Vines in the Garden
Using vines in your garden and landscape design can add an extra layer of color and depth along with stretching your dollars in the plantings. Vines are used by Landscape Architects, gardeners and homeowners for a variety of purposes from providing colorful blooms covering and unattractive wall, climbing a trellis and establishing an effective screening or backdrop. Here is a list of our favorite vines for the Dallas-Fort Worth area gardens.
Fig Ivy (Ficus pumila)
Also known as Creeping Fig, Fig Ivy is a great choice to use for a surface that you are needing to fully cover. It's dense growth habit and small leaf size help it create a thick coverage on any surface. It's creeping nature and ability to grow best in shady conditions, help make it a good choice to use for covering older walls surfaces that may not be an ideal color. It does attach itself via tendrils to the surface it grows on and removal can be difficult due to the remnants that the tendrils leave on the wall surface.
Why We Like It: Evergreen, dense climber, good for shady areas, can be trimmed to a clean edge.
Pro Tip: Make sure you don't expose this to full, afternoon sun. It can be delicate to both extreme heats and deep winter temperature drops.
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
This evergreen vine is a great selection to help improve the look of any fence or wall. Crossvine is fast growing vine for Texas, popular for it's heavy burst of trumpet shaped blooms that range from orange, red to yellow. Crossvine is a fast growing, hardy and durable vine that works great as a trailing vine over walls and on a fence or trellis with a little help for it to climb.
Why We Like It: Evergreen, profuse, colorful blooms, good climber, durable, good for screening fences.
Pro Tip: Keep it in the sun for the best blooming potential. One of the best climbing vines for fences and a fast growing vine for Texas.
English Ivy (Hedera helix)
A classic, versatile, evergreen vine that is one of the best shade growing vines and can be used in a variety of applications including as a climbing vine, trailing vines over walls and from pottery and as a spreading groundcover. It has a deep evergreen leaf color and it's woody stems have a twining and twisting growth habit that allow it to form a nice groundcover or surface trailing over a wall.
Why We Like It: Evergreen, great for trailing over walls and from planters, ground cover in shady areas, works good to cover tought to plant areas around tree roots.
Pro Tip: Can be invasive if left unattended over time. Just keep an eye on it and you will be fine.
Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)
Very similar in look and growth to it's cousing, Confederate Jasmine, Star Jasmine is a popular vine for both its climbing ability and it's soft white and very fragrant blooms. Most often used to grow on a fence or a trellis to provide it additional support for climbing. The combination of the evergreen leaves and the delicate and fragrant blooms will certainly make a great addition to your garden.
Why We Like It: Incredibly fragrant blooms, evergreen, works great for climbing a wire pattern on a fence or wall.
Pro Tip: If you are looking for a vine to grow in a pattern on a wall, this is your winner.
Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
Wisteria is a well known and woody stemmed vine that is best know for it's climbing ability and spectacular purple purple blooms in the spring. A voracious climber, it only needs a little vertical climbing support to get started and can then take off if over a fence, arbor or roof if not property trained and maintained. It's best use is as a climber over a pergola or arbor with thick enough members to handle the growth.
Why We Like It: Beautiful, purple blooms in the spring, good for adding shade over an arbor
Pro Tip: Be carful where you plant this to make sure there is a sturdy structure for it to climb. There is also a white variety available. Best vine for
Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
A deciduous climbing vine that provide a brilliant wall of color in the fall. Boston Ivy has a classical look to it and does well growing on houses and walls to provide that 'old world' look. Can also be used for erosion control, but does it's best work climbing masonry walls.
Why We Like It: Great climber, terrific fall colors ranging from bright red, orange and purple.
Pro Tip: Keep it in an area where it will get a good amount of sun. Too much shade and it won't shine.
Pyracantha (Pyracantha spp.)
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
A terrific, deciduous climbing vine with 5 leaves that can also provide a red leaf color in the fall. Similar in growth habit to Boston Ivy, it can also grow to exceptional heights in the right environment. Often confused with Poison Ivy with a similar leaf look, but has 5 leaves instead of 3 leaves like Poison Ivy.
Why We Like It: Great climber, good fall color.
Pro Tip: Will need a little pruning to stay in bounds.
Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
Large, expansive, deciduous vines with bright orange, red and yellow blooms in the summer. Blooms are in a trumpet shape similar to Crossvine. Woody stems can train well on an arbor, trellis or fence.
Why We Like It: Great climber, terrific fall colors ranging from bright red, orange and purple.
Pro Tip: Keep it in an area where it will get a good amount of sun. Too much shade and it won't shine.
Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
A semi-evergreen vine that is a great climber and produces a flurry of fragrant and bright yellow blooms in spring. Works best on fences and trellises.
Why We Like It: Attractive yellow blooms, fragrant blooms, good climber for trellis and espalier.
Pro tip: Does best with cabling or trellis to help climb.
Elaeagnus (Eleagnus pungens)
A espalier version of the durable, hardy shrub Elaeagnus that makes a great evergreen treatment for walls and fences. It will require support for climbing vigorous climber and a little training over time to stay in bounds. Best supports are typically wired patterns or a hogwire metal grid tacked to the fence or wall.
Why We Like It: Evergreen, hardy, works in shaded areas.
Pro Tip: Hogwire metal grid is a nice, architectural method to train the Elaeagnus.
Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksiae)
A vigorous climber and spectacular spring blooming vine that provide a profuse wall of miniature, bright yellow rose blooms. These rose has rich green foliage and a bonus of having thornless branching, which makes it a very popular candidate for training on a trellis or arbor. brilliant wall of color in the fall. Can also be semi-evergreen in Dallas, depending on the winters.
Why We Like It: Spectacular, dense blooms, great climber.
Pro Tip: Keep it in full sun to take advantage of the profuse spring blooms.
Best Vines for Colorful Blooms
Wisteria, Crossvine, Lady Banks Rose, Carolina Jessamine, Trumpet Vine, Coral Honeysuckle
Best Climbing Vines
- Star Jasmine, Wisteria, Fig Ivy, Boston Ivy, Coral
Best Evergreen Vines
- Fig Ivy, Star Jasmine, Crossvine, Espalier Elaeagnus, Pyracantha