Twisting climbers

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The use of climbing or vining plants in your garden can add interest to a dull area, color, flowers, attractive foliage all year or bear fruit for yourself or the birds.  Depending on the zone you live in, you can choose from evergreen or deciduous, fruit and/or flower bearing, long or short lived and climbing or ground covering.  Evergreen vines on back fence can add privacy and color throughout the year with little or no care.  With the use of trellises vines can be used to screen off various parts of your yard or can be used to block items like your air-conditioning or your compost bins. In fact, they can be used to add an ornamental architectural element to your space in various ways.

Training vines, keeps the where you want them.

 

Vining plants are often referred to as climbers because of their self clinging and trailing ways, plus the fact that they will use almost any structure or solid object as their support system.   For this reason, you need to make sure that your climber will not ramble to unwanted areas by giving it training lessons.  A vigorous or full-grown climber, depending on the type, can become too heavy for its given support system.  So when choosing a climbing plant, thought has to be put into not only its soil and climactic tolerance, but also the type of support system and the increasing weight that it may have to hold over years of growth.

Ivy vines are great climbers.

Also make sure the way a climber/vine attaches itself will not cause future damage – it is surprising the holding and staying power of some climbers.  The toughest attach system is the self clinging aerial roots of Ivy vines and the self clinging adhesive pads of Parthenocissus climbers, both of these plants are grown mostly for autumn colors and are fast growers.   It is best to grow these climbers on a unpainted strong structure where they can grow for years undisturbed, such as a brick wall or shed because they have been known to literally take the paint off or the mortar from a brick wall during the removal process.  The other type of attachment system climbers use is called twining, it is the process of the climber to use tendrils or leave stalks to coil around its support system, best for use on trellis, fences and training on wooden structures.  Climbers/vines can also be used as ground-cover by letting them just trail on the ground. 

Other climbers/vines that are popular

Clematis comes in a wide array of colors and flower forms.

Black-eyed Susan can brighten a dark corner.

Bougainvillea adds a old-fashion look with its dainty flowers.

Leaf vines are mostly grown for their beautiful autumn colors.