Nothing Says Summer Like A Vine

by Colleen Miko, CPH

Nothing says SUMMER like a vine draped over a patio with an Adirondack chair in its dappled shade. Maybe this is why vines have such universal appeal. I can’t think of many design customers who didn’t request the inclusion of a vine or two in their new landscape design plan. But which vine? When choosing a vine, besides knowing the amount of sun or shade the location receives, consider the growth habit of the vine and how much area you want to cover. With forethought, a carefully chosen and well-placed vine can add immeasurable charm to the garden without a lot of care.

First off, think about whether you need an evergreen or deciduous vine. I like to use deciduous vines for covering seating areas like pergolas because they provide summer shade and when bare in the winter, allow us to enjoy the sun when it’s out. Evergreen vines are useful for covering things you might like to hide, like chain link fences, blocking unpleasant views or creating privacy screens.

Secondly, imagine the leaves, flowers, fruit or seed pods the vine might produce, not only for aesthetics but for clean up. Small leaves and flower petals are harder to clean up than larger leaves. Wisteria, for example, with its many rows of small leaflets, charming carpet of fallen flowers and dangling seed pods is best sited where these items are least likely to be tracked in the house and over solid surfaces like pavers or lawn where they can be swept or raked. Fishing handfuls of small leaves from evergreen groundcovers or off gravel is tiresome work that a little planning can prevent. Dutchman’s Pipe Vine (Aristolochia durior) is a lush looking deciduous vine whose large, heart shaped leaves are easy to rake, even from a gravel driveway.

We all want vines that fill in quickly but over planting can create more pruning work than is necessary. A single wisteria, spring blooming clematis or honeysuckle can cover a run of thirty or more feet in a matter of a few seasons. To avoid over planting a fence or screen, locate the vine in the center. The vine will grow in two directions, covering more space in less time. For most patio covers and arbors, planting a vine on each post is overkill. A single vine trained up one post and over the top of a structure will take 2 or 3 years, but then there will only be one vine requiring care.

When deciding on a vine, ask if it will develop a trunk or woody base, or whether it will die back entirely. This is an important maintenance consideration as a vine that dies back entirely will need to be completely re-trained every year to avoid a tangled mess. For instance, summer blooming clematis form a small, bare main trunk and flower on the ends of the new, vigorous growth sent out from that trunk every spring. For this reason, it is best on a detailed metal trellis or low fence on which it can readily climb, but is also easy to reach. The flowers are spectacular, but its tidy appearance depends on training new growth in the spring and summer and pruning off the dead growth from the previous year each winter.

If you’re looking for a smaller vine to cover a decorative trellis of the type often sold in garden centers, hunt down Billardiera longifolia. With a list of charms such as fine evergreen foliage, pale yellow flowers and purple berries, the one I planted still hasn’t outgrown the 6’ x 3’ wrought iron trellis it has climbed upon for six years. I grow it in a partly sunny, sheltered location out of the wind and give it little care.

Now that you’ve given some thought to what type of vine you want for that special spot in your garden, go to your local nursery and ask to see their selection of vines. It’s nice to know that you can grow a summery vine in your yard and relax in its dappled shade.