Vines: The Living Drapes of the Garden

Gardening Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 3 - March 2013

A window box with potato vine and climbing thunbergia vine

Vines serve numerous design functions. They are the go-to plants for covering unsightly walls and adorning fences, arbors and gazebos. In new gardens, they provide much-needed shade for decks and patios. They lessen winds, thereby creating favorable microclimates for nearby plants. Vines provide continuity between plants and garden areas, linking the elements of the garden into a unified composition. Cascading over a wall or trained on an obelisk, they make striking focal points. Vines have flexible stems that are easily trained on wires or lattices into espalierstyle forks, fans, rectangles and diamonds. In the woodland garden, shade-tolerant vines such as climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris), Baltic English ivy (Hedera helix ‘Baltica’) and Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata ‘Veitchii’), can be trained to climb trees or, if you prefer, spread across the earth and used as groundcovers. I once saw a climbing hydrangea planted in a decaying stump, which created the illusion of an erupting green volcano. It was both unusual and attractive. Another interesting application is to train clematis through the contorted branches of a dead corkscrew hazel (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’). Clematis can also be planted under and trained up through yew shrubs (Taxus spp.) to provide colorful floral caps. In a container, a vine such as annual passion flower (Passiflora spp.), morning glory (Ipomoea spp.) or potato vine (Solanum jasminoides), supported by a tripod, adds further prominence to the arrangement. 1/5

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Vines: The Living Drapes of the Garden

Gardening Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 3 - March 2013

Supporting Your Vines In order to grow vines successfully, it’s important to know how they attach to their supports. Twisters, such as American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), ornamental kiwi vine (Actinidia kolomikta), hop vine (Humulus lupulus), wisteria and Dutchman’s pipe (Aristolochia durior), require support poles, structures or lattices. Vines with twisting tendrils (small subsidiary stems off the main stem), such as clematis, sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), grapes and passion flower, need support wires or twine. Some vines, such as climbing hydrangea, Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangeoides), have adhesive suction-cup appendages and Lovely pink trumpet vine blooms need no support in order to climb. Other vines, such as trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), have both twisting stems and self-adhering stem hairs. Climbing roses are different. Initially, their sharp thorns help them gain hold, but they later need support for their weight. Supports can take many forms. Against a wall, consider using a hinged-style lattice that can be easily removed to allow for maintenance to both the vine and the wall. Allow for air circulation by leaving space between the vine and the wall. For vines trained under a roof overhang, I affix an eye screw into the soffit and attach a steel wire to a piece of concrete or log (via a spike) used as a ground anchor. Vines such as hardy kiwi vine and honeysuckles will twist around the wire, which can be easily removed from the ground anchor when doing wall maintenance. Ensure your eavestroughs are clean and functioning properly, as water that spills over them can freeze and kill the vines. In summer, these soffit-attached vines require additional watering, since soffits and eavestroughs redirect the rainwater. 2/5

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Vines: The Living Drapes of the Garden

Gardening Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 3 - March 2013

Some favorites This is a difficult choice, as there are so many desirable subjects. Bloom is probably the reason many gardeners select clematis. Take, for example, the popular large-flowering summer clematis such as the deep purple ‘Jackmanii’, the dainty yellow bells of golden clematis (Clematis tangutica) or the unique multiple-petal clematis ‘Josephine’. A subtle but interesting flower is chocolate vine (Akebia quinata), with its maroon flowers in summer and lovely five-finger foliage that persists through the winter in my garden (Canadian hardiness zone 6, American zone 5). When selecting vines to cover arbors and bowers located at garden entrances, consider fragrance. Golden clematis blooms Goldflame honeysuckle, wisteria and sweet autumn clematis (C. paniculata) look and smell wonderful. Climbing roses such as ‘John Cabot’, ‘William Baffin’, ‘America’, ‘Coral Dawn’ and ‘Don Juan’ are also lovely. Ensure the roses are firmly attached and pruned, so that admirers can avoid being scratched by them. Over the years, vines with variegated foliage have become very popular, and I find them to be less rampant spreaders then their all-green counterparts. They also do very nicely in dappled shade. Cover arbors located at garden entrances Some examples are hardy ornamental with fragrant climbing roses kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta), with its green foliage beautifully tinged with white and pink, star showers Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia ‘Star Showers’), with its white-streaked foliage, and Miranda climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris ‘Miranda’), with its gold and white variegation. 3/5

