Make your own plant support

• 20mm x 20mm timber garden stakes
• 40mm x 2mm galvanised jolt head nails
• Hammer
• Paintbrush
• Pencil
• PVA glue (exterior)
• Sandpaper
• Saw
• Set square
• Tape measure
• Resene Waterborne Woodsman penetrating oil stain tinted to Resene Fern Frond

To get the look: Mark painted the background garden wall with Resene Lumbersider tinted to Resene Amulet.

Other ideas: For a contrasting effect try Resene Waterborne Woodsman tinted to Resene Pitch Black against a background of Resene Alabaster. For more ideas and inspiration visit your local Resene ColorShop or the Resene website.

Step-by-step instructions

Step one:  Measure nine 600mm lengths and five 1200mm lengths from the 20mm x 20mm garden stakes.

Step two:  Mark a ninety degree saw line across the garden stakes, as shown, using the back of the saw as a guide.

Step three:  Cut the garden stakes using the pencil marks as a guide.

Step four:  Smooth any rough edges with sandpaper, as shown.

Step five:  Stain the garden stakes with one coat of Resene Fern Frond and allow to dry for 24 hours. Apply a second coat and allow to dry.

Step six:  Attach two of the 600mm lengths to two of the 1200mm lengths to form a rectangle, fixing with 40mm nails and PVA glue. Use the set square to ensure the corners are at right angles.

Step seven:  Fix the centre horizontal cross piece, as shown, using PVA glue and nails.

Step eight:  Fix the remaining horizontal cross pieces, ensuring that they are equally spaced and fix the vertical pieces in the same way. Allow the glue to dry.

By Mark Rayner.

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