Van Bourgondien

Vertical Gardening – Looking Up in the Garden

Clematis 'Florida Sieboldii' Gloriosa 'Rothschildiana' Double Flowering Clematis Artic Queen Gloriosa 'Lutea' Honeysuckle 'Serotina' Florida Clematis Collection Blue Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) Large Flowering Clematis 'Florida Pistachio' Climbing Hydrangea Hanging Begonia Collection Double Hanging Basket Begonia Pink Double Hanging Basket Begonia Yellow Oxalis Triangularis

Walking in a garden can be a sensual experience. The sight of flowers blooming is the first sense to be engaged. Then, perhaps a particular scent - rose, lilac, or citrus, for instance - sends you on a journey of remembrance that takes you back to childhood and makes you smile. Next is sound: the buzz of busy insects on a warm, sunny day, or perhaps the sigh of breezes playing among ornamental grasses. Touch is ignited with wooly or waxy textures that beg to be stroked or petted. Finally, there is taste: who could resist a sun-warmed ripe tomato on the vine or a strawberry at just its peak of flavor? In fact there is so much going on, it's almost impossible to take it all in at once.

Sometimes gardeners are so busy planting things in the ground, however, that we forget to look up to enjoy those sensory pleasures. The fact is, if you are always focused on what is blooming on the ground or even up to eye level, you may well be missing half the fun. Look up and expand your horizons! Plant some vines to tease your eyes, nose, ears, hands, and mouth upwards.

Whenever I visit a garden, whether it's public or I've been invited to see a private one, I always look closely to see what I can learn. (You're probably already aware that no matter how much you know, there's always more to learn about gardening – that's one of the many things that's so intriguing about it.) I'm always struck by the fresh, innovative ways to plant vines on trellises and arbors. They set a mood in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. A shady, vine covered walkway draws you in and makes you want to linger in the cool, green shadows, especially on hot days. A bench overhung by a flowering vine-covered arbor transforms what might have been an ordinary flowerbed into a reason for a romantic tryst. If the arbor contains a gate, it lures you through to see what treasures await on the other side. If you are lucky enough to have a borrowed view – a magnificent tree, a snow-covered mountain, a blue lake or serene river, etc. – there is nothing like an arbor to focus attention on the view. A trellis – or a series of trellises -- along a wall, can make a charming focal point out of what was once a blank slate. Amazing!

Even if you have acres and acres of planted gardens, there is bound to be at least one spot in which to place an arbor or a trellis to create a gateway between two different garden areas, frame a charming view or serve as a focal point along a wall or fence. Most gardeners today are dealing not with acres, but with patio or terrace gardens or other small-space gardens. For these gardeners, in particular, vertical accents are essential. When you begin to think vertically, it's amazing how creative you can become.

Take the common trellis, for instance. Visit any nursery or garden center and you will find metal, wood and weather-resistant plastic models in various shapes and sizes. They come in many different styles from romantic, Victorian types to clean geometric modern ones. A trellis can turn a blank wall into a dramatic focal point and can do the same for a fence. A few years ago, I suggested using free-standing ones to help create a living fence along property lines in parts of our neighborhood (good fences make good neighbors, don't you know?). The idea was successful because it was much cheaper and more beautiful than installing actual fencing. Take a look around your own property. You can probably see several areas that could be transformed with the use of a trellis.

If you are handy, or can get other family members involved, it can be fun to build a trellis of your own design. It need not be elaborate and can be made to any size that you need. Materials might be selected at a lumber yard or home store: you'd need lumber sawed to order (or do it yourself), nails, possibly other hardware and tools. Plans can be found in books, magazines or on-line. If you want something more rustic looking, use flexible willow or other branches tied together with grapevines to make your own unique creation.

A wooden trellis that will be going into the ground will not last very long if it is made of untreated wood. Be very careful in sawing or handling treated wood, if you opt for that, because of possible health risks. Research risks carefully if you have small children and pets that will be “helping” in the garden or if you intend to train food crops such as pole beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, or other edible fruits or vegetables on your trellis.

