Pulaski County Home and Garden
Gardening by Beth Phelps
On The Vine
Vines make beautiful and functional additions to just about any fence.
Whether it is a solid wood privacy fence, a chain link fence or a purely
decorative fence vines will help incorporate the structure into the garden and
add vertical gardening space. Use vines either to enhance the architectural
features of the fence or, in some cases, your goal may be to hide the fence.
When choosing a vine for your fence the same rules apply as with any other
plant selection. Choose a vine that will thrive under your growing conditions
i.e. sun or shade, low or high maintenance, drought tolerant, wet or well
drained soil.
There are many vines that will grow well on your Arkansas fence. Here are a
few tough, vigorous growers that will quickly cover a fence.
Clematis is always a favorite for its beautiful blooms and interesting
seedpods. There are so many different varieties of clematis that you can find
just about any color bloom.
Attention to detail is important for success. Plant clematis so that its feet
will be in the shade while its head is in the sun. In fact, with our intense
summer sun even some afternoon shade will not stop clematis from blooming.
Along with a clematis on the fence comes the question, "when should I prune?"
The answer is: follow the general pruning rule. If a plant blooms in the spring
prune it after bloom. If it blooms in the summer prune in late winter or early
spring.
No vine is more beautiful than wisteria with its fragrant, purple or white
flowers. This is a vine that will grow in either sun or shade but only flowers
well in sun. There are Japanese, Chinese and American wisterias. Japanese
wisteria, the most common, twines clockwise on the fence. Chinese wisteria
climbs the fence by wrapping counter-clockwise. Make sure the fence is strong as
wisteria is a rapid growing vine that will produce a large woody plant.
Trumpet honeysuckle is a mannerly vine unlike its cousin, Japanese
Honeysuckle. There are several varieties of this native honeysuckle with
blossoms ranging in color from yellow to red. They do not have the sweet
fragrance of the Japanese Honeysuckle but their brightly colored tubular flowers
in spring attract hummingbirds and make the native trumpet honeysuckle a great
plant for any fence.
A vine for sun or shade is Carolina jessamine. Its yellow flowers will add a
bright spot to your early spring garden. Carolina jessamine will hold most of
its foliage all winter so it a great vine to use if you want to hid the fence.
It will grow in shade but flowers best in sun.
Virginia creeper is often falsely accused of being poison ivy, with its
hand-shaped leaves made up of five leaflets. Although Virginia creeper does not
bloom, its red and yellow leaves are an added benefit in the fall.
Along with the perennial vines above -- which make a permanet home on your
fence -- there are many annual and tropical vines that don't involve a long-term
commitment. Plant them in the spring and step back. They grow quickly and bloom
profusely before their demise by the first freeze of winter.
Great for night owls are the pure white, fragrant flowers of moon vine that
open in the evening and close as the morning sun hits them. Moon vine is an
annual that can be planted from seed every year. The seed coat is very tough so
nick it with a file before planting to get it off to a faster start.
Add fall interest to your fence with hyacinth bean vine, which earns its name
from its spikes of purple flowers produced in late summer. It grows vigorously
but is a late bloomer beginning some 60 days after planting. A few seed will
cover a large area with wonderful green foliage in anticipation of the purple
flowers and violet seedpods in late summer. Even the seed is a beautiful - black
with a white stripe on one edge.
Mandevilla is a tropical vine that will be killed by the first freeze but the
flowers will knock your socks off all summer. Mandevilla does very well in our
intense summer sun and humidity. You can start with a small plant from your
favorite nursery after the danger of frost has past. If you keep it watered
you'll have a fence full of hot pink flowers in no time.
Just a few morning glory seeds planted in a sunny area and your fence will
soon be covered with foliage and fresh, cheerful flowers each morning. Morning
Glory is an annual but will re-seed itself coming back year after year.
Climbing roses although not vine can also be wonderful on a fence. Drive by
Mt. Holly Cemetery (Little Rock) in May and see the blankets of light pink
blossoms of the "New Dawn" roses. Variety selection will determine if you have
to spray to control black spot.
As you select the vines to adorn your fence be adventurous and try a
combination. I saw cypress vine and Carolina jessamine growing together one
summer. It took close inspection to figure out that there were really two vines
intertwining. The cypress vine was in full bloom with hundreds of small red
flowers but its lacy foliage was almost hidden by the larger leaves of the
Carolina jessamine. I am sure it was equally beautiful in the early spring when
the cheerful yellow Carolina jessamine flowers were set against its foliage
dulled by winters cold. Another great combination is climbing roses and
clematis. Be careful with your color selection for this combination, as their
bloom periods are likely to overlap.
No garden should be without vines, so take advantage of your fence and use it
as vertical gardening space. There are lots of beautiful and easy-to-grow vines
from which to choose.
This articles was Originally Published in
Active Years
Magazine
Back to Pulaski
County Home and Garden
|
