Arbors and trellises make wonderful additions to most garden settings. To complete the beauty of your garden architecture, you may want to let nature inspire you further. A practical and popular way to beautify your garden is by filling out arbors and trellises with climbing vines.
The large array of climbing vines available for your arbors and trellises means that the right one for you and your garden is out there somewhere.
Benefits of planting climbing vines
Basically, climbing vines are classified as any plant that needs external support to continue growing. For instance, while it is helpful to brace small trees and other vulnerable plants in the early stages of their life-cycle, it is not necessary to stabilize them once they’ve reached a certain size. A plant such as a grapevine, on the other hand, must have a brace or support such as a trellis to reach a sustainable and mature size.
While climbing vines can sometimes become a nuisance if they take over an unwanted area, they can, if maintained properly, also be used to create lush areas of shade. Also, many climbing vines produce beautiful flowers and exquisite scents which, when grown on a simple arched arbor, can create an enchanting entryway into your garden. Bench arbors, when covered in flowering climbing vines, are the perfect oasis on a beautiful summer day.
Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash
Choose the right climbing vines
Some basic precautions should be considered when buying climbing vines for your garden, arbors, or trellis. Your goal is to control climbing vines so that they accent, not overtake, your garden trellis or other décor. Spend some time researching plants that interest you and talking with the people at your local nursery to learn how to care for and maintain climbing vines properly. Selecting climbing vines that grow at a relatively slow pace may help you to keep it under control.
Climbing vines use different means of securing themselves to arbors so you will also want to determine what type of climbing vines work best for your arbor or trellis. Some climbing vines will wrap their entire stem around nearby support, while others will use aerial roots, thorns, or tendrils. Determining how climbing vines grow will help you to choose one that will most easily thrive on your arbors or trellises.
Another suggestion is to find out what climbing vines are native to your area – not only to preserve a local flavor, but also to protect these species from invasive and potentially destructive plants. The National Park Service keeps a list of plants and climbing vines that should be avoided or carefully controlled here. While it is highly unlikely that any climbing vines you purchase from a national nursery or garden store would cause a problem, this is nonetheless something to be aware of.
Rapid results
Many varieties of climbing vines grow fast enough that you won’t have to wait long to enjoy their beauty on your arbor or trellis. Information on the growth rates of some common climbing vines can be found here. The link also includes basic information on flowering characteristics, preferred soil conditions, and care of climbing vines.
Adorning your garden arbor or trellis with climbing vines should not be a difficult task, as vines are very durable and grow quickly. It is part of climbing vines’ nature to extend themselves and to seek sunlight by climbing toward it, turning their leaves to the sky and reaching their tendrils upward while wrapping around a nearby supporting structure.
A rewarding garden addition
For an absolutely charming effect, climbing vines are the perfect accent for garden arbors or a trellis. While some people shy away from decorating their landscaping with climbing vines because of the vines’ unpredictable nature, but most gardeners would agree that the splash of natural artwork climbing vines can provide is worth a little effort.
