Saturday, August 29, 2020

GARDEN MAGIC

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I call myself the accidental gardener. I completely understand the basics and I do a bit of research, planning and imagining before I pick up the shovel, learning as I go. I am usually rewarded for my effort. And sometimes not. But I love it none the less. A good day is to put on a pair of wellies and start digging. Nothing is more gratifying than to see the first few sprigs of green starting to bud after a long cold winter. I look at my yard as a sort of canvas, a painting underway, started, probably never to be finished. Sometimes I lay awake at night planning (dreaming) where and what, the new frontier (an unattended spot) the next part of my painting. New additions to my garden this spring were two climbing hydrangeas. I need a trellis. What could be better than to combine utility (a structure) with a bit of whimsy (a garden obelisk)! Well, I have been down that path before. I built one out of the wrong kind of wood and it survived several years until it gave way to moisture (who knew!). This summer, out of the blue I got an idea...build a obelisk out of recycled plastic-like those outdoor benches you see at the park. Down the faux wood isle at Home Depot as fast as I could go, and there they were, PVC boards in multiple widths! Eureka! What is PVC you might ask? It is high strength plastic, in a nutshell. Most importantly is is moisture and mildew resistant! You know it as Trex decking, indoor plumbing pipes and garden furniture. It's most important use...it makes a perfect garden obelisk for climbing hydrangeas. A dream to have one in my garden.



This is what you will need-

(6) PVC Boards 1" x 2" x 8'

(1) PVC Board 1" x 6" x 8'

1 1/4" Stainless Steel Screws

2" Stainless Steel Screws

2 1/2" Stainless Screws

PVC Cement-Clear

Copper Sheet

3/4" Copper Brads

You will also need a saw, drill, 1/4" drill bit, countersink drill bit, hammer, awl, pencil and a metal straight edge, bench vise. All the materials I used to make these came off the shelves at Home Depot.


These garden structures like these are sometimes known as obelisk or tuteur, prominent in English and French gardens. Yes, dreamy (and now I have two)!

This is the original obelisk I made years ago. I painted it with several coats of exterior paint, it was so pretty. One of my not so happy garden accidents.Too bad.


To make the house finial, print template of house and roof.

PVC boards, are perfect for building outside garden structures. It will not rot or mildew. Never has to be painted. Plastic Lumber Yard is a online source for plastic boards in multiple widths and sizes and several colors if you choose. My boards were purchased from Home Depot for about $5 a board.

A quick little sketch for spacing.

Lay two boards side by side.

Measure and mark 1/4" down from the top. Use the metal edge to make a line as shown. Cut off on the lines.

Cut a 3" length.

Lay the two cut ends on top of the board to make a brace.

Spread out the bottom vertical sides to 18"




Drill two holes on top to connect the sides to the base. Use 1 1/4" screws to secure.

This is the cement I used to "glue" the boards together before screws were added. Just like you would use wood glue to glue wood together. To use, put a small amount on both sides where the two boards meet and let dry for a minute. Once dry add another small amount over the dried cement, hold boards together for a minute or so. This creates a nice bond between and holds the boards in place when drilling your pilot holes, the boards stay exactly in place. Helpful if you do not have a second pair of hands.

To make one face of the trellis, think of it as a step ladder that gets narrower at the top. You will be making two "ladders". Lay the two secured boards down on your work space with the finished side (side the screws showing) up.


From the bottom, measure up 24" and make a mark. Do this on both ends of the vertical (side) rails.


At the 24" mark, slide the rails apart until they are 18". Slide a board under the side rails.


Make a mark on the left and right board.

Cut one board. Slide it in place to make sure it fits. Use this board as a pattern and cut three more identical boards. Set three boards aside.

Add a small amount of the cement to the two sends of the horizontal rail. Hold in place. Drill a hole through the outside of the vertical rail into the horizontal board. Use a countersink drill bit. In the hole use a 2" screw. Repeat for the opposite side (1st rail from the bottom).



From the top of the first (bottom) horizontal board measure 20" up and mark with pencil on both the right and left on the vertical rail. Slide a board under and mark left and right sides. Cut. Check to see it fits nicely and then cut three more identical boards. Set the three boards aside and use the forth board to add to the ladder, repeating above directions (2nd rail from the bottom).

Measure 20" up from the second rail and make a mark on the right and left vertical rails. Measure, cut, check fit and cut three more identical boards. Screw one board in as before (3rd rail from the bottom).


Measure 17" up from the third horizontal board, and mark. Repeat the same process. Now you have one finished ladder (4th rail from the bottom).

Repeat above directions to make a second ladder. The good news is you have already cut the horizontal boards.



Lay one ladder on your work space. It should be lying with the inside of the ladder facing up. See photo, note where the bracket is. Make a tiny mark for a guide where the boards will be attached. Cement all the horizontal boards to the ladder, matching each length to its corresponding boards. Let dry 2 hours.The cement strengthens the bond between the boards and makes it easier to get a nice fit when you screw the pieces together. This is nice if you are doing this by yourself.


Turn ladder on the side, drill hole on the vertical side of the ladder into all the horizontal boards with a 2" screw for each board. Flip the ladder over to its other side and repeat to secure all boards.

Lay the second ladder on top of the new structure, matching up each horizontal boards. Glue with the cement and secure with 2" screws. Somehow I forgot to take a picture here...sorry.

From the 6" board (it really is 5 1/2" wide) cut one 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" board and one 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" board.

Mark a one inch boarder around the edge of the 5 1/2" board.



Keep the structure flat on your work surface. Let the top lay over the edge. Center (as best you can) this board on the top of the structure. Use a pencil to make two marks for attaching the board to the top. Ideally you would like the drill to go into the brace, not the vertical rails. Drill holes and secure with 2" screws.

Glue the 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" board on top with the cement and attach clamps until dry.

If you prefer a simpler or more traditional finial for your structure you can find some here...Link here.


Trace your house template onto the 5 1/2" board. You will need two fronts and two sides.




Attach with cement then screw the front and back to the sides using 2" screws.


Place your house on the 5 1/2" board and trace a bottom and cut it out. This will be your house base. Set aside.

Trace the roof pattern on the copper sheet, the side with the protective clear layer. Cut out with tin snips.

Measure and draw a line in the middle with the sharpie marker, see above photo. This will be the peak.

Place the copper in a bench vise between two boards. Make sure the line your drew for the peak is perfectly aligned with the top of the boards.


Place another block of wood behind the copper. Pull the board towards you. It should bend pretty easily.



Remove the copper from the vise and with your hands and squeeze the roof together until it fits perfectly on top of the house. 

When the roof fits perfectly measure and make 8 marks (4 on each side) with the sharpie.



Remove the roof, place over a piece of scrap wood and tap a tiny hole using an awl and hammer. Repeat for all remaining marks.


Place the roof onto the house. Tap one copper brad into each hole to secure the roof onto the house.


Remove the protective plastic. Cute.

On the base mark two cross lines to find the center. 

Drill a hole at the center.

With a larger bit, drill two or so additional holes for possible drainage if water gets inside.

Attach one 2 1/2" screw.

Make two marks, one for each side to attach the house.



Attach base as shown using 2" screws.


Make two lines as shown to find the center. Drill a hole. Add cement to the board.




Quickly screw the house onto the top by turning. Let dry.


Little vines starting to climb.


The view is everything.


The magic of lights in the garden.