GARDEN CAPSULE JAN RIGGENBACH
The challenge: You’ve tried to grow vines on a trellis, but they always grow right through the trellis and stick to the house siding instead.
The solution: To cover a trellis, avoid clinging vines, such as ivy, trumpet vine, Virginia creeper and climbing hydrangea. These vines can’t climb a trellis; they have aerial roots, or holdfasts, which adhere to a flat surface such as a wall or tree trunk. For a trellis, you need to select either a twining vine such as honeysuckle or wisteria, or a clasping vine like clematis or perennial pea.
Pluses: There’s a wide choice of hardy perennial vines ideal for growing on trellises, including those listed above plus American bittersweet, Dutchman’s pipe, five-leaf akebia and silver lace vine. For summer long blooms, you can also choose annuals such as morning glory, purple hyacinth bean, sweet pea, cardinal climber or black-eyed Susan vine. Climbing roses also work on a trellis, provided you tie their long canes to the structure.
Minuses: Once a clinging vine attaches to the siding or other flat surface, it’s hard to remove all the aerial roots. Choices are limited in the shade because most shade-tolerant vines are clinging vines that can’t climb a trellis.
Sources: Various perennial vines and seeds for annual vines are widely available at retail garden centers. For an illustrated explanation of how different kinds of vines climb and a description of some hardy vines, go to extension.missouri .edu/p/G6840.