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Growing vines vertically is an easy way to add drama and color to your garden. They can also screen a view or create shade.
Vines, grown vertically, are a simple way to dramatize your garden, screen a view or create shade. Their vertical growth brings a welcome change from the monotony of low-growing ground cover and knee-high shrubbery. And their height, color and texture invigorate the garden.
For a small investment of time and space, annual and perennial vines pay off in a big way. Most annual vines grow quickly enough to cover a barren fence or trellis in only a couple of months. Perennial vines may take a season to get established but will then take off in their second year. Blooming vines will provide an explosion of color for weeks.
How they climb
Vines climb or travel in one of three ways: tendrils, twining or clinging.
Tendrils are flexible, leafless stems that wrap themselves around anything they can reach. These vines need support such as wire, strong metal or wooden stakes. Grapevines climb by using tendrils.
Twining vines climb by encircling their supports, wrapping their stems around anything available: fencing, a trellis or trees. Honeysuckle and wisteria climb by twining.
Clinging vines grasp rough surfaces with aerial root-like structures. They are best suited to arbors and trellises because their aerial roots may discolor or damage solid surfaces such as stucco. Trumpet creeper and English ivy are clinging vines.
Plan before planting
Support structures for vines should be long-lasting. Use naturally rot-resistant cedar, redwood or cypress for durability in overhead structures.
For do-it-yourself arbors and trellises, materials and plans are available at home-improvement centers. A variety of ready-to-use, prefabricated trellises may be found at retail garden centers. Even a ladder can make an interesting support for a vine in your landscape.
Vines are readily available as container-grown nursery stock. Most annual vines may be started from seed.
Once planted, non-clinging vines need guidance to get them started. Tie them to the support using strong, stretchy materials, such as nylon hosiery, that won't cut into growing stems. Use plastic twist ties or string or simply wrap the branch of a twining vine around the support.
For the Brazos Valley
Carolina jessamine -- Gelsemium sempervirens -- is a favorite native vine for gardeners because of its spectacular display of fragrant yellow flowers in early spring. A mannerly, twining vine, it will reach 20 feet. This evergreen vine was ideal to grow along the brick wall in my small patio with morning sun and afternoon shade. It may also be grown in containers.
One of the best but least-used native vines for our gardens is crossvine -- Bignonia capreolata. It is fast-growing and semi-evergreen and climbs by tendrils to 30 feet or more. Appearing in late winter and early spring, the showy, trumpet-shaped flowers are favored by hummingbirds. The red to brownish-orange blossoms with yellow throats hang in cascading clusters. Selections have been made from the wild with blooms of yellow, red or orange. If your garden has light shade, try this vine.
Confederate jasmine -- Trachelospermum jasminoides -- is an evergreen vine, producing creamy white, highly fragrant flowers in early summer. Growing to 20 feet, it can be used to cover most any type of landscape structure. For best growth and flowering, partial shade is good, but it will grow in full sun. Since it blooms on last year's growth, wait until after flowering to trim.
Sweet autumn clematis is a vigorous, semi-evergreen vine, producing sweetly fragrant white flowers in late summer through fall. It grows up to 30 feet by twisting itself around supporting structures. Plant this vine so its roots are in the shade and its foliage will grow into the sunlight.
Sky flower vine -- Thunbergia grandiflora -- is a tender perennial vine with clusters of stunning sky-blue flowers from early fall until the first frost. This vigorous twining vine prefers rich soil and requires a sturdy trellis with protection from afternoon sun.
Fast-growing hyacinth bean vine -- Lablab purpureus -- is a favorite of young gardeners. Growing quickly from seed sown outdoors in spring, this twining vine has purple blossom spikes that are followed by bright-purple shiny bean pods.
Coral vine -- Antigonon leptopus -- grows quickly, using its tendrils to reach 30 or 40 feet. A tender perennial, its abundant sprays of vivid pink or white flowers attract hordes of butterflies from midsummer to fall. Grown from seed or cuttings, plant it near a fence, arbor or pergola in full sun.
* Charla Anthony is the horticulture program assistant at Texas AgriLife Extension, Brazos County, 2619 Texas 21 West, Bryan, Texas 77803. Her e-mail address is charla.anthony@theeagle.com