Smaller trellises can also be used in containers. One of my favorite summer flowering vines is the tropical mandevilla, with its gorgeous pink blossoms. I grow it in a pot on a 3-feet tall by 2 feet wide trellis and when summer is over, I move it pot and all into the house for the winter. Clematis, honeysuckle, morning glory, moon flower, black-eyed Susan vine, cardinal climber, passion flower and many others can be trained on similar trellises in containers, and the so-called “patio” tomatoes and other dwarf vegetables can also be grown on trellises in containers. A sunny spot on the patio or terrace is all they need – along with regular watering and fertilization.

But using a purchased or homemade trellis, as beautiful as they are, isn't the only way to garden vertically. Nothing is more romantic than an arbor that frames a view or leads from one part of the garden to another. An arbor can stand alone, contain a gate, or shade a garden bench. A longer structure can shade the length of a section of walkway. They can be made of almost any structural material and in any style from rustic to romantic to modern. There are also free-standing rose towers or “tuteurs” that may originally have been only used for roses, but can certainly be used to support any small-to-middle-sized decorative vine. Used as accents in a garden bed, on either side of a pathway, near a window or door, or in a uniquely creative way in your own garden, they are perfect for setting a mood. The styles available are almost unlimited, in fact the only limiting factor is your budget.

If you have a fence, whether brick, masonry, wood or plastic, you can grow a vine directly on it. It depends on the vine, of course. Some must be tied to the support, others twine around it and others actually have “hold fasts”, like suction cups. The hold fasts enable the vine to climb very successfully on rough surfaces such as brick and masonry. The easiest way to help the twiners along is to install hardware “eyes” into the fence or wall and attach heavy-gauge fishing line in a latticework pattern. Those that must be tied on can be lashed directly to an open fence.

Examples of twiners include clematis, morning glory, honeysuckle, wisteria and Virginia creeper. English and Boston ivy both have “hold fasts” and climbing and rambling roses need to be tied to supports.

Heavy vines such as wisteria, climbing hydrangea, English and Boston ivy, and trumpet flower vine need very strong supports and must be checked often when grown against a wall or fence to make sure there is enough air circulation to prevent trapped moisture. Be aware that English ivy, trumpet flower and wisteria can be quite invasive in some areas of the United States and should be planted with caution. Check with your local Cooperative Extension agent for guidelines.

Any vine can be grown on an arbor. You just have to follow good gardening methods and make sure you are planting sun-lovers next to an arbor in a sunny area and shade-lovers if it is in shade. Always read the tag that comes with the plant; besides the botanical name and color, it should give you basic information about its growth habit, hardiness, whether it needs sun or shade, moisture and fertilizer requirements, and any special planting instructions. Plant the vines after the arbor or trellis has been installed, tilting the plants slightly toward the support before firming the soil around the root balls. As soon as the vines are tall enough, help them attach themselves to the support. If they are large enough to reach the support right away, use your fingers to help them twine on or tie them to the support. Feed and water as necessary.

When tying a vine to a support, be careful not to crush the vine's stem at the point of attachment. Use soft ties on young, very fragile vines and leave room for growth (i.e., don't tie it too tight). A good use for old pantyhose is to cut them up for plant ties; they are strong, yet soft and flexible. Larger, heavier vines can be tied with twine, again leaving room for growth of the stems. There are many different lashing techniques; consult a garden primer or an experienced gardener (such as a Cooperative Extension trained Master Gardener) for advice.

Don't forget about hanging baskets. Begonias and a multitude of other flowering plants look fabulous in decorative pots or baskets suspended above a porch or deck railing. A favorite trick of mine is to use one or more tall shepherds hooks to hang baskets full of trailing flowers in a part of my garden that needs a color boost. They are easily moved or changed as necessary, depending on what is blooming (or not) in the garden beds. Hanging baskets can decorate walls, fences, gates, and arbors too. Then there are window boxes and boxes specially made to sit on porch or deck rails. Like in any pot, you must use sun or shade plants to suit individual situations. There is almost no end to the beauty you can add with hanging baskets, window boxes and rail boxes.

And, of course, beauty is what we want. Whether through trellises, rose towers, arbors or hanging baskets, beauty is all around you. Just look up!