How to choose the right trellis panel for your garden style

A trellis panel can be much more than a climbing frame for your clematis or a bit of privacy between you and next door. The right panel can elevate your garden’s entire look and feel — adding structure, softening hard edges, and guiding the eye through your outdoor space. But with so many styles available, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

This guide is here to help you confidently navigate the options, whether you’re going for a polished modern feel, a traditional English country garden, or something in between.

Trellis panels: a quick overview

At their core, trellis panels are frameworks made up of interwoven slats, designed to support climbing plants or serve as decorative screens. But not all trellis panels are created equal — they come in various shapes, sizes, and patterns, each lending itself to a particular garden style or purpose.

Here are the main types you’ll come across:

• Square Trellis – the most traditional design, often used for climbing plants or as a neat boundary divider. The classic square trellis panel with a 70mm gap is a great all-rounder.
• Diagonal Trellis – offers a softer, more decorative look. Ideal for cottage gardens and feature walls — try the Open Diagonal Trellis Corner Arch Panel for extra height and flair.
• Privacy Trellis – a tighter weave for screening patios or creating garden rooms. Consider the Square Trellis Privacy Panel if you want seclusion without sacrificing light.
• Contemporary Trellis – clean lines, minimalist patterns, and often painted finishes — perfect for modern settings. We call these Slatted Panels, but many garden designers also refer to them as trellis.

Matching trellis panels to your garden style

To choose the perfect trellis panel, it helps to start with your garden’s character. Here’s how to match the panel to the mood:

Cottage garden charm

Think rambling roses, lavender borders and slightly wild edges. The best match here is a diamond trellis with a traditional, romantic feel. These panels work beautifully with flowering climbers like honeysuckle, jasmine or sweet peas.

Top pick: Diagonal Trellis Convex Arch Top Panel
A beautiful option that adds shape and movement, it is ideal for informal or rustic spaces.

Traditional garden elegance

For more formal gardens with manicured lawns and defined borders, a square trellis is your go-to. It brings symmetry and order and works well when paired with topiary or espaliered fruit trees. Choose our painting service for a polished look in your choice of colour.

Rustic and naturalistic

Wildlife-friendly gardens, gravel paths, and native planting schemes suit natural timber trellis. Look for panels that blend with the surrounding greenery and provide good structure for wilder plants like hops or sweet peas.

Top pick Trellis-Backed Rectangular Planters
Combines structure and planting in one — ideal for small spaces or to add vertical interest to borders.

Modern minimalism

Sleek paving, raised beds, and architectural planting call for a more contemporary approach. Here, a horizontal slatted panel or painted trellis in black or grey can bring contrast and cohesion.

Top pick: Bin Screens – WPC Trellis
Modern, low maintenance and tidy — these screens work brilliantly in contemporary garden layouts.

Other considerations

Before you commit, keep the following in mind:

• Material – we always use responsibly sourced timber for our products. For our Prestige range, you can choose from Thermally Treated Timber, Western Red Cedar and Iroko. We also have a range of square or diagonal WPC trellis panels.
• Painted or natural? All our trellis panels are available in their natural state. We also have a specialist paint shop and temperature- and humidity-controlled drying rooms, for an optimum painted finish. All you have to do is choose the colour.
• Climbers or no climbers? Some trellis panels are purely decorative; others are made to bear the weight of mature plants. Heavier options such as the Prestige Diagonal Trellis 38mm Gap offer additional support for vigorous climbers.
• Fixing method – Will your panel be freestanding, wall-mounted or fixed between posts? Some styles, like the Trellis Gate with Diagonal Trellis, can act as both a visual and functional entryway. We have a number of installation guides available to help make your your trellis is fitted correctly.
• Finials and top capping – for a smart, high-quality finish for your trellis or fencing, while also protecting the end grain. Browse the range of stylish timber finials and top capping.

Discover your perfect match

Choosing the right trellis panel is about more than just aesthetics — it’s about enhancing the way your garden feels and functions. Whether you’re creating a secluded spot for morning coffee, framing a view, or giving your climbing roses something to cling to, the right trellis can make all the difference.

Discover our curated collection of trellis panels – hand-picked to suit every style of garden, from city courtyards to country escapes.

Diagonal Trellis

Square Trellis

Arch Top Trellis

RHS Prestige Trellis

Rose Arches & Arbours

Screens

Planters

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