Build a Wood Garden Obelisk

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Build this easy DIY wood garden obelisk (aka tuteur) on a budget! This is the second DIY obelisk design we have built and shared here on Flower Patch.

These work well for tomatoes, sunflowers, and even squash. This garden element supports plants that need it with a grand style.

Obelisks are great for adding height and structure to any garden but they are particularly useful in smaller garden spaces.  

You can make them tall or short, fat or skinny and it doesn’t take much skill or money to make this one. You could build this beauty for around $25 in materials.  Mine has been in the garden for 3 years now and it is still going strong. (lumber has dramatically increased in cost and may vary by your location)

My Tess D’Ubervilles David Austin rose absolutely loves to climb this wood garden obelisk and is nearly covering it completely with fabulously red blooms.

Tess d'Ubervilles rose on easy to build garden obelisk.


This is a variation on my original Easy Garden Obelisk.

Easy DIY Garden Obelisk

We also made an Arbor for the entrance to my Secret Garden with 2 of these and a DIY ladder across the top.  

I have white roses planted at the base and I hope soon it will be festooned with delicate white blooms.  I want to add a fragrant clematis or other vine as well but not sure what yet.

Obelisk Arbor, FlowerPatchFarmhouse.com (5 of 8)

Since the basics are the same as our original obelisk I am not going to bore you with all the details but I will show some photos of how the X pieces are attached.

green garden obelisk

Note: to make the X one half of the it is on the outside of the frame and the other is on the inside.

green obelisk 1

To build the basic wood garden obelisk then follow the directions for the original then add these X pieces instead of more horizontal slats.

green make a garden obelisk
green obelisk 3

I think my next one will have a horizontal slat across the mid-section of the upper portion instead of an X for a different look.

green obelisk 4
june 12 2016 (50 of 56)

And that is it. For a rough sketch of the original obelisk with measurements go here. Put it in your garden, add a beautiful climbing rose and before you know it you will have a beautiful display.

Hi, I’m Pamela

I am a 40-year master gardening enthusiast who loves to share the simple tips, tricks, and inspiration I have learned from personal experience.
My goal is to cultivate the love of gardening and help make your gardening life more enjoyable!
a Garden Friend!

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17 Comments

  1. I probably need to update the posts, I added some treated lumber to the base of mine and on others, I placed them on flagstones or bricks so they would not be in contact with the ground.

  2. Rich Lichty says:

    I liked this simple design and made two. Unfortunately, the old pine wood that I used rotted at the base where it made contact with the ground.
    I did make a smaller one and prefinished the wood with a good sealer.
    I might make two new large ones again and I will use cedar.
    Thanks.

  3. MARTIN F TRACEY says:

    Great Obelisk Plans ….easy to follow
    i presume if i wanted to make smaller ones its just a case of halving the dimensions
    best regards, Martin
    England UK

  4. My husband and I built an obelisk today and it turned out awesome! I’m wondering, can I put two pear tomato plants in this one, or are the obelisks for just one plant each? Thanks!

  5. The first obelisk I made I use now for my tomatoes and it is 6 feet tall.

  6. How tall would you make the one tomato plants. Love this idea.

  7. I love the metal ones too and their longevity but they are not always inexpensive. I needed to go the cost savings route here and they give me quite a bit of bang for my buck. My husband is supposed to help me make an arbor for an entryway from one garden to another with rebar, but it will be covered with roses as soon as I can get them planted when it is complete.

  8. So true, perfect for the shade garden, maybe a lighter lavender to show up even better peeking thru the green vines. I have an arbor now to paint and am debating on what to paint it.

  9. that is a great idea and one I meant to utilize when I built my arbor. My hubby took over and went ahead and made it, without me getting the chance to paint it. But he did such a beautiful job I cannot complain now, but when I build my next one I intend to pre-paint for sure!

  10. You have some really good ideas – thank you for sharing. I’ve made obelisks like this before – my tip would be to paint all your wooden laths before you cut or assemble. Put all the laths side by side, paint, turn them, paint, turn etc. You’ll be done in a minute and it’s a lot easier than after assembly! You just need to touch up cut ends and even the hidden areas are protected.

  11. Marilyn Simpson says:

    I love this idea! And I’m liking the purple. If your vine is green or green and white, the pops of color that would show through would be lovely. You know that the primary color you’d see would be green not the purple. Anyone with a shady garden (and thus notable to have much in the way of flowers) could use this idea to add color to their green garden.

  12. I am so glad this works for you. This is one of those projects of our that I am more in love with the result than when we first completed them. And they are scalable, you want it smaller just use smaller pieces of wood. I have been toying with finding a way to make them from rebar for the fun of it.

  13. Those obelisk frames are wonderful, wonderful. You give me things that I can actually build with my skills and I saved the tool box design for this summer. Your site is very helpful in so many ways. I love the apple green color and if not white, I would want green, I think. This obelisk is perfect for my tiny garden attached to this commercial building. Since I have no horizontal room this is the perfect answer for me. I Pinned this, too. It is so good. Thank you!

  14. I am still loving the green. I find I prefer this X design over the ladder design of the first one we built and the green to the purple. I have a climbing rose I think I will use it for.

  15. Just beautiful – love that green – what a great color for a garden – definitely pinning this !
    Coming by via Under the Table & dreaming
    Have a great week
    Hugs,

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