DIY A Trellis For Your Climbing Plants With Old Embroidery Hoops

Looking for a stylish way to help guide your plants? While trellis materials are plentiful at retailers, there may already be a solution for a DIY plant climber in your craft room or in the aisles of your favorite thrift store. Wooden embroidery hoops are a creative way to guide your plants in a unique direction. Coming in a variety of sizes, these round frames can usually be found in arts and craft shops or homeware stores, and are often overlooked unless you are into embroidery as a creative practice. However, with a little ingenuity, you can turn a group of embroidery hoops into a sculptural trellis for your wall to help steer climbing and draping plants that you can shape to fit your available space.

These DIY trellises are perfect for plants and can be customized in a group catered to your desired size and shape. While embroidery hoops are best used indoors and away from the elements, adding some spray acrylic to the wood as a final coat can make them weather-proof, where they'd look particularly stunning on the side of a home exterior, fence, or garden wall.

When grouping embroidery hoops into a trellis, choose several frames and lay them out in your desired configuration for the space. You can use large hoops for a dramatic look or mix small, medium, and large sizes for a unique sculptural trellis that looks like art when hung on the wall. There are several options for fastening the rings together, including a less permanent approach by using floral wire, clear zip ties, fishing line, or twine for a rustic look. If the installation is permanent, use an adhesive like hot glue or E6000 to stick the rings together. You could also open the hoops and interlock them. Hang the trellis on the wall and wind your plants through the rings.

While this DIY project leaves the hoops in their natural wood, you can stain or paint them to match your décor. Other great ways to add texture and pattern include wrapping the hoops in decorative paper, fabric, or wound embroidery thread before assembling them together. For a fun boho look, add stretched doilies on the embroidery hoops while leaving other frames empty for the plants to climb. Or, create a vintage vibe to the embroidery hoops by adding fabric with retro graphics to some of the circles. You can also hang the assembled hoop configuration from above. While planter boxes are a great way to create a simple privacy wall on balconies or porches, a hanging trellis is a unique approach to privacy, shade, and showing off your plants.