Vines add versatility to any landscape. They can be used to break the bareness of long walls, soften posts, frame doors and windows, and beautify window boxes. With a fence or trellis, they can be used for screens, making a background for your flower garden or quickly turning an ordinary porch or patio into a private, shady living center. Some slower growing vines are useful as container
plants for patios.

Vines are characterized as three types based on how they cling to a support. The kind of support needed
depends on whether the vine clings by twining stems, or by specialized structures such as tendrils, adhesive disks, and aerial roots.

Annual vines are those which must be sown from seed every year. Relatively inexpensive, most types bloom or have attractive foliage all summer. You can change the planting each year to vary the color and foliage characteristics Perennial vines usually are best started similarly to other woody ornamental trees and shrubs. Set 8 to 12 inches from the desired support. Follow basic planting instructions for ornamental plants (see HO-100 for more information). Dig the hole 6 inches deeper and 12 inches wider than the root spread of the vine. Add soil and set the plant at the original soil level. Use a planting mixture of 2 parts soil to 1 part peat moss. Settle by watering, and mulch with a 2-inch layer of peat moss or bark chips. Fertilize perennial vines sparingly in the late fall or early spring. Use 1/4 cup of a general analysis fertilizer such as 12-12-12 or 16-8-8 per plant. Be sure to water it in thoroughly.