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A freestanding trellis needs its own footing in the ground; this one skips that problem entirely by rising directly out of the back of a planter box, so the box's own weight and base are what keep the whole structure upright.
The planter is cedar board over a 2x6 base, capped with mitered 2x4 trim around the top edge — trim that both hides the plywood-free board-and-batten construction underneath and gives the rim enough thickness to look substantial rather than thin.
Drill drainage holes in the bottom boards before you plant anything. It's a five-minute step that's easy to forget once the box is fully assembled and looks finished.
| Item | Qty |
|---|
| Cedar board, 5/8" x 5-1/2", 8 ft | 3 each |
| Construction lumber, 2x6, 8 ftBase rails. | 1 each |
| Construction lumber, 2x4, 8 ftMitered top trim. | 1 each |
| Construction lumber, 2x2, 8 ftTrellis uprights. | 3 each |
| Pine board, 1x2, 8 ftPlanter connectors and trellis slats. | 2 each |
| Deck screws, 1-1/4" | 40 each |
| Deck screws, 2-1/2" | 30 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Planter side boardsCedar board | 12 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 13" |
| Side connectors, short1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 11" |
| Side connectors, long1x2 | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 19 1/4" |
| Planter bottom boardsCedar boardDrill drainage holes before use. | 2 | 5/8" × 5 1/2" × 20 3/4" |
| Base rails, long2x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 25" |
| Base rails, short2x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 12 3/8" |
| Top trim, front/back2x445-degree cuts on both ends. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 22" |
| Top trim, sides2x445-degree cut on one end. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 13 3/4" |
| Trellis cross braces2x2 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 15" |
| Trellis uprights2x2 | 3 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 51 1/2" |
| Trellis slats1x2 | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 22" |
Buy 10 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
1 board
3 boards
Cut the twelve cedar side boards and the 1x2 connector pieces to length, then assemble two side panels and a front/back panel from them.
Join all four planter walls together, then cut and attach the two cedar bottom boards, drilling drainage holes before you're done.
Cut the 2x6 base rails and attach the assembled planter box on top of them.
Cut and miter the 2x4 top trim pieces at 45 degrees and attach them around the top edge of the planter.
Cut the 2x2 trellis uprights and cross braces and assemble the lattice trellis frame with the 1x2 slats, then attach the finished trellis to the back of the planter.
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2 boards
3 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →