Location: uk
Vines are commonly referred to as climbing plants. The term originates from Latin Vinea, the grape vine that also gives the name to Vinum, wine in English. However, today vines encompass a vast variety of climbing plants well beyond the original grapevine meaning. In fact, while many vine berries are edible and some have had a profound impact in human culture, like grapevine, others are poisonous and even deadly to eat.
However, climbing plants offer some peculiar features that go well beyond berry consumption and are suitable for landscaping applications. For a start, vines are generally fast growing, reaching up to 30 meters (about 90 foot), depending on species. They do so by saving energy needed to build a strong self supporting tissue, climbing over trees or walls or even horizontally, if vertical hold is missing.
Often times, climbing plants display beautiful flowering and require little maintenance, covering with foliage sunny areas, protecting walls from rain and sun rays in the summer and providing a garden with an appealing and colorful ornamental feature. Given their prodigious growth rate, they can be used as sun shield over garden structures like pergolas to provide shade and coolness.
Some common vines for landscaping are Grape Vine, Common Ivy, Morning Glory (they spread fast though), Bougainvillea, Sweet Pea and others. Not all vines are welcome everywhere though, as few are considered noxious for their ability to spread over anything they can get hold of, wiping out any plant competition in the process. Such is the case of the Kudzu or the Japanese Honeysuckle, for example. In some countries they are even considered invasive species, so check out their suitability when planning to landscape your garden.
Should you decide to plant vines for landscaping purposes, here is your check list.
#1 Decide where you want to plant the vine, considering that they generally grow at a fast rate and will have a dramatic visual impact once grown.
#2 Choose a climbing plant that spread upward or horizontally depending on your needs, as some species spread flat while others only climb up. To cover a trellis you may need a Sweet Pea, while to cover a pergola top you may need a Bougainvillea.
#3 If you plan to grow a vine over a wall or brick construction, make sure they hold onto the surface by mean of adhesive disks, rather than tendrils. Tendrils gets hold of the tiniest nooks and crevices and some vines grow into the smallest fissures only to break them up as they grow. Adhesive disks will leave a wall surface undamaged.
#4 Choose the right climbing plant for your climate. A Sweet Pea is suitable for Mediterranean like climates, while a Bougainvillea is best adapted for hot, tropical climates but also for milder Mediterranean climates. If you live at higher latitudes, consider a Common Ivy, an English Ivy or Grape Vine.
#5 Flowering vines will attract insects for pollination, hence choose a non flowering one like the English Ivy if you don’t want them.
Climbing plants are an important and appealing feature that any garden should have. They provide shade, color and weather protection in the most natural way. They are specially suited as an additional decorative element to pergolas, fences and trellises to provide shade and shelter.
For pergola and greenhouse construction and DIY projects, more articles here:
pergola plans
outdoor pergola designs
greenhouse plans
Those are good tips when it comes using vines in our gardens. Sometimes, it is a little bit hard to use this kind of plant on decorating our garden. For sure many would like to try your shared tips.