Rankobelisks not only offer climbing plants the necessary support, they also look good. Read here which materials you can use to build such a rank obelisk and how it works in detail.
Trailing and climbing plants have a wild and graceful charm at the same time - but that quickly vanishes if the plants don't have a trellis they can climb along. A great option are rank obelisks, which, thanks to their shape and dimensions, not only find space in beds but also in planters.
In this guide, we will tell you how to build such a construction and what you should pay attention to.
Rankobelisk: definition and advantages
Obelisks made of stone were originally very popular in ancient Egypt. There they symbolize the rays of the sun god and banish the world of gods with the world of mortals. But you can also discover numerous obelisks in our region. The most well-known include:
- Memorial to commemorate the prisoners of the Flossenbürg concentration camp
- The obelisk in Leipzig's Schillerpark as a reminder of the opening of the railway line between Leipzig and Dresden
- The Mussolini Obelisk in Rome
- the state monument in Wiesbaden
- Olu Oguibe's obelisk on the Königsplatz in Kassel
Oelisks are a great contrast, especially in the middle of nature. But they also score points in the home garden with other advantages, as the following list shows:
Advantages and disadvantages
✔ The biggest advantage is without question the support that the climbing aid has to offer. But the construction also looks really great (properly staged) and gives the home garden a romantic flair.
✔ An iron rank obelisk is particularly hard-wearing and weather-resistant. But a model made of wood is also possible without any problems if time is planned for the care of the material.
✔ If you like it more natural, you can also use branches to build a rank obelisk.
✔ It can be set up in a bed or in a bucket. In the case of the latter, however, it shouldcare must be taken that the dimensions of the climbing aid match the planter.
✔ Normally, the rank obelisk does not have to be concreted in or otherwise fixed. The legs are simply stuck firmly into the ground, making the climbing support stable.
✔ In combination with a bucket on wheels, the rank obelisk can stand outdoors and in living rooms - a real eye-catcher and ideal for overwintering sensitive plants.
✔ The effort to build a rank obelisk yourself is extremely low - the perfect project for new hobby do-it-yourselfers.
✖ Before building a climbing obelisk, you should think carefully about which climbing or vine plant you want to grow on it later. Some plants are very delicate, which may make the construction itself seem too bulky.
Building a rank obelisk - explained step by step
In the following we present three variants of a rank obelisk and their construction:
1. Iron Rank Obelisk
2. Wooden Rank Obelisk
3. Branch Rank Obelisk
Variant 1: Iron Rank Obelisk
A climbing aid made of iron is characterized above all by the fact that it is very robust and insensitive to weather conditions. In addition, depending on the color chosen, iron looks very noble or romantic.
You will need the following:
- 3 or 4 iron bars as corner supports
- Iron bars as cross braces or wire
- Welding device and accessories or robust wire - depending on manual skills
- optional: corrosion protection
❍ Step 1 - Measure the required size:
Since iron is less flexible in processing, the required measurements should be taken. In this way, the material can be bought to fit perfectly and you save a lot of work.
❍ Step 2 - Set up the struts:
Now the longitudinal struts or corner supports can be set up. These are welded together at the top or connected with wire.
❍ Step 3 - Assembly of the cross braces:
As soon as the basic construction is in place, cross braces should be mounted. These not only give the obelisk support, but also offer the climbing and climbing plants additional opportunities for development. It makes sense to mount these crosses on the corner supports. Alternatively, wire can also be threaded around the frame made of corner supports. Wire tracks can run a few centimeters apart, facilitating growth.
Optional:
If the rust doesn't bother you, you can set up the obelisk now. Alternatively, you can also do the construction beforehandhot-dip galvanized or treated with an appropriate anti-corrosion agent. These are usually available in different colors, which also makes a colorful rank obelisk possible. On the other hand, if you let nature run free, you can soon enjoy a climbing aid in an enchanting rusty reddish brown - ideal for natural gardens. Warning: No matter what you decide: You should think about it beforehand, because once the obelisk is in place and planted, it can only be treated with great effort!
When the obelisk is finished, it can be placed in the bed. If plants are already growing, the tendrils can be placed around the iron rods - this way they will continue to grow on the climbing aid almost by themselves in the future.
Tip:
There are great iron bar attachments that can add even more value to the obelisk.
Variant 2: wooden rank obelisk
Wooden rank obelisks look much more natural. However, the wooden struts should not be too thin for the construction to be able to carry the weight without any problems. Therefore, the decision for a wooden rank obelisk should be made for large climbing plants - this way the overall picture looks extremely harmonious.
