Fast-growing vines offer a lot of bang for your buck

Trees offer the best value in the long run, but vines are winners in the short term. Climbing plants are plants that will bring you the most green and the most flowers in no time for little money. Grapevines do not provide long-term tree property enhancement, but they are a good investment and should be part of most landscapes.

One of my favorite vines is the sweet autumn clematis, which is bare in winter but grows back quickly in spring and produces lots of small, fragrant white flowers in late summer. It can grow out of hand a little but is easy to prune. Its botanical name is Clematis terniflora, but it is also sold as C. maximowicziana, C. paniculata, and C. dioscoreifolia, although C. paniculata is technically a separate species native to New Zealand. The more colorful varieties of clematis are quite pretty, but not that easy to grow.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), also known as Iron Cross Vine, is a native evergreen plant with yellow and red trumpet-shaped spring flowers. It’s much less aggressive than its similar-looking cousin, Campsis radicans (Trumpet Creeper), which I wouldn’t recommend planting. It’s very invasive and difficult to remove.

Coral honeysuckle is an evergreen, summer green with red flowers that hummingbirds love.(Howard Garrett / special article)

Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is an evergreen, summer green with red flowers that hummingbirds love. Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) is another red-flowering vine with delicate foliage.

Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is a pretty evergreen with yellow spring flowers. This plant is poisonous when eaten – so don’t do that and teach the children these and other dangerous plants. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) is a fast growing, deciduous vine with spectacular large flowers. It has edible fruits and leaves, and its ornate flowers can be used in sleeping tea.

Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) is a variegated annual vine that is grown from seeds. Luffa, or loofah (Luffa acutangula) is another annual vine grown from seed that produces a slew of edible flowers that precede the distinctive pumpkins, which are also edible when harvested young.

Fig ivy (Ficus pumila) is an evergreen climber that climbs on vertical surfaces without supports, as most vines have yet to start. It can suffer frost damage in severe winters, but usually breaks up again in the spring. Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) is also a deciduous climber with a pretty red fall color. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) – also called Victoria creeper, five-leaf ivy, or five-fingered ivy – is a beautiful vine for the most part, but it can suffer cosmetic insect damage and become a little too aggressive.

Vines can be planted from 1, 3, or 5 gallon containers, and they grow quickly and look great in a short amount of time. They can offer quick shade, vertical softening, and / or colorful floral arrangements.

Next week we will be reviewing the vines that need treatment as invasive weeds. This list includes honeysuckle, Carolina snail seeds, poison ivy, smilax, and bindweed, among others. The full list of vines on Dirtdoctor.com can be found at Dirtdoctor.com/garden/Vines_vq12438.htm.

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