Vines Add a New Dimension to a Landscape

Vines include all plants, whether woody or herbaceous, that require some support for their proper development. There are annual and perennial vines, woody and herbaceous vines, evergreen and deciduous vines, flowering vines and vines grown primarily for their foliage or fruit.

Vines offer an interesting variation in plant form. They are valuable in the landscape for their practical and aesthetic qualities. We may use vines in several ways - on walls, arbors or other overhead structures, as ground-covers and as a screening material on baffles.

If vines are to be satisfactory in the landscape, they must be well adapted to the environment in which they are to be grown. Because of differences in winter temperature minimums between the northern and southern sections of the state, comparatively few vines are adapted to planting throughout Florida. Therefore, it is important that you choose a vine that is adapted to the part of the state in which you live.

Other factors, such as amount of sun, type of soil, protection from buildings or other vegetation, also enter into the type of vine that can be grown and its proper placement within the landscape. Plant the more tender species on the south and east sides of a house to lessen the degree of cold injury, since the cold winds are generally from a north to northwesterly direction.

The amount of sunlight required by vines varies, but most vines grow and flower best in full sunlight to partial shade. Vines prefer a loose, well-drained soil containing some organic matter.

When planting vines, give the same care as for other ornamental plants. Deciduous vines (such as wisteria and grapes) do best when planted during the winter months. Evergreens may be planted at any time during the year, with late winter or early spring being the preferred time. Container-grown plants are preferred to others and care should be taken to disturb the root system as little as possible during the planting or transplanting procedure.

The planting site should be prepared several weeks before plants are obtained. Add organic matter in the form of peat moss, compost, leaf mold or well-decomposed manure to the soil at the time of the initial preparation. Spread from four to six inches of the material selected over the planting site, add one-half to one cup full of commercial fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8), and spade it in to a depth of a foot or more.

Deciduous vines that are bare-rooted should be cut back to a height of 6 to 12 inches. Mandevilla Container-grown or balled or burlapped plants usually require no pruning at time of planting. Holes for these plants should be one-third larger than the ball of earth attached to the root system. Set the plant in the hole and adjust the depth so that the surface of the container or ball is at ground level. Carefully remove the container and fill around the plant with good garden soil. Newly set plants should be well watered after planting and during dry weather. Finally, mulch the soil around the base of the plant with straw, leaf mold or bark chips.

Newly-set vines generally will not need fertilizing for the first season if proper planting practices are followed. Two to three feedings may be given each year to established plants. The amount to apply will depend on age and size of the plant, fertility of the soil, amount of organic matter supplied and the condition of the plant. It may range from one ounce of a complete fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8) for a young plant to three or four pounds for mature plants per application.

Ornamental vines require little pruning except to keep them in bounds. Prune flowering vines shortly after they have flowered. Pruning before flowering removes some of the buds. Pruning late in the summer removes next year's flower buds. Many vines are grown for the beauty of their flowers. Probably the most showy and spectacular tropical vine available for planting in south Florida is the bougainvillea.

The golden yellow bell-shaped bloom of the Allamanda vine can be seen throughout most of the year in south and warmer parts of central Florida. Some other outstanding flowering vines are: coral-vine, trumpet creeper, rangoon-creeper, painted trumpet, Carolina yellow-jessamine, purple or queens wreath and flame-vine.

Some vines are grow primarily for their foliage - English and Algerian Ivy, pothos (Hunter's robe), climbing or creeping fig, marine ivy and philodendron species. These vines are ideal for heavily shaded areas in your landscape.

If your home is in a location where salt spray is a problem, include salt-tolerant vines in your landscape. Some of the salt tolerant vines are bougainvillea, Algerian and English ivy, flame vine, allamanda, marine ivy and pothos. The confederate or star jasmine shows some tolerance to salt spray.

Low temperature, more than any other factor, will usually determine the kind of vine that can be successfully grown in a given area of the state. The trumpet creeper, painted trumpet, Carolina yellow-jessamine, confederate-jasmine and chinese wisteria are a few of the more hardy vines which are suited to the climatic conditions found in northern Florida. Many of the tender vines (yellow allamanda and coral-vine) will freeze down during the winter and sprout from the roots the following spring in the northern part of the state while the same vines will generally be evergreen in southern Florida.

To be effective, vines must be a part of an overall landscape plan. When properly used they may add a new dimension to your landscape. Check with your local county extension agent and local nurserymen for those vines most adaptable for your area.


Copyright by Dr. Bob's Gardening Tips