Running out of garden space for all your spring planting ideas? What about vertical garden plants? One of my favorites is Clematis with its different bloom times and many colors. By selecting different bloom times, and growing two or more entwined together, you can get double duty out of your trellis.
They can take time to get going, so I suggest starting with least a half-gallon to one-gallon size plant. There used to be a poem about their growth: “The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, and the third year they leap.”
Clematis like cool feet, so planting perennials at their base is a good idea to keep them shaded. Don’t try this with annuals, as you don’t want to be digging into the clematis root system every year to re-plant.
Often times when vine plants are small, you may need to secure twine from the trellis to the plant to get it started. Bamboo sticks or small branches can be used as well to guide them to the trellis.
Another favorite of mine, though aggressive, is bittersweet, with its beautiful orange seed pods. Plants are not overly attractive in the summer, and they can reach 25 feet when mature. Be sure you have a very sturdy structure to support the mature weight and size. They will also invade your shingles if too close to your house, so beware!
Bittersweet plants are dioecious, meaning they are either male or female plants. The trick is, you need to get one of each to have pods produced. If you purchase them from a catalog, the catalog will state they are sending one of each. One male plant can produce enough pollen for 4-6 female plants. Hardy Kiwi plants are also dioecious, and you need for one male for every eight female plants.
Climbing honeysuckle can also be attractive in the spring. If you are going to get aphids, that is where they will be. They love it! Honeysuckle seems to a favorite vine for small birds to nest in and for hummingbirds to feast on. Engleman Ivy is one of my favorites for a nice green vine with beautiful red/orange fall color. This ivy stays fairly flat, unlike clematis that can get bulky on top of the plant. Ivy is typically what you will see grown on a building or house that has a rough texture.
I love climbing Wisterias, but very few are hardy here long term, so always make sure they are for zone 4 or 3. I had the Wisteria variety Aunt Dee survive three winters, but not the tornado of ‘06. Climbing Hydrangea only lasted a year for me – but I think it was a poor location. How could I expect them to survive at the base of a mature oak that is sucking up all of the soil moisture.
Several of my vines are aka Ampelopsis, “Porcelain Vine.” Porcelain vine has a mottled/variegated foliage of green and white, with very cool looking blue and purple berries. The tiny leaves resemble the shape of sugar maple leaves. These plants are sometimes referred to as aggressive and self-seeding. I would now agree with the self-seeding as baby plants pop up frequently in the perennial beds. Interesting that I grew them here about 10 years before I started noticing them.
Unlike bittersweet, Porcelain vine can get cut back to the crown every fall so it is easier to manage. Another vine to cut back to the ground are your wild ivy plants like Virginia Creeper. You often see them scrambling up trees and telephone poles. Very easy to identify in the fall with their vibrant red color. Cut them at the ground level any time of year before they take over, and repeat as necessary.
In the photo, there are a number of different vines all growing together. No one wanted to stay of their own post. You can see how the upper vines are stretching out to find a surface to cling to. They are nearly 4 feet horizontal in mid-air searching. Let this be your guide for not planting to close to where this could cause damage. This pic is about 2 years old and they have since been cut way back.
And of course, vegetable vines can be grown vertical as well on trellises or fencing. Pole beans, peas, cucumbers, melons and squashes. My tomato plants were grown against and secured to hog panels last year. Hog or cattle panels are a sold in long sections at farm stores and can be set against and secured to posts. Panels can be easily cut to size with a grinder. So much better then messing around with wimpy chicken wire or tomato cages that always tip over.
Heavy fruits grown vertically may need supports as they grow. A five-pound melon or a ten-pound squash can’t be supported by a simple stem all summer. Finally, a use for your unmatched socks! Cut them lengthwise and make a sling. A simple sling can be made out of most any type of cloth, like an old bed sheet or even bird netting.
Against my better judgment, I am starting some transplants from seed again! I just can’t help myself. However, it is too early for tomatoes, peppers or zinnias etc. Wait my friend! Warm weather this week can fool us into thinking winter is over, but it’s not.