Using Vines to Decorate your Garden

A great way to decorate your garden is the use of vines. They are very low maintenance and look good on nearly 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 swift and aesthetically amusing 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.

Many different ground vines are available. These types grow fast and strong, and just inch their ways along the ground. They are very simple to direct, so they can make a border around your garden, or just weave in and out of the plants. I recommend using these as a hardy ground cover if you just want some green on your dirt or mulch. Usually you can find a variety that is resistant to being stepped on. It’s like a leafy, nice substitute to grass. Even if you have children and a dog, it should have no problems staying alive.

Another type of vine that is acquirable 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 recommend 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 primeval 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 structure of your house. This is usually reached through the use of vines with small tendrils that have adhesive tips. They extend from the vine and attach themselves to nearly any surface. If your garden is adjacent to your home and you want something to camouflage the huge hideous wall, it’s a great intent to begin out a few vines near the base. If you have a vine like the Virginia Creeper growing, then your entire surround 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 place it on. Even though it grows swift and strong, I wouldn’t recommend growing it up 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 capability to destroy buildings, in Ivy’s case.)