Posted on by tonytomeo

Vines Are Aggressive

Grapevines need to be tamed.

So many of the vines that we enjoy in our gardens might not be so appealing if we knew how they behave in the wild. Many of their characteristics that are often practical in garden situations are detrimental to neighboring plants in natural settings. If they can get away with it, vines can be just as brutal in our own gardens.

Creeping fig is perhaps the most brutally aggressive of vines. Like many other vines, it exploits trees for support. While it reaches the top of the trees, it wraps the tree trunks with a grafted network of stems that expands as it grows, literally strangling the trees that gave it support. By the time the supporting tree trunks decay, the creeping fig has developed its own self supporting trunk. Algerian and English ivies can do the same.

Fortunately, these vines rarely get such opportunities in garden situations. Nonetheless, they need to be kept out of trees that might otherwise get overwhelmed. Since they attach to the surfaces that they climb by aerial roots, they should not be allowed to climb onto painted surfaces, stucco, or anything else that they can damage.

Boston ivy supports itself by holdfast disks, which it leaves on everything that it gets a hold of. If the vines get removed to paint a wall, the disks remain. Like creeping fig and the ivies, Boston ivy, should therefore only be allowed to climb surfaces that are not likely to be damaged by its climbing techniques. Creeping fig and Boston ivy both happen to be quite practical for freeway infrastructure and sound-walls, but are difficult to accommodate in tame urban landscapes.       

Wisteria is another very aggressive vine that can overwhelm small trees and shrubbery, but lacks aerial roots. It instead climbs by twining stems, which are safer for painted surfaces, but can constrict and crush light trellises, wooden shingles, lattice or anything else that that wrap around. It is certainly worth growing, but needs adequate support.

Bougainvillea and climbing roses do not climb on their own, but instead produce ‘scrambling’ canes that shoot upward and then lean onto their surroundings for support. If grown as vines, they need to be fastened to their support. If not pruned back occasionally, they can get quite overgrown and shrubby. Most varieties that are popular now fortunately stay small and manageable.

Honeysuckle, potato vine, blue dawn flower, evergreen clematis, star jasmine and the various trumpet vines are more manageable, but are still moderately aggressive. Carolina Jessamine, lilac vine, mandevilla, and passion vine are among the more docile of vines, only outdone by the annual vines like annual morning glory and climbing nasturtium.   

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Every Species Of Vine Is Distinct

Bougainvillea does not cling to its support. It merely leans on it, or must be tied.

Harvesting grapes from a pear tree last summer reminded me why it is so important to control the grape vines this year. Without proper confinement to the fence below, the grape vines had climbed into and overwhelmed the pear tree above. My neighbor who witnessed the consequences of my lack of diligence in the garden, and helped me with the harvest, mentioned that the ‘grape tree’ was more productive than the vines had been when properly maintained during the previous year. I was embarrassed about my transgression nonetheless.

My colleague in Southern California has no problem grooming the many different kinds of vines that adorn arbors, trellises, walls, fences and railings in his garden. I certainly could not let him find out that I was vanquished by my single grapevine, which he refers to as ‘Dago wisteria’. I probably remind him of how important it is to control his vines more often than I am offended by racial slurs.

The trick is to select vines that are appropriate to each particular application. Vines for small, light trellises must be relatively complaisant, like lilac vine, pink jasmine, Carolina jessamine or clematis. Aggressive vines like wisteria, grape (the ‘other’ wisteria) and the larger trumpet vines need hefty trellises or arbors. Brambles and scrambling plants like bougainvillea and climbing roses do not actively climb, so need to be tied or ‘tucked’ into their supports.

Some of the seemingly innocent vines can actually become somewhat aggressive. Mandevillea, potato vine and star jasmine have wiry stems that seem harmless enough, but can eventually tear apart lattice or light trellises. Perennial morning glory and passion vine are potentially invasive. Trailing nasturtiums and annual morning glory really are as innocent as they look, so are nice small annual vines where space is limited. I prefer pole beans though.

Vines like Boston ivy, Virginia creeper and creeping fig that attach to their supports with roots or discs (modified tendrils) are too destructive for most applications in home gardens. They are fine on unpainted reinforced concrete buildings and concrete walls, such as the retaining walls and sound walls of freeways, but will ruin paint, siding, stucco and shingles. Unlike the other vines, these lack colorful bloom. Boston ivy and Virginia creeper produce remarkable fall color though, but then defoliate revealing bare stems through winter.

Algerian and the various English ivies are good ground cover plants that will become climbing foliar (without showy blooms) vines if they reach support. Unfortunately, they root into their support like creeping fig does, so have limited practicality. Honeysuckle is an aggressive vine that can also double as a ground cover.

Posted on by tonytomeo

Blood-Red Trumpet Vine

Blood red trumpet vine provides more lush foliage than bloom.

Abundant lush foliage is actually the main asset of blood-red trumpet vine, Distictis buccinatoria, with the sporadic clusters of three inch long tubular flowers blooming as an added benefit during warm weather. Bloom can certainly be impressive when least expected though; and has a sneaky way of getting a late blast of color out during Indian summer weather patterns, when the weather gets warm after a cool phase in autumn. Contrary to the name, the flowers are more ruddy orange with yellow throats than blood red. The rich green leaves are compound, with a pair of three inch long leaflets and a three fingered tendril reaching out from between.

The vines are somewhat aggressive and can climb more than twenty feet, so need adequate support. They should not be allowed to overwhelm smaller or slower plants, or escape out of reach into adjacent trees. The tendrils can grab onto and damage shingles and light fences, but are an advantage for covering chain link fences. Given the opportunity, blood-red trumpet vine can even climb rough cinder block or stucco walls.

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Vines Are Aggressive Social Climbers

English ivy can cling to anything.

Regardless of how appealing many of them are in home gardens and landscapes, vines are flagrantly exploitative. They rely on shrubbery, trees or anything they can climb on for support. As they reach the tops of their supports, they extend their foliar canopies above. Vines have no reservations about overwhelming and maybe killing their own supporters. 

Vines climb with clinging roots, twining stems, tendrils, twining leaves, or even thorns or spines. Some vines are annuals or perennials. The most aggressive or destructive sorts are woody plants. Some creep along the ground while young, and then climb when they find support. Some mature to support their own weight as they lose their original support. 

English ivy and Algerian ivy, in their juvenile forms, can be practical ground cover plants. However, when they encounter shrubbery, trees or buildings, they become clinging vines that can overwhelm their supports, and ruin infrastructure. As they mature, clinging vines evolve into shrubbier and obtrusively bulky adult growth that blooms and produces seed. 

Boston ivy, which incidentally is not actually ivy, is more practical as a clinging vine than the other ivies. It does not grow as ground cover anyway. Nor does it develop bulky adult growth. However, it also has limitations. Because it attaches to its supports with clinging tendrils, it is only practical for surfaces that it can not wreck, such as reinforced concrete.

Bougainvillea is a delightful and shrubby vine. It neither clings to surfaces nor grips onto support by twining. It simply generates long and vigorous canes that eventually lie down onto its surroundings. Long thorns help to anchor these canes in place. Canes should be satisfied with trellises, but sometimes mingle with shrubbery or trees, or spill over fences. 

Carolina jessamine, lilac vine and mandevilla climb with twining stems, but are relatively docile. Star jasmine, which performs well both as a ground cover plant and as a climbing vine, can crush flimsy lattice with its twining vines. Wisteria might crush substantial trellis beams. Passion flower climbs with wiry tendrils, but can be overwhelmingly voluminous.