Add vines to dress up problem areas in yard

By Bev Johnson | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, July 14, 2007

Do you have any of these problem places? An ugly shed, a deck with six feet of bare legs, a naked fence, messy neighbor's yard? If so maybe one of these vines could be the answer to beautifying a problem site.

Start with Boston ivy and Virginia creeper, cousin vines. They can grow most anyplace except full, dark shade.

They like even moisture but will tolerate drier conditions. They can climb to 30 to 40 feet using tendrils that end in little discs that can attach themselves to most anything.

They have dark blue berries that birds love and turn bright red in the fall.

There are slight differences between the two. Boston is a slower grower but fills out beautifully. Virginia creeper shoots up and then fills out.

A more restrained version of the creeper is Engelman's ivy. If you ever need to remove one of these ivies, to paint or to remodel, cut the stem off at the base and wait a few days for it to dry up before you try to pull it off.

Clematis is always a favorite. They are relatively easy to grow Put them in a well drained, sunny site, plant ground cover or a small shrub at its feet as it wants its head in the sun and its feet in the shade.

Plant it deep, making sure that the two lowest pair of buds, (they are opposite each other) are below ground. Prune back at least half the top growth before you plant.

If your clematis blooms in mid to late summer, it is flowering on new growth and can be cut back to about a foot in early spring.

This ensures the whole plant blooms not just the top. If it blooms early in the spring, it’s blooming on last year’s growth and can be pruned lightly after blooming or just left alone.

If you enjoy watching hummingbirds, plant trumpet creeper. It can grow 12 to 15 feet a year and easily grow more than 30 feet. It’s a native and a sun lover, the vines get very heavy so plan on a very study trellis or other support.

The most commonly sold species is C. radicans, that has orange flowers. Other varieties have red, salmon or yellow flowers. They may take several years before they decide they like where you planted them and bloom.

Next week we will explore three other vines that will grow here. Forget wisteria. It is only half hardy in Minneapolis.

Bev Johnson is a master gardener for West Otter Tail County.