Get the Look
What You Need
Large fibre-glass trough planter, about 80 x 50 x 30 cm (31 x 20 x 12 in)
Rust-effect paint (I used Craig & Rose Artisan Copper Effect)
Rust activator
Large paintbrush
Large trellis panel, with wide slats, about 2.4 m x 80 cm (7½ ft x 2½ ft)
Plastic Rawlplugs, large screws and an electric drill (to fix the trellis panel to the wall)
Spirit level
Electric drill or hammer and heavy-duty nail (optional)
Vine eyes and coated metal wire (for training the climber)
Drainage crocks
Potting mix
Plants
1 ‘Velocity Blue’ salvia star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)
1 ‘Chocamocha’ chocolate cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus)
1 ‘Sea Breeze’ fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)
1 ‘Velocity Blue’ salvia (Salvia)
1 large ‘Little Lady’ English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
1 ‘Supreme Cantaloupe’ coneflower (Echinacea)
- Clean the outside of the trough planter (see Preparing Your Containers) and leave to dry thoroughly before painting.
- Paint the planter with the rust-effect paint and allow to dry thoroughly before coating with the activator (follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully). You’ll need to protect the surface you are working on with newspaper.
- Fix the trellis panel to the wall. Pre-drill the panel and mark the corresponding holes on the wall. Drill the holes in the wall and insert a Rawlplug in each one. Then, screw the panel to the wall. Use the spirit level to check the panel is level.
- Add some drainage crocks to the bottom of the planter. If necessary, use an electric drill or a hammer and heavy-duty nail to add a few drainage holes (see Planting Techniques).
- Fill with potting mix until it is about two-thirds full. Plant the star jasmine on the left towards the back of the planter so you will be able to train it over the trellis panel. Make sure the root ball is an inch or so below the top of the planter, adjusting the level of the potting mix, as required.
- Screw vine eyes into the trellis panel, spacing them evenly so you can train the star jasmine up and across the panel. Thread the vine eyes with the wire – I crossed a couple of lengths of wire across the panel to provide a secure framework – and gently train the stems of the climber over the panel. You are aiming to create a fan shape.
- As the planter is not very deep, I suggest planting the remaining plants more or less in a row. Working from left to right, I planted the chocolate cosmos, fleabane, salvia, English lavender and coneflower. Remember to check all the plants’ root balls are level and add or remove potting mix if necessary.
- Fill any gaps between the plants with more potting mix and firm in gently. Water well and allow to drain.
Aftercare — Star jasmine requires shelter from cold, drying winds, so it is best to grow this climber against a wall that faces south, south-west or west.
Tips — If you wish, you can use masonry screws to fix trellis panels directly to a wall without having to use Rawlplugs – this is a good idea if you want to save time. When attaching trellis panels to a wall, you might want to fix wooden battening to the wall first (using plastic Rawlplugs and screws), then screw the trellis to the battening. This creates a larger gap and so greater airflow behind the plants.
