A great way to decorate your garden is the use of vines. They are very low maintenance and look good on almost anything. If you’ve got a fence or separator that really stands out in the field of green that is your garden, then growing a vine over it can be a quick and aesthetically pleasing solution. However, there are many types of vines for different situations, whether you are trying to grow it up the side of a house, along the ground, or up a tree.
Usually you can find a variety that is
resistant to being stepped on. It’s like a leafy, nice alternative to grass.
Even if you have kids and a dog, it should have no problems staying alive.
Another type of vine that is available is a “twining” vine.
This refers to their
method of climbing. Twining vines require a lattice or
equally porous surface to climb up, since they are not sticky at all. They just
climb by sending out small tendrils to loop around whatever is nearby. I
suggest using this type of vine for climbing up trees, or any type of mesh.
Usually you have to guide them a lot more during their early stages, and after
that they will go wherever you want them to.
Vines not only look good on the ground or on lattices, you
can blend them in to the very architecture of your house. This is usually
achieved through the use of vines with small tendrils that have adhesive tips.
They extend from the vine and attach themselves to almost any surface. If your
garden is adjacent to your house and you want something to camouflage the big
unsightly wall, it’s a great idea to start out a few vines near the base.
If you have a vine like the Virginia Creeper growing, then your entire wall will be covered in a matter of months. However I have seen situations where the vine got out of control. After that, you have no choice but to watch the vine take over your entire house.
One of the vines that you would probably recognize is Ivy.
You see it around a lot, generally because it is so adaptable. Out of the types
I mentioned above (ground, twining, and sticky pads), Ivy can fill in for
pretty much anything.
It makes a great ground cover, and will grow up about any surface you put it on. Although it grows quick and strong, I wouldn’t suggest growing it up and around your house. This is because recently, buildings which have had ivy for many years have found that it has been deteriorating the building.
It makes a great ground cover, and will grow up about any surface you put it on. Although it grows quick and strong, I wouldn’t suggest growing it up and around your house. This is because recently, buildings which have had ivy for many years have found that it has been deteriorating the building.
So no matter what you want to do with a vine, you should
have no problem getting it to grow.
You should always do your research beforehand and find out about any negative qualities the vine has (such as its ability to destroy buildings, in Ivy’s case.)
*Some of the photos used are courtesy of the website Pixabay.
You should always do your research beforehand and find out about any negative qualities the vine has (such as its ability to destroy buildings, in Ivy’s case.)
*Some of the photos used are courtesy of the website Pixabay.
