Trellis Or Treillage, is an arrangement of supporters upon which to train plants.

Espalier Trellis

The cheapest, the easiest, and soonest made, is that formed with straight poles or stakes, of ash, oak, or chestnut, in lengths of from five to six or seven feet, driving them in the ground in a range about a foot distant, all of an equal height; and then railed along the top with the same kind of poles or rods, to preserve the whole form in a regular position. They should be full an inch and a half thick, and having pointed them at one end, drive them with a mallet into the ground in a straight range, close along the row of trees, a foot deep at least. To render treillage still stronger, run two, three, or more ranges of rods, along the back part of the uprights, a foot or eighteen inches asunder, fastening them to the upright stakes, either with pieces of strong wire twisted two or three times round, or by nailing them.

When the treillage is finished, it is advisable to paint the whole to render it both more beautiful and durable; and the durability is greatly increased by charring the ends of the uprights before driving them into the soil.

Espalier Trellis made of cast iron rods, is much more durable, and neater, than that made of wood.

Trellis For Climbers

These have been greatly improved, or rather created within these few years, for ten years ago we had nothing but stakes and rods. The following observations and designs are from the Gardener's Chronicle:-

"The beauty of green-houses has been wonderfully increased, by the contrivance of compelling these unmanageable rambling scrambling plants, to grow down upon themselves, or round and round a circular trellis, so as to be compelled to clothe themselves all over with foliage, and to present immediately to the eye whatever flowers they produce. Every one who has ever witnessed the exhibitions in the garden of the Horticultural Society, must have been struck with the extraordinary beauty of the Russelias, and Tropcaolums, Lichyas, and Hardenber-gias, red, yellow, crimson, and blue, which have graced the stands of even the least extensive growers. It is not because some climbing plants require to have their roots confined in garden pots, nor because being, in the majority of cases, inhabitants of tropical forests, they demand more bottom-heat than they can obtain in this country, when planted in the open border of a conservatory that the modern plan of distributing their branches over the trellis of a flower-pot, is to be so much commended. Nor is it because the flowers, which if the branches are uncontrolled, are carried out of sight by the excessive length of the stems, are thus brought immediately before the eye; but there is another great advantage in this practice.

Gardeners need not be told that the immediate effect of compelling branches to grow downwards is to make them bloom. This was effected over the walls of Sir Joseph Banks' house; and as those branches were always loaded with fruit, the practice was soon imitated, and gave rise, among other things, to what is called balloon training. This produces an abundance of flowers, in the most sterile trees, and of fruit, when the branches are not exposed to severe night frosts, which kill the blossoms. Just the same consequences follow the training of climbing plants downwards ; they are compelled to yield a far greater crop of flowers than if permitted to grow at full length. The many kinds of trellises that have been invented for this purpose, are admirably adapted for compelling plants to grow upside down; for the branches can be bent in all directions, over and over again, and the more they are entangled, the prettier is the effect produced.

Fig. 168S.

"The accompanying forma will be admirably adapted for Gompholobium, Tropoeolum tricolor, and other plants possessed of scanty foliage, whose branches require to be closely trained to produce a good effect.

Fig. 169.

"The following cut will show the manner in which the wire-trellis for climbing plants, is attached to the pots, a matter of great importance, and of which the separate plans that have been proposed, and some of which are published, convey an incorrect idea.

Fig. 170.

"It will be seen that a strong wire ring is carried round the pot, a little above its bottom. To this a sufficient number of upright wires are attached all round. The upright wires are pressed down upon the surface of the pot, till they reach the rim, over which they are firmly bent till they reach the highest point of the rim, or are even bent a little within it. At this point they are secured by a second ring of stout wire, adjusted as in the drawing, which having been done, the uprights are directed upwards, and fashioned into the pattern required. By these means, a sort of collar is formed upon the rim of the pot, which prevents the . trellis from slipping downwards, while at the same time, the lowest ring of wire keeps it from swinging and swaying backwards and forwards." - Gard. Chron.

Umbrella Trellis is a form excellently adapted for Wisteria sinensis, and other climbers or shrubs having long racemes of flowers. The following (Fig. 171) is its form.

Hothouse Trellis for training vines near the glass, is usually made of thin rods of deal or of iron, placed about a foot apart, and fastened to the frame-work of the building. Mr. Long, Beaufort Place, Chelsea, has invented a movable wire trellis, by which the vines may be lowered from the roof, or placed at any angle, without injuring the vines. This is an excellent mode of removing them from the influence of extreme exterior heat or cold. A still further improvement would be to have the vertical rods movable round the rod horizontally fixed to the rafter or roof, for then the whole trellis might be raised to an angle with, or even close to the glass, whenever sun to the vine upon the trellis, or shade to the plants within the house was desirable.

Fig. 171.

Trellis For Walks

The following observations made by Mr. Loudon, when criticising the gardens of Lord Selsey, at Westdean, comprise all that need be said upon this kind of structure.

"Among the contrivances adopted for giving interest to the walks, and to separate one scene from another, are portions of walk covered with arched trellis work. One of these is grown over with climbing roses; another with laburnums, which in the flowering season has a remarkably fine aspect, few colours looking so well in the shade as yellow, because, with the exception of white, none surfer so little from the absence of light. This laburnum trellis has a new feature, that of a table border of trellis work intended to be covered with ivy; we have no doubt its effects will be good, especially in winter. We must remark some circumstances in the construction of garden trellises, which should be ample in their dimensions, strictly geometrical in all their forms, and most accurately and substantially executed. Nothing can be more miserable in its effect on the eye than a low narrow archway, the support leaning in different directions, and the curve of the ground plan and of the roof in no marked style of determinate line. The most accurate carpentry and smithwork ought always to be employed in such structures, otherwise they had much better be omitted as garden decorations.

Some attempt forming trellises over walks with long hazel rods, but nothing can be meaner than the effect: such rod trellis works or arbours are at best fit for a cottage garden, or a hedge alehouse." - Gard. Mag.