Vines are the most versatile of all garden plants. They are easy to grow, take little care, and are extremely hardy. They can even be successfully used as a ground cover.
With this said, we should admit, except for one very scrawny Crimson Glory Vine, every vine we have planted has never seen its second birthday. We are not even sure why this vine has hung on this long, after ten years it has not grown an inch.
In our defense, most vines require a lot of sun that is very scarce in our gardens. We purchased the Crimson Glory Vine after reading how it would climb through the trees to seek the sun on its own. Maybe we were asking to much of it to climb over 150 feet before it saw daylight, a little much for a plant only 18 inches tall. We also tend to stretch a plant’s hardiness, and vines, by there very size, are exposed to a lot of bad things.
Given the right conditions, sunlight, well-drained humus soil, and the right moisture, vines can be very rewarding. We have seen some very impressive vines in other people’s gardens, enough to keep us trying at least. Here are some that we were impressed with:
- Vitis coignetiae Crimson ‘Glory Vine’
- It has 12 x 10 inch leaves that turn a dark crimson color in autumn, This grape is undoubtedly the finest of the true vines, easily reaching the treetops with its showy fall color.
- Wisteria sinensis ‘Texas White’
- This vigorous Chinese vine is particularly showy with its pendulous white flowers and its vigorous growing habits.
- Rosa multiflora platyphylla ‘Seven Sisters’
- The two inch blossoms open in bright magenta, then fade through shades of pink. There can be seven different colors showing in one large cluster of blooms. Given time it will easily cover a large support or clamber into trees.
- Hydrangea anomala petiolaris ‘Climbing Hydrangea’
- Widely acclaimed as the best vine in cultivation. It has outstanding foliage, flowers, and exfoliating, cinnamon-brown bark. Its abundances of white flowers bloom in early summer.
- Rubus lambertianus hakonensis ‘Rubus’
- A luxuriant climbing or crawling shrub with shiny, light-green, leaves and tiny white flowers.
- Ipomoea alba ‘Moon Vine’
- A vine with spectacular, five inch white flowers opening in early evening. The tightly furled flower buds unroll rather quickly as if watching a time-lapse film. The pure white, fragrant flowers fairly glow against the dark green, heart-shaped foliage. This vine is very fast growing when the weather is warm and calm.
- Passiflora incarnata ‘Passion Flower’
- Flowers have purple petals, purple fringes and intricately detailed centers. In the fall, egg-shaped fruit that resembles smooth limes appears.
- Lablab purpureus ‘Hyacinth Bean’
- An old-fashioned ornamental bean ideal for rambling over fences, posts and porches. Resembling the pole bean of vegetable fame, Hyacinth Bean is highly valued for its prominent stems of lightly fragrant flowers, thrives in heat and tolerates poor soils.
- Campsis radicans ‘Trumpet Creeper’
- Beautiful trumpet shaped orange flower clusters blooming in July attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.
- Aristolochia tomentosa ‘Hairy Dutchman’s Pipe’
- This high-climbing vine with downy, heart-shaped leaves has long pipe-shaped flowers that are yellow with a purple interior.
- Polygonum aubertii ‘The Silver Lace Vine’
- This vine is a vigorous twining vine with masses of fragrant white flower clusters in August. It can grow 30 feet.
We are sure that there are many more vines worth mentioning such as the clematis, which we will cover in depth in a future Yard Talk, but the above we know performs above average without special care. Often overlooked in the home garden, vines can easily brighten up a dark area. Most of the above and many more can be found at:
Aesthetic Gardens ( http://www.agardens.com )
Clematis Specialty Nursery ( http://www.clematisnursery.com/ )
Forest Farms Nursery ( http://www.forestfarm.com/ )
Roslyn Nursery ( http://www.roslynnursery.com/ )
