Climbing Vines

When the keen gardener runs out of horizontal space, it’s natural to look around for other surfaces to adorn with plants. Some, like fences, the walls of the house, garages and sheds, are already there, waiting to be decorated; others, like pergolas, tepees, arches and screens, can be bought ready-made or constructed with some simple carpentry.

When the keen gardener runs out of horizontal space, it’s natural to look around for other surfaces to adorn with plants. Some, like fences, the walls of the house, garages and sheds, are already there, waiting to be decorated; others, like pergolas, tepees, arches and screens, can be bought ready-made or constructed with some simple carpentry.

The fun part is choosing what to put onto them, and the choice is wide. But a little thought beforehand can save you from numerous headaches later. Wisteria It can be a glorious sight in bloom, but planting wisteria against a house guarantees problems down the road. Its rampant growth will soon have it prising up the roof, while down below, its thirsty roots are busy invading the perimeter drains or, worse, the sewer line. On a sturdy pergola, however, it can spread without threatening its host, and be easily within reach for some judicious pruning as well. There are two main species of wisteria: Chinese and Japanese. The most common is the Chinese form (Wisteria sinensis) whose tassels of flowers all open at once before the leaves unfold. Japanese types (Wisteria floribunda) produce leaves at the same time as the flowers, but flower trusses are longer, generally more fragrant, and open gradually from stem to tip. Both species come in white, as well as the popular purple, and mature vines will produce elegant, long pods with a coating of silvery fur in winter. Honeysuckle This is another vigorous twining vine best kept away from the house. Honeysuckle has the advantage of several evergreen varieties, although the deciduous forms have larger flowers. Fragrant yellow and cream blooms make Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ one of the most popular of the former, while the variegated foliage of ‘Aureoreticulata’ also has its admirers, despite its susceptibility to mildew. Planting in partial shade helps. The so-called Dutch honeysuckles, early-blooming L. periclymenum ‘Belgica’ and the later ‘Serotina,’ dominate the deciduous category. Both are dark pink with yellow throats, well scented, and bloom over a long season. Two more good choices are L. x heckrottii ‘Gold Flame,’ with showy crimson and gold flowers, and L. periclymenum ‘Graham Thomas,’ which has fragrant ribbons of cream and soft yellow. Fans of tropical hues might prefer L. x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ or the dazzling orange but scentless newcomer ‘Mandarin,’ introduced by UBC. Hydrangea Where repainting a wall or solid fence is not an issue, climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris) has all-season appeal. It adapts best to a slightly rough surface that allows its hair-like aerial roots a good grip. Vines take a little while to establish themselves, but will eventually cover a sizeable surface. They leaf out early and offer a fine show of the typical lacecap flowers in pristine white. An advantage of this plant is that it will happily grow in considerable shade. A close relative, Japanese hydrangea vine (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) has larger flowers. The variety ‘Moonlight’ has a beautiful milky sheen to its leaves. Climbing hydrangeas are almost trouble-free, although slugs are partial to young plants.Clematis If space is not available for one of these big beauties, the vast clematis family has some small and delicate members. Spring-blooming Clematis alpina and C. macropetala are quite modest in their reach, but offer a lovely sparkle of dainty bell-shaped flowers, mostly in shades of blue, pink or white. Like all of their family, they like their feet in the shade and their heads in the sun, as well as something to grip with their thin leaf stems, either fine wire or string, or the branches of a complementary shrub such as a rose or a viburnum. (When planting, be sure to separate the clematis and host plant root balls by about one-half metre.) ‘Frances Rivis,’ with slender, dark-blue trumpets, and pale lilac-pink ‘Willy’ are readily available Alpina types, neither growing to much more than two metres. The Macropetala group is slightly more vigorous at around 3.5 metres. There is a wider choice here, including ‘Markham’s Pink,’ blue ‘Maidwell Hall’ and deep-indigo ‘Georg,’ which has a smaller flower but a longer flowering season than most. Later in spring come the large-flowered clematis, of which candy-striped ‘Nelly Moser’ is the best known. ‘Nelly’ tends to fade in strong sunlight so keep her for dappled shade and choose the similar ‘Bees’ Jubilee’ for a hot spot. Among my favourites are cherry-red ‘Ville de Lyon,’ and the glamorous ‘Miss Bateman,’ which has chocolate stamens at the centre of a crisp white flower subtly striped in lime green. ‘Marie Boisselot,’ on the other hand, has larger flowers of pure, dazzling white. Lovers of Wedgwood blue might prefer ‘H.F. Young’ or the double-flowered ‘Countess of Lovelace.’ Most of this group will grow to about three metres and produce a second flush of flowers in late summer. A few varieties will reach only about half that height, among them lavender-blue ‘Lady Northcliffe’ and raspberry-pink ‘John Warren.’ I find the large-flowered hybrids to be the most temperamental of the clematis family, susceptible to clematis wilt, a fungal disease that can cause an entire plant to shrivel and often die within a few days. Planting them deeply (up to 10 centimetres below soil level) is a good precaution; stems below ground will often re-shoot just when you’ve given the whole plant up for lost. The Viticella group of clematis is less prone to wilt, and their vibrant colours and enthusiastic output compensate for their smaller flowers. ‘Etoile Violette’ is deep purple, ‘Rouge Cardinal’ a lush crimson, while ‘Huldine’ displays pearly white flowers with fine purple striping on the undersides. They are among the easiest to prune, too. Cut to about 20 centimetres above ground level in late winter, they will scramble back to a good three metres before bursting into bloom in midsummer. Similar treatment goes for fall-blooming Clematis rehderiana, a species that will drown a four-metre trellis in waves of fragrant, pale-yellow bells, held away from the foliage on dark-brown upright stems. The more refined but unscented Texensis group also bloom in fall, and need no pruning as they die down of their own accord for the winter. Most popular of these are scarlet ‘Gravetye Beauty’ and silvery-pink ‘Duchess of Albany.’ Even in midwinter there can be flowers, and once again it is clematis to the rescue. C. cirrhosa var. balearica opens its subtle cream and red-freckled flowers in January and blooms until March. Given warmth and shelter, ideally close to the house, its promise of spring can raise the spirits during the gloomiest days of the year.Foliage Favourites Some climbers excel as foliage plants rather than relying on their flowers for interest. Self-sticking members of the Parthenocissus family such as Virginia creeper (P. quinquefolia) and Boston ivy (P. tricuspidata) are well known for their brilliant fall colour. Parthenocissus henryana doesn’t have a common name, but is the most beautiful of all, with fine silver veins on the leaves, a contrast more striking in a shady position. Ornamental grapes are also dramatic additions to the garden, particularly Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea,’ whose leaves start out pale sage-green and darken to rich burgundy by fall. ‘Brant,’ a Canadian variety more popular in England than here, has fall foliage beautifully marbled in red and green. The giant of the family, crimson glory vine (Vitis coignetiae), lives up to its name, but needs sturdy support and a lot of space for its massive frame. Ornamental kiwi vine (Actinidia kolomikta) can be extremely decorative from late spring through the summer months. Less rampant than its edible relative, it produces large, heart-shaped leaves, initially green but gradually suffusing with white and candy-pink as the season advances. Some patience is necessary as young plants take a few years to show all colours. Another twiner with dramatic leaves is golden hop (Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’), which begins the year clothed in soft lime green. The colour darkens to gold as summer approaches, although the veins stay green, creating a three-dimensional effect. Chains of flowers like tiny fir cones, also lime-coloured, gradually turn to cinnamon-brown in fall. Golden hop has running roots that sneak underground and pop up where they aren’t welcome, so plant it in a confined area or a big container like a half-barrel. Ivy (Hedera) dominates the category of evergreen vines, but needs regular trimming to prevent it from getting out of hand. The variegated forms add a bright touch to winter scenery, especially white and sea-green ‘Glacier’ and brilliant ‘Goldheart.’ Prune out plain green leaves from the latter or it will gradually lose all its yellow colouring. Easier to control is wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), which is often sold as a groundcover. Planted against a wall, it will develop aerial roots and climb to a substantial height. The best varieties have gold and green variegated leaves that take on pink highlights in cold weather. Annual Climbers While most perennial climbers take a year or two to reach their full potential, instant satisfaction beckons from the seed rack. Annuals are great as interim decoration while you make up your mind about a permanent feature, or while your chosen perennial matures. Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are old favourites for their fragrance and range of colour, with the bonus that their roots fix nitrogen in the soil, improving it for future plants. Modern varieties have larger flowers, but I especially like the centuries-old ‘Matucana,’ with outstanding fragrance in its plum and lavender blooms. To wreath a small tripod in a pot, consider the curious chocolate and hot-pink bells of purple bellerine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineus) or vibrant orange or yellow clock vine (Thunbergia alata), whose flowers look like children’s drawings. Clock vine will often continue to grow and flower inside the house over the winter months if set by a south-facing window. For an arch or arbour, cathedral bells (Cobaea scandens) makes an attractive curtain studded with purple or white. The large flowers with their curling stamens have an unpleasant scent initially, but soon become fragrant. Annual morning glories (Ipomoea) allow us to enjoy their pretty trumpets without fear of unleashing a monster in the garden, and now come in choices of red, pink, blue or white – or several colours in one package. An unusual member of the family is Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata), whose upright stems fly pennants of cream, yellow and red tubular flowers. The following plants are hardy to the zone number indicated: • Actinidia kolomikta (ornamental kiwi) – zone 5 • Clematis large-flowering hybrids – zone 4 • C. macropetala – zone 6 • C. rehderiana – zone 6 • C. texensis – zone 4 • C. viticella – zone 5 • Euonymus fortunei (wintercreeper) – zone 5 • Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’ (golden hop) – zone 5 • Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris (climbing hydrangea) – zone 4 • Hedera helix (English ivy) – zone 5 (The cultivar ‘Baltica’ is hardy to zone 4) • Lonicera ‘Mandarin’ – at least to zone 4 • L. x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ – zone 2 • L. japonica cultivars (Japanese honeysuckle) – zone 4 • Lonicera periclymenum cultivars – zone 5 • Parthenocissus henryana – zone 7 • P. quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) – zone 3 • P. tricuspidata (Boston ivy) – zone 4 • Schizophragma hydrangeoides (Japanese hydrangea vine) – zone 6 • Vitis coignetiae (crimson glory vine) – zone 5 • V. vinifera (ornamental grape) – zone 6 • Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria) – zone 5 • W. sinensis (Chinese wisteria) – zone 5 • Vines that are true annuals, such as sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) and morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea), complete their life cycles in one season, so hardiness ratings are not applicable. Some of the vines that we commonly grow as annuals are perennial in frost-free climates. Their zone ratings of 10 or 11 don’t include any parts of B.C., but these plants can be overwintered in a greenhouse or sunny room indoors. They include black-eyed susan vine (Thunbergia alata), cathedral bells (Cobaea scandens), purple bellerine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineus) and Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata). Master gardener and rose and vine expert Christine Allen is the author of three books. PHOTOS: John Glover: Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris, Clematis ‘Marie Boisselot,’ Lonicera periclymenum ‘Belgica’; Barbra Fairclough: Lathyrus odoratus ‘Matucana’.