Vine-covered walls are a wonderful way to unify house and garden. If your house is made of brick or stone, you can grow clinging vines such as ivy, trumpet vine or Virginia creeper right on the walls. As long as the mortar is sound, the vines won't damage the wall. If the mortar is already crumbing, the vine's aerial roots can worsen the situation. Keep the vine pruned below the roofline, so the vine's aerial roots can't dislodge the shingles.
Wood siding is apt to rot if covered with vines.
You can give the wood some breathing space by providing trellises for your vines. If a trellis is attached to the overhang with hooks, at painting time you can easily unhook the trellis and lay it on the ground, vines and all. Jan Riggenbach is an Iowa gardener, syndicated columnist and garden writer for Midwest Living. All rights reserved. Material from this site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.