You will need the following items:
- 4 long trellises as corner supports made of wood - according to the planned height of the climbing aid
- short slats as crossbars - the number also varies according to the height; the length gets shorter towards the top
- 8 short pieces of wood as so-called spacers
- 1 small piece of wood for top cover
- optional: a wooden ball for the tip as decoration
- 4 tent pegs for the corner supports
- Biscuit cutter and matching biscuit
- Wood Screws
- Nails
- Wood protection (Warning: waterproof in any case)
❍ Step 1 - Measure the required size:
In this case, too, dimensions should definitely be determined beforehand. Although wood can be shortened more easily, lengthening is only possible with additional effort.
❍ Step 2 - Connect the Corner Supports:
After the preparations have been made, two corner supports are first connected to each other on the top. In addition, a cross brace is mounted at a distance of approx. 30 millimeters (seen from the top).
❍ Step 3 - Assembly of the remaining cross braces:
More wooden slats are now mounted as cross braces in both side parts. These can run parallel or screwed on crosswise - the latterensures greater stability. Tip: This creates gaps between the corner supports and cross braces, which can be bridged with the spacers. The two side parts are then connected to each other with additional cross braces.
❍ Step 4 - Design the top of the rank obelisk:
If you already like the climbing aid, you can skip this step. Otherwise we recommend a square piece of wood as a cover. A matching and sufficiently large wooden ball on it ensures a harmonious overall picture.
❍ Step 5 - Apply wood varnish:
The wood would wear out quickly due to the moisture in the potting soil, rain and other weather conditions. We therefore recommend applying a waterproof wood protection. These are available in clear, wood-colored and colorful - so there are no limits to your imagination.
❍ Step 6 - Attach tent pegs:
In order for the rank obelisk to be firmly anchored in the ground, long tent pegs should be attached to the corner supports. So even the wind cannot harm the climbing aid.
» Important: The wood should definitely be varnished before planting - applying the weather protection afterwards when plants are already growing on it is neither sensible nor easy.
Variant 3: Rank obelisk made of branches
A post shared by M-tec technology GmbH (@sichtschutz) on Apr 26, 2022 at 7:15 AM PDT
Anyone who prefers an ecological garden design will love this variant, because willow rods can be used for this. This makes the rank obelisk look particularly natural.
What you need:
- plant pot or bucket filled with soil
- Willow rods - alternatively bamboo sticks can also be used
- carton
- Hedge shears for trimming willow rods
❍ Step 1 - Prepare box:
In order for the vine obelisk to stay in shape, you should first prepare a piece of cardboard. This should be larger than the bucket so it can rest on it. If you want to use a bed later, you should still use a large bucket or tub as a substructure - this simplifies the construction considerably. Holes are now punched in a circle in the cardboard into which the willow rods will later be inserted. It makes sense if the holes are along the outer edge of the bucket - so the climbing obelisk reaches over the full width of the container.
❍ Step 2 - Prepare willow rods:
Before the willow rods are pushed into the prepared holes, small twigs and leaves should be insertedbe removed. Adjust the length of the rods so that they are all the same length. Incidentally, very thin willow rods should be kept and used for braiding straight away.
❍ Step 3 - Shape willow rods into a rank obelisk:
Once the rods are prepared, a sturdy willow rod can be slipped into each hole. At the upper end, the rods are now connected with a rope. Natural but robust materials such as sisal are best suited for this.
❍ Step 4 - Weave in more willow rods as struts:
After the basic structure is in place, the thin willow rods should now be braided between the longitudinal struts. This is done right at the bottom of the box, resulting in a kind of basket weave. If this edge is about three to five centimeters high, further thin rods can be threaded diagonally upwards from there. In this way, the rank obelisk made of natural materials not only gains stability, but also looks even more filigree.
❍ Step 5 - Remove Cardboard:
As soon as the willow rods are firmly connected, the climbing aid can be removed from the tub or bucket. Now the cardboard is carefully pulled off downwards. Tada: it is finished.
Tip:With a little skill you can also form a climbing aid in the form of a sphere instead of a rank obelisk.
These plants grow particularly well on a rank obelisk
Once the rank obelisk is in place, it can be planted. In our experience, the following thrive particularly well:
- Climbing Roses
- Clematis
- Wisteria
- Honeysuckle
- Vetches
- Black-eyed Susanne
- Nasturtium
- Morning glory
- Maurandie
on the trellis.
Now we only have one thing left to say: have fun crafting!