Plants home page

go to Rustic Crafts page

go to Twig Fence page

go to Twig Gazebo page