VINES I LIKE - BY GLADYS JEURINK

          Many people do not like a chain link fence for various reasons.  I do like it because (1) it uses up very little space; (2) it is less expensive than some other fencings; (3) it is not as wide or dense as a hedge; (4) it is made so that practically any vine can climb up it; (5) you don’t have to trim it periodically; (6) you can change plants very easily when you want to try something new; and (7) it never needs painting. I have listed below some of the vines I like that will grow on a chain link fence.

           Sweet Autumn Clematis is probably the easiest vine to grow in Lincoln. It will grow in partial shade, and it loves full sun, and also can be a ground cover.  One of the latest to bloom (last of August to the first of September) it looks good when the majority of my yard is getting tired.  One vine will cover an area four feet wide and six feet tall and then crawl along the top of the fence.  This plant usually blooms even its first year, and by the second, all that space turns white and smells wonderful.  It does not demand a lot of water or fertilizer, and it is not picky about soil.  All those flowers produce seeds that start new plants.  I have probably given away over 100 plants.  After the first hard frost I clip it loose from the fence, roll it into a ball and send it to the city compost.  I have a 9 horsepower chipper but those branches tangle up the blades. Lincoln compost has a big round tub grinder that can handle such things.

          An annual vine that I started from seed many years ago and reappears every year in various places is the Hyacinth Bean (Dalichos loblob).  It does not come up until after the soil warms up to at least 50 degrees F., and then climbs a fence rapidly with purple stems, pale lavender flowers and brilliant magenta pods.  Since it grows where the seed falls, it is competing with a blue morning glory in my yard.  The Hyacinth Bean is a perennial in zones 9 and 10 but can cover 30 feet as an annual in Lincoln.  It does not like to be transplanted so if you start your own seeds, I would do it in a 3 inch peat pot and put pot and all in the soil before the roots escape. 

          Trumpet vines are perennial and will take over your yard for 10 to 20 feet around the original by way of root runners.  Be careful with this one as it is extremely vigorous and hard to remove.  But come late summer, it will turn bright orange with 2 inch to 3 inch long funnels or trumpets.  If you want hummingbirds, this is the plant to have.  Trumpet vines are heavy and will pull down an ordinary trellis. If you can isolate them on a strong support with nothing growing underneath, you can chop out runners.  Directions say full sun, but Sheila Hines has one in partial shade that was “lousy” with hummingbirds when I was there.  She also puts out a hummingbird feeder, but they go to the vine first with its thick mantle of leaves.  The original stem on hers is about 3 inches in diameter.

          The Moonflower (Ipomea alba) is a fun seed to start. It likes warm soil so you may want to start it in a peat pot inside.  Try not to disturb the roots when you move it outside. They can be planted directly outside but will not bloom as soon.  The stem is prickly and can climb 40 feet in one season.  I started one on a chain link fence under a crab apple tree.  After getting to the top of the fence it grabbed on to a low limb on the crab apple tree and before fall had big, white blooms above the top of the tree.  If you can get your nose up there, the blooms are very fragrant.  Where the stem can’t reach above the fence it will crawl along the top of the fence for its allotted 40 feet.  They are big eaters, so give Moonflowers a balanced fertilizer every month. 

          The annual Morning Glory (Ipomoea tricolor or Ipomoea purpurea) belongs to the same genus as the Moonflowers.  The flowers are the same shape but only 1/4^th as big.  They are heavy seeders so you should have them many years if you have planted them once.  They only grow about 20 feet in one summer but bloom much heavier than the Moonflower and come in many colors.  The vines like full sun but will grow in some shade but they won’t flower as well.  Most of them bloom only in the morning but in the last few years a few varieties have been developed to bloom all day.  The seeds will start faster if you soak them in warm water overnight.  The entire Ipomoea family does not like to be transplanted.

          Clematis is probably the most popular vine as they are perennials with large showy flowers.  Some Clemantis bloom on old wood and some on new so you need to find out which type you have or which type it is when you buy one, in order to know when to prune.  The Clemantis I have bloom on new wood so every fall I cut them to a few inches from the ground or the blooms would be above my head on the new wood.  Their roots are shallow, so in the summer time you need mulch or a low growing plant over the roots, in order to keep the roots cool.

          There are many other vines that can be a wonderful addition to a garden and you might want to try. But we will need to talk about them later.

Dec.8, 2005