The grape-vine was a delightful bonus for us when we first moved to the Richmond house. By summer, it would look so exotic & lush. Granted, its position was precarious as it was planted tight against the far right corner foundation of the carport – – the carport we’d marked for demolition.
We needed a garage. We hoped to keep the grape-vine.
We kept the foundation. The grape survived the big build.
It even flourished when C set about growing tomatoes. Roots had made their way into the tomato bed. The grape-vine appreciated the regular fertilizer & watering.
Then last spring, we decided to extend the garage & add a new floor above.
Again, there would be massive demolition.
We’d try to save the grape from the perils of the construction.
This entailed delicately removing the vine from the building and laying it on the rooftop of the fence / woodshed … before the garage was torn down & rebuilt.
I worried about the grape-vine baking on the asphalt shingles through the hot summer. I worried about it being inadvertently damaged during the demolition, framing & stucco phases of construction. I worried that it would be blown away during the wicked winter winds.
This spring, we rushed to put the vine back in place while the grape was still in its winter dormancy.
A beam was attached to the wall of the garage with careful attention to protecting the stucco & rain-screen integrity.
Posts were secured to the rock wall of the tomato bed. A 2nd beam spanned the posts.
Crossbeams were trimmed to size to hold the 2 longer beams parallel.
Adding more side beams brought a recognizable shape into form.
The grape-vine was delicately maneuvered into it’s upgraded position just in time for spring buds.
Now fingers are crossed in hopes the grape-vine has survived & will provide exotic lushness to the courtyard again this summer.
Enerfab Carpentry did a pretty nice job, don’t you think?
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© copyright 2012 SVSeekins
Garden Variety Life 
The grapevine trellis looks fabulous! Your Tuscany patio will be delightful this summer!
I’m really liking it, too – Thanks! C trimmed the vine just a bit when it went onto the trellis. It was just a little late in the season to do that, as it turned out the sap was flowing. There were 2 cuts that weeped & weeped – – so much that we were really concerned it might die. Happily the vine seems to be growing well now. whew!
I am looking forward to tasting the grapes.
It will be fun if any grapes appear. A couple years ago C was asking advice from a vintner in the interior & found out the techniques for growing grapes is counter productive to the techniques for growing leaves. We like the lush look, so C handles the vine accordingly. When there are any clusters, this particular vine produces a miniature grape, quite different from what we’re used to in the store.