Glossy plants whose leaves range in length from 3 inches to 3 feet, philodendrons (Philodendron spp.) vary widely in appearance. Although a few shrubby types such as the split-leaf Philodendron bipinnatifidum can grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 11, most are hardy only in USDA zone 11 and raised as houseplants elsewhere. Vining varieties such as heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron cordatum) climb on trees in their native habitat and will require a similar support in pots. So-called “self-heading” plants that don’t vine, such as Philodendron wendlandii, don’t need a trellis.

Tanscending the Typical Trellis

Because climbing philodendrons have aerial roots, they require a different kind of trellis than most houseplants. Instead of stakes or latticework, give your plant a rough and preferably damp support to which those roots can attach themselves. Most sources recommend moss-stuffed or moss-covered poles, often called totems, which you can either purchase or construct yourself. Other possible supports include slabs of bark or tree fern similar to the tree trunks the plants scramble on in the wild.

Trumping Up a Totem Trellis, Number One

It’s best to wear work gloves when putting together totems, to protect your hands from sharp wires and the fungi that can live in sphagnum. To construct a moss-stuffed pole, roll up some type of stiff mesh, such as hardware cloth, so that it forms a cylinder as wide and tall as you want your pole to be. Copper mesh will work best, because it is rust-proof. When you get your cylinder the right size, tie its sides in place with copper wire and tightly stuff its center with damp sphagnum moss. You don’t need to fill the part that goes beneath the soil.

Trumping Up a Totem Trellis, Number Two

To make a moss-covered pole, begin with a piece of PVC pipe as high and broad as you want your totem. After taping a piece of fishing line or copper wire to one end, wrap pieces of sphagnum moss around the pipe, holding the materials in place by winding the line or wire around them intermittently. Once the entire length that will protrude above the soil is covered, tie off the line or wire.

Trying the Totem Trellis

Plan to repot your philodendron when you attach it to the totem, and insert the totem into the center of the new pot of soil first. You can then plant the philodendron beside the pole or slab, tying some of the vines to it with gardening twine or tape until they have time to take hold of the moss or bark surface themselves. You’ll need to mist the totem frequently to keep it damp.