BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Train a Vine

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Climbing vines are quick-change artists that can hide garden eyesores. There are four basic types of vines, each growing in a different way.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Garden Shears
Nylon Cords
Trellises
Twist Ties
Twine
Galvanized Nails

Step1

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.

Step2

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.

Step3

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.

Step4

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.

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.