Vines can provide fragrant privacy for your yard

By Bev Johnson | The Daily Journal

Published Saturday, July 21, 2007

Dutchman's pipe is hardy to zone 4 so if you plant it, give it good winter protection. It is a shade-tolerant, slow-growing vine. It twists around the supports to grow to about 25 feet. The leaves are large and heart shaped.

Hidden in the foliage are flowers that look like a curved pipe. This strange flower lures insects with its strong scent.

When the bug creeps into the flower, it briefly traps them. When they are well-coated with pollen, the plant lets the insect go.

Golden hops dies to the ground each winter but pops right back in the spring. It will grow to 20 to 30 feet each season. The leaves are a golden/chartruese that fades to green in later summer. The flowers are inconspicous but are followed by hop cones that can be used to flavor beer if you are a brewer. The bright yellow cones can also be used for decoration. This vine will twine around anything it can reach, so don't stand still too long near it.

Bittersweet is also a twining vine. It has two sexes so you will need to get at least two vines to get the bright orange fall fruit.

Be aware that there is an invasive bittersweet, Chinese bittersweet. It’s Latin name is C. Orbiculatus. Do not buy this variety.

Honeysuckle also has an invasive variety. Lonicera japonica is pretty, fragrant and destructivley invasive. Instead get a Manitoba cultivar called Dropmore Scarlet.

She is a more restrained vine only growing to 10 feet. She has clusters of 2- to 3-inch tubular flowers, red in bud and pink when open with a yellow throat. Mandarin, another variety has orange flowers.

As you could guess, the hummingbirds will flock to these vines.

Honeysuckle is a twiner and likes full sun although it will tolerate light shade. She is very hardy here.

Our last vine is Porcelain Berry. This is a cousin of the grapes. In the fall it will have clusters of edible, but not good tasting, multi-colored berries. They start out green then are turquoise, pink, purple and black. It climbs like it’s cousin with tendrils.

However, unlike the grape, it will die back each winter. Once it is well-established, it can grow more than 8 feet a season.

Another variety, Elegans, has cream and green veriegated leaves. Most of our local nurseries will have one or more of these vines. Now you can block out that nosy neighbor and add beauty to your yard at the same time.

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