Growing Up

Plants on Your Plate

Growing Up gardening with a vertical perspective

Graceful twining tendrils climb their way to the top of an arbor, covering it in fragrant blooms that invite pollinators and hummingbirds to your gardens. Vines are versatile and varied, and there is a variety for almost any garden.

Vigorous growers by nature, vines evolved many different methods for attaching themselves to fences, arbors, or trellises. Some prefer to twine around an object, while others use tendrils to reach out and “tie” themselves to a fence or trellis. Clematis reaches out with its leaves and uses them to hook onto a trellis and some more robust vines, as well as ivy plants, grow aerial roots that attach themselves to wood and concrete. Care must be taken on vines of this type to keep them from overtaking an ornamental tree or even your house!

Vines must have support to thrive and grow, or they will just sprawl aimlessly along the ground and may choke out desirable plants in the garden. This makes for a great opportunity to add landscape interest by creating focal points with a trellis or using an arbor to frame a walkway or piece of statuary. Many gardeners use vines to dress up ordinary chain-link fences.

Pergolas are a great way to create shade on a patio, especially if you don’t want to wait for a tree to mature to get that shade. Larger, woodier vines are better suited to this use while smaller vines should be avoided as they may not give the desired coverage. Grapevines give a nice, classic look to a pergola on a patio, as do annual Hyacinth Bean Vines. Most vines planted on pergolas need a bit of assistance to reach the top, which can be done by using a wire to train them or using a strategically placed trellis or lattice work which may also double as a screen. Some gardeners find success in wrapping the vine around the support beams and using twine to tie them down as they climb.

Plentiful growers, it is in the nature of vining plants to reach and grow towards the light. Some varieties can tolerate part shade conditions, but the majority of ornamental vines prefer to get some sun. Too much shade may cause wimpy, sparse plants, as well as hinder blooming.

As with most perennial plants, ornamental vines benefit from fall planting. Temperatures are usually perfect for growing, and there is generally more rain, which puts less stress on establishing plants, as well as the busy gardener as there is less watering to be done. By planting in autumn, plants have time to establish deeper roots before facing the heat of summer. Deeper roots mean better drought tolerance. Gardeners should be mindful that there can be fall and winter droughts, which can cause just as much stress on plants as a summer dry spell. Long periods without precipitation will require supplemental watering. Working in a retail garden center, I find that most complaints of perennials that “didn’t come back” after winter are from lack of winter water, and not freezing temperatures.

Vines are innately tough plants and most varieties tolerate average soils. Poor soils can be amended with compost, and the area around the base should be mulched with a two-inch layer of hardwood mulch to protect and insulate the root zone, as well as help keep it moist. Blooming vines usually don’t require much feeding and can suffer from over fertilization; a low-nitrogen fertilizer can be used to give them a little boost if necessary. Animals sometimes like to nibble at the base of a vine, which can create long, unsightly dead sections that need to be picked out of the plant. Avoid this problem by placing a small wire cage around the base of the plant to keep curious animals from snipping stems off at the base.

Because vines are such aggressive growers, it is important to select non-invasive varieties. Many types of vines commonly found in garden centers come from native species, but it is always good to make sure before you plant something in your garden that is likely to take over the neighborhood as it grows.

Honeysuckle is among the most popular of vines. They perform well on trellises, arbors, and are great at covering fences. ‘Major Wheeler’ is a native variety (Lonicera sempervirens) that attracts butterflies, pollinators, and hummingbirds throughout its long bloom season with very fragrant blooms. When choosing honeysuckle, it is important to avoid Japanese species. Though it is a very attractive and fragrant bloomer, it can overtake a yard, and even encroach on natural areas.

Campsis radicans, or Trumpet Vine, is another hummingbird magnet, native to parts of Missouri. Though this is a native, it can quickly get out of hand if planted in an area where it doesn’t have room to spread out. Campsis is perfect for a sturdy pergola or arbor and can tolerate part shade, but may not bloom as heavily as it would with more sun. Prune in early spring to help keep it in check.

Climbing hydrangeas are great for those who want a vine in a shady location. It attaches to structures by aerial roots and blooms with fragrant flowers that may be cut and dried. Exceptionally versatile, climbing hydrangeas even bloom in heavy shade.

Bittersweet is a popular plant among florists, as they produce brilliant orange berries used in arrangements. A twining vine that can grow up to 25 feet tall, make sure to give it plenty of room and a sturdy structure for support. Native Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) is deer and drought tolerant. Make sure to plant a male and female vine in order to get berries in the fall. Avoid planting the invasive Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), as it can become a beast and spread uncontrollably throughout naturalized areas. ‘Autumn Revolution’ is a variety on the market now that reportedly does not need to have male and female plants to produce berries.

Annual vines are great for those who don’t want to keep having to worry about vines taking over, or like a changing look every year. Annual vines, like annual bedding plants, bloom all summer, but may reseed heavily in some areas. Moonflower, Cardinal Climber, Dutchman’s Pipe, and Black-Eyed Susan Vine all are low-maintenance and easy to grow from seed or small starter plants. Cleanup is very easy, plant in spring and remove after the first frost!

Whether gardeners have a pergola they need to cover, or simply a trellis they want to highlight, no landscape is complete without a vine.

SEAN HOLLAND Perennials Manager

Sean Holland is Perennials Manager at Suburban Lawn & Garden, 135th and Wornall location, in Kansas City, Missouri. You may reach him at seanh@suburbanlg.com.

Trumpet Vine Climbing Hydrangea Moonflower