Subject: Wanted: ideas for a "flowering garden tower"

From: [email-masked] (Steve Rehrauer)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 18:49:35 GMT

Hi - I'd like to build a small "flowering tower" in the center of
my new vegetable garden.  In general, what I have in mind is making
a round flower bed about 4-5' in diameter, and erecting about a 5-8'
structure in the center of that.  I plan to plant climbing annuals
like scarlet runner beans at the base of this "tower".

Much as I'd love to build a, say, detailed miniature of the Eiffel
Tower, it just isn't in the budget (this year, anyway :-).  Lacking
metalworking skills and welding equipment, it'll need to be strictly
wooden.  I'm interested in hearing your ideas.

A couple of very simple plans occurred to me:

[1] I could form a "tee pee" frame of long, straight branches
    by tying them together at the top end.  I have access to
    plenty of branches, so this would certainly be cheap and
    would have a certain rustic charm.

[2] I could bury a post, nail an "X" of 2x2"s or something
    similar to the top, and run twine from the ends of the
    "X" to the ground.  The vines ought to climb up the twine
    nicely.  This is also a cheap project, and has the advantage
    of being easy to clean up at year's end.

I also thought about making a tall, skinny pyramid with lattice
across the faces.  Fancier, more work, but would probably look
pretty nice.

Better ideas?  Help!  (And thanks in advance!)
-- 
"I feel lightheaded, Sam.  I think my brain | Steve [email-masked]
 is out of air.  But it's kind of a neat    | Massachusetts Language Lab
 feeling..."  --Freelance Police            | Smack-dab in USDA Zone 5