When you want to showcase a climbing plant with spectacular blossoms or foliage, the trellis shouldn't fight for attention. In those situations, these simple lath trellises are perfect.

They're also easy to build, using parting stop for the vertical legs and wide lath (sometimes called lattice) for the horizontal supports. Just secure a horizontal lath piece to both the front and back of the trellis for all but the bottom horizontal support. Then trim the trellis with motifs, such as squares, diamonds, and arrows, cut from screen molding. Parting stop, lath, and screen molding are readily available at home centers.

Although this project gives directions for a specific trellis, the basic plan can be adapted in many ways. When designing a trellis, be sure to take into consideration the space where it will be displayed and the anticipated height of the climbing plants. To make your design more interesting, stagger the lengths of the vertical legs. An odd number of legs is usually more attractive than an even number. It's important to support tall trellises with three horizontal pieces of lath.

Experiment with ideas and sketch possible designs until you find a pleasing arrangement. You can even customize trellis motifs to repeat a theme or design found in surrounding elements, such as furniture or fences.

For a subtle look, you can paint a trellis to match the background surface. Or, to make a design statement year-round, paint the trellis in a color that contrasts with the background.