Vines for all Purposes

Clematis

• Requires the support of a trellis which it will twine happily.
• Requires a minimum of 6 hours direct sunlight to promote good flowering.
• Prefers rich, well-drained soil that can be created by adding manure or compost to Parkwood® 3 in 1 in the planting hole. Clematis thrives in alkaline soil to which lime has been added at the time of planting and thereafter each spring.
• Has a preference for cool, shaded roots. This won’t happen naturally when they’re planted to receive 6 hours of sun. You can provide shade with gravel or mulch or you can plant, at the same time, a low to medium-sized perennial.
• When you’re ready to plant, handle your young Clematis carefully. They’re very fragile and break easily so do not rush the job.
• You’ll enjoy flowers the first year in colours from pure white to lavender blue, through every shade of pink and purple. Some flowers, like Nelly Moser, are striped. Flowers can be single or double. For added impact, plant 2 different coloured Clematis together, like dark purple Jackmanii and white Henryi.

Climbing Roses

• These are very showy performers with masses of flowers on long vigorous canes. Choose your favourite colour and check to see if it’s fragrant as well.

Wisteria

• Flowers in late May.
• Grows stems that become the size of small tree trunks, ensure your support for it is strong enough.
• The long, fragrant, panicle flowers hang straight down and are best viewed over a pergola, a large arbour, or along a roof line or porch.
• To encourage blooming, cut back at least half of the Wisteria’s summer green growth, thus re-directing energy to form spurs from which the flowers will emerge the next year.
• It may take several years before they flower for the first time.

Trumpet Vine

• Flowers in June/July.
• Sometimes requires up to 3 years before you see its orangey-red, trumpet shaped flowers.
• A fast grower and will cover your fence or shed as desired.

Silver Lace Vine

• Flowers in August.
• Grows quickly with impressive blooms.
• Similar to Roses, they prefer lots of sun.
   

Boston Ivy and Virginia Creeper

• Non-flowering vines that grow quickly.
• Both are both adaptable to full sun or shade but when planted in full sun, turn the most brilliant red in autumn.
• Most frequently used to cover a fence, the wall of a house, or as a ground cover to stabilize a slope where erosion is a problem.
   

American Bittersweet and Firethorn

• Produces bright orange berries in the fall.
• Bittersweet is unusual because it requires a male and a female plant to cross-pollinate so the female will produce her berries.
• Plant your American Bittersweet away from trees or shrubs as it has the habit, in the wild, of leaping onto them and smothering them.
   

This group is very significant because it provides year-round interest in the garden.

Sarcoxie Euonymus

• Utterly dependable in sun or shade.
• Grows strong, woody stems that keep it up-right without a visible means of support.

Wintercreeper

• Needs a trellis or fence to climb as it is not self-supporting.
• Unique because it turns from green to a rich mahogany red in fall so the winter colour is different from the other 3 seasons.

English Ivy

• Distinctive for its dark green, pointed foliage and looks even better when combined with the variegated leaves of Emerald Gaiety Euonymus.
• Plant English Ivy away from prevailing winds as it burns very easily in winter. A north or east wall is ideal.

Hall’s Honeysuckle, Firethorn

• Semi-evergreen vines.
• They don’t maintain all their leaves through winter but a good portion will remain if they’re planted out of direct wind, in a sheltered location, like English Ivy.