Now before you think it, I'm not trying to grow rhubarb up some trellis. The trellis is for the jasmine which since our neighbour replaced the fence has been flopping about. It's lucky I was able to save it as my neighbour's workman was all for cutting it down as the neighbour didn't like it too much. Hmmm, it's my plant and as such it was made plain and clear to him that cutting it down wasn't an option. Having already lost (and since replaced) plants in this part of the garden because of the neighbour's unattended bonfire that was left to get out of control, it really wasn't up for negotiation.
I feared for it though if I were to put it back against the fence, as I thought it might encounter some surreptitious and over-enthusiastic pruning, hence its flopping about since then.
RHUBARB AND FLOPPING JASMINE (ON THE RIGHT)
It'd been flopping for so long that it was getting comfortable there and starting to grow upwards, as plants do. The rhubarb underneath it was less happy, so something needed to be done. That something was to erect some standalone trellis for the jasmine to clamber across safely.
And that meant a trip to buy some trellis, fence posts and fence post spike thingys. The shop was chosen for its closeness as with only a Clio it was touch and go as to whether the trellis would fit. It didn't. So MOH was tasked with the job to carry it home. He did.
WE HAVE THE MATERIALS
With some jiggery-pokery and balancing on one leg (as there's not much room between the rhubarb bed and the fence the fence posts were in and the trellis attached. Thankfully the measuring worked out fine and the ends of the trellis matched up with the posts. And while it doesn't look straight, I can tell you it is. There was much to-ing and fro-ing on the "is it straight" question. The fence however may not be!
The jasmine was tied in and while it looks a bit forced in this picture, over the past few days it's settled into its new upright position well - and is once again starting to look like the shapely canopy I'd been working towards. So job done.
Some rhubarb was damaged in this DIY job and therefore found itself in the kitchen and later in a cake, which hasn't lasted too long I can tell you. Another job well and truly done!
RHUBARB!