VINING & TWINING

ines don’t get a lot of public relations in the garden world unless you stumble on them in someone’s garden. But vines can have a diverse set of jobs in any garden, and you’ll fall in love with them. We use vines for many purposes: screening things vertically when you don’t have much room, growing on fences to offer two-dimensional beauty, climbing structures such as pergolas and arbors, and even as creeping groundcovers. Most vines are easy to grow, adaptable, and full of color — and some even provide edible fruit! There are a few quirks with regards to what they can or should grow on, but otherwise, vines are a pretty easy family of plants to grow. Here are some of my favorites and some ideas for how to introduce them into your “vertical garden.” CLEMATIS are probably one of the most prominent and popular vines in the area. They are fairly easy to grow and usually live a long time with the right placement. They need something to twine around, like a trellis or arbor, as they don’t attach themselves physically to structures. Their flowers range in colors from white to deep reds and purples, and some are as big as dinner plates. They attract butterflies and pollinators and require little care. They like cool roots even though they tolerate full sun. Plant them up against their structure, and plant something in front of them so the roots/bottom of the plant are shaded. Even simple annuals can cast the shade needed to keep the roots cool. There are subtypes of clematis that have some care quirks (ex. pruning timing, etc.) but we can explain that better when you choose your clematis. Some faves: Princess Diana, Jackman, Diamond Ball, Blue Light, Sweet Autumn, Sapphire Indigo, Nelly Moser and tons more! BOSTON IVY is a baseball fan. This ivy is what has grown on the outfield at Wrigley for three-quarters of a century or so. If you want a lush vine to cover an unsightly wall, this is your girl. Be aware: Boston ivy will attach itself to the surface with tiny little suction cups that can muck up tuckpointing and painted wood. Periodically it should be removed and cut down from brick homes or chimneys. HONEYSUCKLE is a fairly large woody vine that benefits from a heavy-duty structure like a fence, arbor or pergola to climb on. It will not attach itself, but instead, twines around its structure. The fragrant, tropical-looking flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies with their sweet nectar.

“KIWI MAGIC” HARDY KIWI is a unique vine that will actually produce small, edible kiwi fruit in our Midwestern climate. It’s a vigorous vine that will grow on just about any structure. It produces smooth-skinned fruit from fragrant white blooms. WISTERIA will be in your garden for the next 100 years, so plan ahead. This old-fashioned, beautiful draping vine is a tough, woody plant with large leaves and grape-like clusters of purple flowers. Wisteria needs a very large, sturdy structure like a pergola, arbor or fence to grow on. Do not trim unless absolutely necessary, as it can take up to 10 years to get it large enough to bloom, and pruning it sets it back a year or two. If you are a beer drinker, HOPS vine is what makes your IPAs taste like they do. But hops are also a great vine to cover a large structure. They are big, vigorous vines that will climb high — great for a large pergola or a long section of fence where it has room to roam. It’s easy to grow and you can use the hops fruit for beer making. Cut the vine back as needed; it can be cut to the ground each year. If you plant TRUMPET VINE, you are in for life…. trumpet vines are VERY large, woody vines that grow quickly and aggressively. They work well on sturdy fences, arbors or pergolas that can hold the weight of the plant since it’s rarely cut back. Large, bright orange or yellow trumpet-shaped flowers welcome hummingbirds. GRAPES actually grow well in this area and eventually will produce fruit for you. You may not be able to bottle any of it, but you sure can eat them! You need a strong structure like a fence or pergola as these woody vines rarely get cut back and live quite a long time. You can protect them from birds with some bird or pond netting so you can actually get fruit.

CLIMBING HYDRANGEA are one of the most beautiful large vines we grow. Large, flat discs of white flowers hang over the leaves as this woody vine climbs. It has fine root hairs that attach, so make sure you have a sturdy structure. They don’t usually attach well to brick, but they can attach to old trees, wood siding, pergolas and wooden trellises. Try to avoid pruning it much as this can affect its blooming. ANNUAL VINES can also be a great way to introduce vertical color. There are fun things like morning glory, hyacinth bean and cardinal flower vine that will cover a fence or structure in one season and are easy to grow from seed each year.

Meagan is the Senior Landscape Designer at Wasco Nursery in St. Charles. She can be reached at 630-584-4424 or design@wasconursery.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!