Get Gardening: Vines

Vines are a great addition to any landscape because they can bring a depth
and dimension to your garden that other ground plants can’t. Whether you
are trying to quickly fill in a section of landscaping, cover a less aesthetically
pleasing part of your home, create a shady gathering space in your yard, or
brighten up a patio, vines might be for you.

Similar to common landscape plants, vines can be broken into two
categories: annuals and perennials. Annual plants last only one season and
die off when colder temperatures hit while perennial plants come back year
after year. Annual vines are generally used in container gardens to brighten
up small spaces where you need some all season color. Planting annuals in a
container also allows you to bring them inside when colder temperatures hit
thereby extending their season. Perennial vines, which continue to grow over
their lifetime, are useful for creating more permanent landscaping features.
They climb up arbors, pergolas, and sides of structures creating shade and
interest. Also, there are quite a few varieties that produce edible fruits and
flowers. If you have a hole or uneven ground to cover, they can quickly and
beautifully cover these areas too.

If you have one of those Utah yards that gets relentless sun all summer long,
try a bougainvillea vine. These annual vines produce brightly colored hot
pink, orange and white flowers that create impact in any area. They are easy
to grow, love the heat and the sun, are drought tolerant, and will bloom all
season. Be careful when transplanting these beauties because they have a
sensitive root system that is connected to a taproot. If you break that root,
the whole vine could die. Once they are planted, use a bloom boosting time-
release fertilizer like Osmocote and you will be thrilled with the results.

If you are looking for a vine that offers color but will come back year after
year, a honeysuckle is a popular and fragrant variety that grows well here.
Honeysuckle vines come in many varieties with warm colored flowers. All
honeysuckle vines have a scent that can be intoxicating, especially on warm,
late spring evenings. Honeysuckles can be longer blooming than most
perennial vines and have attractive foliage the rest of the year. Honeysuckle
is a great vine with dense growing habits that make it ideal for covering less
aesthetically pleasing chain link fences or drab garden areas. It is also fast
growing, with stems that can reach 10 – 20 feet long. These plants are a
great alternative to annual flower vines.

Grapes are a great perennial vine that can be used in almost any situation.
They are great to grow on an arbor or a pergola, becoming almost part of the
structure over time while creating more shade for a gathering space in the
summer. Because they are deciduous and lose their leaves in the fall, they
will allow warming sunlight to pass through in the fall and winter. Try Himrod
Grape for a vigorous grower with dark green foliage that is well suited for
Utah. It produces clusters of crisp, greenish-white, seedless grapes that
make perfect raisins and delicious grape juice.