How to Train a Vine
Climbing vines are quick-change artists that can hide garden eyesores. There are four basic types of vines, each growing in a different way. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Plant climbing vines such as English ivy or climbing hydrangea at the base of any wall or fence you want to cover. Stand back and watch them scramble upward. They will send out rootlets that will cling to any support they encounter.
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2
Plant tendril vines such as grapes and sweet peas where they can hang on to their supports. Their tendrils grow out from their stems and can wrap themselves around thin supports such as string, wire or the stems of other plants. Match the support to the size and weight of the mature plant; a grapevine needs a sturdy arbor with strong wires, while sweet peas need only a simple wire or nylon mesh trellis.
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Plant twining vines such as clematis, morning glory and kiwi near any trellis, arbor or openwork fence. As the plants grow, they'll twine them-selves around both vertical and horizontal supports. Guide the first shoots up the fence and fasten them loosely; once they start weaving their way through the openings, they will need no more help.
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4
Fasten procumbent vines (they crawl along the ground and have no means of self-support) such as jasmine directly to a fence or trellis. Secure the shoots loosely using plastic-coated wire or nylon twine. To cloak a wall or solid fence, drive in galvanized nails at 18-inch to 2-foot intervals, and as the shoots grow, tie them to the nails.
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Tips & Warnings
Look to the future if you plant a perennial vine. Wisteria, for instance, will live 50 years or more, and a mature plant is heavy. It needs a sturdy, well-designed structure that will both show off its beauty and bear its weight.
Arrange the shoots of tendril vines in the direction you want them to grow, and fasten them loosely with twine or coated twist ties for a day or so until the tendrils begin to grip.
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Comments
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cjoxx2007
Oct 25, 2008
The problem I see with a vine is that it will crawl between the boards of my patio fence, which I don't want. How would I keep it from doing that? Placing plastic along the fence?? -
cjoxx2007
Oct 25, 2008
The problem I see with a vine is that it will crawl between the boards of my patio fence, which I don't want. How would I keep it from doing that? Placing plastic along the fence??