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Vines: The Living Drapes of the Garden

Gardening Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 3 - March 2013

Planting and Maintenance Before purchasing vines, familiarize yourself with their habitat requirements, rate of growth, longevity, maintenance, winter hardiness and disease susceptibility. Before planting, place the plant in its pot into a larger tub filled with water and soak for 10 to 15 minutes to moisten the root mass. Plant shortly thereafter in a hole that’s twice as wide and deep as the pot the vine came in. Note that some gardeners plant vines such as the large-flowered Group B clematis 2-1/2” (6cm) deeper than what is considered normal practice so that a couple of leaf nodes are buried. The rationale is that if the top growth dies due to clematis wilt, the below-soil buds will rejuvenate the plant. Mix in compost and organic matter with the Morning glories with frog soil. Vines generally benefit from applications of phosphate-based fertilizers to increase root strength and mulch to shade the roots and protect them from soil disturbance. Keep the plants on the moist side during the first month after planting. While vines are relatively easy to grow, they are not maintenance free. Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), for example, has aggressive growing roots that can end up in drains and other undesirable locations. Variegated porcelain vine (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata ‘Elegans’) seeds freely, while Virginia creeper, Dutchman’s pipe, silver lace vine (Polygonum aubertii) and hop vine can grow very quickly, creating excessive shade and mildew and bug concerns. Regular pruning is required to keep them in check and producing flower spurs. (Consult references before doing so.) Avoid applying nitrogen fertilizers around these rapid growers, as it only encourages growth. Untwist wisteria branches, which when left unchecked may inflict damaging pressure on wood supports. The foliage of vines such as trumpet honeysuckle, variegated porcelain berry vine, and Virginia creeper can fall prey to Japanese beetles, aphids and tent caterpillars. Clematis can be subject to earwig damage, so consider various traps and horticultural oils to deal with over-wintering earwigs that hide in lattices and trellises. Vines such as climbing hydrangea are notorious for slow initial root establishment and lack of flowers until they become well rooted. The only remedy is patience. Many vines have shallow roots that can dry out and get sun scald. Apply shredded bark mulch around the roots to help them become established. The mulch also helps combat clematis wilt in the soil. 4/5

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Vines: The Living Drapes of the Garden

Gardening Newsletter Vol. 8, Issue 3 - March 2013

Group C tube clematis (Clematis heracleifolia) entwined in a Coppertina™ ninebark shrub.

A frequent question regarding clematis is maintenance pruning. Group A clematis, such as C. alpina and C. macropetala, bloom in the spring on old wood and are generally left as is, save for unwanted longer branches and winter-killed dead wood. Clematis from group B produce large blooms in summer on both old and new wood. They should be lightly pruned in the spring to control their shape and size. Many of the late-summer-blooming Group C clematis can be pruned back hard in early spring to about 2’ (60cm). Ensure there are buds left to rejuvenate the vine. Friend and clematis expert Peter Keeping prunes this group in early spring to the lowest buds just above soil level. When the vine grows to a height of 2’ (60cm), he pinches the tip just above the leaf node to encourage lateral-branch growth. Be sure to save your plant labels so that you know which clematis you have planted. Vines are valuable additions to any garden. Like a drape, they dress up their surroundings and impart a finished look to the landscape. Text by Frank Kershaw Photos by Marnie Wright Frank Kershaw is an award-winning horticulturist with some 35 years of experience. He teaches garden design and horticultural courses at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, and at the Toronto Botanical Garden. Frank is also a presenter at the Lee Valley Tools Ltd. seminars at the Toronto stores. Marnie Wright ([email protected]) is a lifelong gardener, writer and passionate garden photographer. Her Rocksborough Garden, developed over thirty years, is located in Bracebridge, Ontario. 5/5

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