Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Perennial Container Climber Needed!




When I planted grapes and scarlet runner beans in containers below this arbor, I envisioned that by the end of the summer I'd have a spectcular green arch dripping with grapes and red flowers - maybe even mingling together! So this is a little bit of disappointment -- seeing that the vines didn't even get as far as touching each other. The grape harvest was, to say the least, short-lived.

The other objective of this project is to give some dimension and maybe even some privacy to the deck. You can't see it well in the photo but there is a wooden bench that joins the two planters.

The vine on the right side is in part shade.

And I'm thinking the grape vine may be happier somewhere else.

I'm kinda partial to growing edible plants on the deck(and love the look of the seed pods hanging down) but would give that up for something fast growing that flowers prolifically. So I'm thinking about clematis, morning glory, or trumpet vine (though I hear it attracts wasps, which don't scare me, but would seriously limit the time my kids spend out there.) Other recommendations welcome!


8 comments:

Bobby D. said...

Trumpet vines: I have 3. Never saw them attract a wasp, but they, like wisteria have strength and mind of their own. They don't do much the first year.

Virginia Creeper or Boston Ivy: Slow at first then they really take off. Takes a few years.

Hop Vines: fast and furious and you can use the hops, which are very cool looking. (hops are used in those herbal sleep pillows for one use) I can give you a cutting next spring--my hops are very established and healthy.

Bill Baffin is a climbing Canadian Explorer rose and if given manure /fish emulsion he can grow really tall fast. He's the biggest climber I've seen.

Honeysuckle and Morning glories are fast, but this year, with the heavier rains, my morning glories had a lot of yellow leaves. Still M.G.s are very tough and reliable.

beans: my beans never really performed . I bought exotic vines with inedible pods and such one year from a catalog (they were annuals and were a little disappointing.)

l

Priscilla George said...

I think the trumpet vine would work great. I don't know about the wasps. I have a corkscrew vine that grew so fast and it's in a container, I'm not sure if it is perennial though.

How about jasmine? That would smell wonderful and be a great memory for you kids. Morning Glories grow fast but are annual I think.

Do you have cross vines they are like trumpet vines I guess but they grow really well here in Texas and don't get killed so I'm not sure about your area.

Wisteria is a fast grower and would be beautiful but they need a strong support.

tut-tut said...

trumpet vine here attracts hummers and butterflies.

Think about fruit over your deck; birds will eat, fruit will drop, mess might ensue.

Joanne said...

I like the idea of the trumpet vines, to give a pretty bit of color to the vine, too. Butterflies and hummingbirds - an added bonus!

Dawn Gahan said...

Thank you so much for visiting my blog (by way of Joan Walsh Anglund!) and for the birthday wish. Yes, Gideon is rather lovable, isn't he?

I have both clematis and wisteria. The clematis needs a ton of water and tends to sport brown areas as sections die and other sections thrive. But when it blooms, it is a beauty.

My wisteria is huge and needs lots of pruning or it will take over everything. The flowers hang like big bunches of purple grapes.

Dawn

JGH said...

Thanks, ya'll, for the excellent suggestions! I may just risk a trumpet vine.

Ched, I'm very intrigued by both hops and Bill Baffin, if not for this spot, for a different place in the garden.

Vanillalotus, I also love the jasmine idea. The smell reminds me of Florida. I'll have to look around for cross vines, too.

Wisteria would be great! I wonder if my arbor is strong enought to support it, though.... it's kinda rickety. Then again, it might not be bad to have something to help support the arbor and wisteria seems pretty robust.

One of my favorite books, The Floatplane Notebooks by Clyde Edgerton, features an old wisteria vine as a character in the book. It's a "witness" to the family's epic story.

JGH said...

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions, ya'll! I think I may just risk a trumpet vine.

Ched, I'm also very intrigued by Hop Vines and Bill Baffin, if not for this, for other spots in the garden.

Vanillalotus, Jasmine would be nice and remind me of Florida. I'll have to keep an eye out for cross vines, too.

tut, you're right. I don't think I want too many birds around the deck! Hummingbirds would be ok.

Joanne - yes, you know the color is important the trumpet vines will add color. I don't mind hummingbirds or butterflies.

Dawn, I'm wondering if my arbor is strong enough to support wisteria. Then again, the wisteria might help to suppor the arbor!

In one of my favorite books, The Floatplane Notebooks, by Clyde Edgerton, a wisteria vine is featured as a character -- a "witness" to the family's epic saga...

Anonymous said...

How about kiwis? Your trellis would need to be pretty sturdy. I think you need two, a male and a female, so they could grow towards each other from opposite sides of the trellis. Never grown them myself but have always wished for the right space for them!