How to build a planter with trellis

This step by step diy project is about how to build a planter with trellis. If you want to learn more about building a decorative planter with trims using common materials and tools, pay attention to the instructions shown in this tutorial. This project is ideal for any backyard, as it adds character. I managed to build this planter box with 15$ using pine. If you use cedar the cost will go up a little, but still a lot less than the planters retailed on the market.

You should always plan everything from the very beginning, in order to prevent costly mistakes and to save time. If this is your first project, you need a friend to give you a hand when assembling the planter box. Invest in high quality lumber and plywood, as the components will be exposed to bad weather. Protect the components with appropriate paint or stain.

There are a few tips that you should take into account, if you want to get a professional result. Therefore, take accurate measurements and use professional tools when making the cuts or when drilling pilot holes. Align the components at both ends and add waterproof glue to the joints, if you want to create a rigid structure. See all my Premium Plans in the Shop.

Made from this plan

It’s that easy to build a planter with trellis!

Building a planter with trellis

Materials

A – 2 pieces of 2×2 lumber – 20″ long, 2 pieces – 60″ long, 1 piece – 16 1/2″ long, 1 piece – 19 1/2″ long LEGS
B – 3 pieces of 1×6 lumber – 16″ long, 2 pieces of 1×4 lumber – 16 1/2″ long 4xPANEL
C – 2 pieces of 1×6 lumber – 18″ long, 1 piece of 1×4 lumber- 18″ long BOTTOM
D – 2 pieces of 1×2 lumber – 18″ long, 1 piece – 19 1/2″ long TRIMS
E – 5 pieces of 1″x1/2″ lumber – 37″ long, 9 pieces – 16 1/2″ long TRELLIS

3 pieces of 2×2 lumber – 8 ft
1 piece of 1×6 lumber – 8 ft
1 piece of 1×4 lumber – 6 ft
1 piece of 1×2 lumber – 6 ft
5 pieces of 1″x1/2″ lumber – 8 ft
50 pieces – 1 1/4″ screws
24 pieces – 1 1/4″ pocket screws
glue, stain

Tools

Safety gloves, glasses
Miter saw, jigsaw, pocket hole jig
Chalk line, tape measure, spirit level, carpentry pencil
Drill machinery and drill bits

Tips

Use a good miter saw to make the angle cuts
Drill pilot holes before inserting the screws

Time

One Day

Fishing rod rack plans

Planter with trellis plans

DIY-Planter-with-Trellis

If you want to build this beautiful planter box with trellis, make sure you check out my plans, as well as my step by step tutorial. I have designed this planter so you can save time and use common materials.

Building the panels

The side panels are made out of 1×6 slats and the cleats out of 1×4 lumber. Make sure you cut the components at the right dimensions, otherwise they won’t fit together.

Building the front and back faces

Attach the 2×2 legs to the panels. Leave 4″ from the ground to the bottom of the panels.

Assembling the planter box

Continue the project by assembling the planter box. Make sure the corners are square before inserting the screws.

Fitting the bottom slats

Attach the bottom slat to the planter box. Use two 1×6 slats and one 1×4 slat. Place the slats equally-spaced for a professional result.

Fitting the back supports

Attach the 2×2 supports to the back of the planter.

Fitting the top trims

Cut the 1×2 trims and secure them to the top of the planter box with nails and glue.

Building the trellis

Build the trellis out of strips of wood. Alternatively you can buy trellis and cut them to fit to the project.

How to build a planter box with trellis

This planter box is a straight forward project, but it will make a huge impact in your backyard. Make sure you take a look over the step by step instructions described above to get accustomed with the techniques required for the project.

Cutting-the-boards-for-the-panels

First of all, you need to cut the components at the right dimensions. You can see in the image the slats for the side panels.

Applying-glue-to-the-edges

Before assembling the 1×6 slats for the side panels, we recommend you to apply glue to the joints.

Assembling-the-panels

Align the edges with attention and clamp the slats together with clamps. The clamps will hold the slat into place while driving the 1 1/4″ screws in. You can notice the pocket holes drilled along the edges of the two slats.

Applying-glue-to-the-panels

Apply glue to the top and bottom edges of the panels.

Attaching-the-cleats-to-the-panels

Next, you need to attach the 1×4 cleats to the panels. As you can easily see in the image, I drill pocket holes at both ends of the cleats. Drill pilot holes through the cleats and insert 1 1/4″ screws into the panels. Make sure there are no gaps between the components for a professional result.

Fitting-the-front-legs

Afterwards, I attach the front legs to the panel. I aligned the edges thoroughly and clamped the components together tightly. I added glue to the joints to get a stronger bond. Then, I inserted 2″ screws into the legs.

Building-the-back-of-the-planter

I repeated the procedure for the back of the planter. I measured 4″ from the bottom of the legs to the panels and made sure the corners were square. Glue, clamps and screws created a rigid structure.

Assembling-the-planter-box

This is the tricky part of the project: attaching the side panels to the front and back faces of the planter. As you can easily notice in the diagram, I recommend you to place the panel on a level surface and clamp the face and back to it. However, make sure you fit the other side panel to the structure to act as a spacer. Insert 2″ screws to lock the side panel into place.

Assembling-the-box

Turn the frame of the box upside down and secure the opposite panel into place, as shown in the diagram.

Building-a-planter-box-with-trellis

After assembling the components, my planter looked like this. Not bad for a start. You can notice the 45 degree cuts that were made to the top of the back legs.

Fitting-the-top-support

I cut out a piece of 2×2 lumber for the top of the back legs. Both ends are cut at 45 degrees. I drilled pilot holes and inserted 2 1/2″ screw to secure the component into place. Also adding glue helps.

Fitting-the-bottom-support

Next, I attached the 2×2 support to the back of the planter. I drilled pocket holes at both ends and secure the support to the back legs using 2 1/2″ screws. The support will reinforce the planter box and add character to the project.

Attaching-the-trims

I used 1×2 slats for the top trims, but you can also use 1x3s. I made the 45 degree cuts for a more unique appearance. I used 1 1/4″ brad nails and glue to secure the trims into place.

Building-the-trellis

The next step of the outdoor project is to create the trellis for the planter box. As you can easily notice in the image, I used small strips of wood (1″x1/2″). I used 1 1/4″ brad nails to secure them to the frame of the planter.

Fitting-the-trellis-supports

I attached the rest of the vertical strips. You can adjust the distance between the strips according to your needs, just make sure they are equally-spaced.

Fitting-the-bottom-of-the-planter

I attached the slats to the bottom of the planter. The cleats support the slats so you don’t need to lock them into place with screws. If you want, you can use 1 1/4″ screws.

Planter-box-with-trellis

I attached the horizontal strips to the planter to get the job done. I used wooden spacers to create equal gaps between the trellis. I used 1 1/4″ brad nails to secure the horizontal strips to the vertical supports.

Planter-with-trellis

The 15$ planter with trellis looks very nice in my backyard. Now it is time to cover the components with wood preservative, before staining it. Similar planters retail for about 100 $, so this is a real knock-off.

Planter-with-trellis-plans

I am very pleased with the end result considering the small amount of money invested in this project. Most of the lumber was reused from previous projects, so you can beat that.

Planter-Box

I hope you enjoyed this this step by step tutorial and take a look over the rest of my projects. I would love to hear your feedback and to see your pins, likes and shares. If you build this planter with trellis don’t forget to send a few pics.

Thank you for reading our project about how to build a planter with trellis and we recommend you to check out the rest of the projects. Don’t forget to SHARE and LIKE our projects with your friends, by using the social media widgets, if you want to help us keep adding free woodworking plans.

PRINT PLAN