Vines

Vines are rarely associated with gardening: the first image we have in your mind when we hear the word “a garden” is either vegetables or a patch of beautiful flowers.

However, a vine or two will always add a finishing touch to your garden, and will serve so many other purposes! They will bring a special charm with colours and elegance.

They can be both annual and perennial. Perennial vines are also called hardy.

A vine or climber is a great and cost effective way to soften the line of buildings, edges, fences, helping them to merge with the landscape and special settings in your garden.

If you want to decorate unattractive spots on the walls of an old house, there is hardly any better solution than to cover them with plants.

If you want to create a ground cover, they will make an excellent natural carpet to cover the banks and foundations. In general, stone walls and metal fences will look more cheerful and friendly if covered with plants.

Different ways to Climb

When you buy, pay attention to the way they climb. Some climbing plants support themselves with the help of tendrils, so they can reach any objects to grasp. The other ones have little adhesive fastening discs, so they can stick to the stone or brick surfaces.

Some varieties hold to walls with the help of tiny aerial rootlets. And there are also those which usually use twining around the branches of other plants. Be careful with these last ones as they have a tendency to completely cover a bush or a small tree.

Support

They should be supported, and here you can use your imagination by creating all sorts of trellises, pergolas and arbors. You can give them any shape which would fit into the arrangement of your garden in general. As for the material, natural wood will do best, and it is not even necessary to paint it as it usually looks exquisitely beautiful as a background for your plants.

Planting

If you choose to plant an annual Vine plant, it will be sufficient to dig it in a well-drained soil. With perennials it’s a bit different: you plant them as any shrub. If you want to place your plants near the foundation, pay attention to the soil as it can be rather poor. Make the planting hole approximately two square feet large. Mix the soil with peat moss or bone meal.

If you plant near the house, make sure they are not placed under the eaves. They will not benefit if water drips continuously on their leaves. It is especially unpleasant in late autumn, when the weather can be frosty in the evenings, so the wet leaves would eventually freeze and die off.

If planted on the sunny side of your garden, the plant will need frequent watering.

Types

These plants can be a challenge at times, but once you overcome any difficulty and master the vine the rewards will be great. Don’t let me scare you off. You can train your vine into many shapes and have it trail down just the way you want it. You’ll have fun.

Among the most popular which are usually chosen by gardeners there are:

  • Climbing Hydrangea
  • Akebia
  • Morning Glory
  • Honeysuckle
  • Boston Ivy
  • Clematis
  • Lemon Lace
  • Jasmine
  • Mountain Fleece
  • Snapdragon Vine
  • Yellow Trumpet Creeper
  • Dutchman’s Pipe
  • Virginia Creeper
  • Tweedia
  • English Ivy

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