As the Plants Turn: Those Lovely Vines

Along with trees and woody shrubs, vines form the backbone of many landscapes. Learn how to plant and maintain vines in your garden.

Clematis scottii
Item # 37163 		Clematis scottii
Sugarbowl Clematis

each $7.99
3 or more $7.79
  • Topic: Vines
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: vines, views, shrubs, design, trailing plants, climbing plants, Garden Design, gardens
  • Date: June 2003

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Along with trees and woody shrubs, vines form the backbone of many landscapes. They’re often more permanent than the herbaceous, non-woody ornamentals, and like trees vines also add a vertical dimension, be it garden or large park.

Vines also are excellent for screening unwanted views (or nosy neighbors). They can be used to fill very narrow spaces and offer an excellent and quick way to shade a patio.

The beauty of vines is they can be easily trained. In some ways vines almost have a sentient quality to them. Take a dangling tendril and place it here or there and it’ll be happy to take off, pleased for some direction.

Flexible and long limbed, vines are very adept, and it’s amazing how quickly they’ll attach those little suction like wisps to whatever is around. They can be trained up trellises or guided to go around trees and posts. They will even cover lath structures.

You can also train vines to grow up or out, on flat or vertical surfaces.

Some like full sun, others like partial shade. Some are evergreen, others are deciduous. And some fun and easy annual vines include beans, morning glories, sweet peas, nasturtiums, climbing snapdragons.

Following are only a few of the vines that seem to like our Southwest conditions:

  • Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata), zone 4
  • Clematis, many varieties, zones 3-5
  • Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), zone 4
  • English ivy (Hedera helix), zone 5
  • Thorndale English ivy, zone 4
  • Grapes, many varieties, zones 3-6
  • Pink Lemonade Honeysuckle (Lonicera heckrotti), zone 4
  • Hall’s Japanese Honeysuckle, zones 4-11
  • Silver Lace (Polygonum aubertii), zone 4
  • Silk Vine (Periploca graeca), zone 5
  • Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans), zone 4
  • Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), zones 4-9
  • Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), zone 4

When it comes to honeysuckle, clematis and trumpet vine, the varieties there are many. Climbing roses are also another choice for vines. One suggestion is the Graham Thomas rose. If you want a climbing rose, talk with our nursery manager, Katherine O’Brien. She’s our rose lady.

Other vines with a reputation for “going crazy” in the hot sun are hops—many species. They also make a good windbreak.

Planting vines:

Vines need to creep and climb. If you don’t already have a post or tree for a vine to adhere to, our garden center has several kinds of trellises in different materials such as redwood, plastic, metal and bamboo.

To prepare the soil dig a hole about twice as deep and twice as wide as the pot. For heavy clay soils, fill the bottom with a layer of small rocks or gravel to provide good drainage. Add a bucket of good compost, mixed with soil.

Before planting, water thoroughly so the soil can absorb the water. Remove the plant from the pot and gently loosen the roots, then set the plant in the hole. Lightly pack the soil around the plant. Water; then top with about two inches of mulch.

Because vines grow so quickly—and leaf out in the summer—once they are established, you can almost sit back and watch them grab for places to hook onto. They are a treat in any garden.