Vigorous, tall growing vines such as grapes or wisteria are ideal for growing on a large arbor to give shade, while a vine for decorating a mailbox support should be much smaller in ultimate size. Deciduous vines will shade in summer and let light through in winter when they are bare. Annual vines allow experimenting with vine designs. These three types of climbing methods will determine the kind of support needed. Tendrils are slim, flexible, leafless stems that wrap themselves around anything they contact.
Grapes are the best known vines that climb by tendrils.
Vines that use tendrils to climb will need supports such as wire or thin wood stakes. Twining vines wind their stems around any available support. Honeysuckle and wisteria use this method of climbing. Twining and tendril-type vines climb best on wires, trellises and arbors. They can be grown on flat surfaces only if proper supports are also provided.