Vines: How to Grow Them in Your Garden

Easy to grow and able to solve perplexing landscape problems, vines deserve liberal use in the care-free garden. Employ a roaming vine to disguise a chain-link fence or hide a tree stump, or use a vine-covered trellis to add instant height to any scene. Vines may be annual or perennial, evergreen or deciduous, and grown for flowers or foliage alone.

Vines vary in how they cling and climb. Most twine around a support, twisting their way skyward. Boston ivy and climbing hydrangea attach to a wall or tree trunk by means of little aerial roots called hold-fasts. Some, such as clematis, ascend using twisting leaf stems, while others cling with curling tendrils.

Perennial vines may seem like a major commitment, but they aren’t the only route for those who want to try a rambler. Start with an annual vine like morning glory or sweet pea that adds beautiful flowers to the scene for a season, then allows you to change your mind next year. When you find a spot that seems incomplete without a vine, consider a permanent perennial species.

Vines are available for almost any garden situation, whether sunny or shaded. Some can reach for the sun they require. In fact, the “roots in the shade and head in the sun” description suits several vines, particularly clematis, honeysuckles, and sweet peas. Climbing roses and wisteria need more sun, while others like Boston ivy need a half day of shade. You can use sun-loving vines to create shade by training them to grow overhead on a pergola or arbor to create a shady summer seating area on a patio.

While vines often do need pruning to show them the way you want them to grow or to control their size, they are basically low maintenance. Look for vines that will thrive in the areas you have to offer. Also consider scale, because the most successful way to grow vines is to fit them to the site. You’ll find that the contributions care-free vines make to your garden will soon have you looking for places to grow more.