Vines can also dress up an arch or pillar with flowers, soften harsh structural lines and even hide an ugly view. And they do all this much faster, in far less space, than trees and shrubs. Add in the many choices, and you have one of the most versatile and beautiful groups of plants. The keys to those benefits are picking the right vine for the right place and giving it the structural support it needs. The word vine is a general term for a wealth of plants with varied ways of growing and climbing.
Vines can be evergreen or deciduous, flowering or nonflowering, rampant-growing or restrained.
As with all landscape plants, choose vines that are hardy in your climate and grow well in the light and space provided. They should also be adapted to the soil in your yard. Have your soil tested by a county extension service or a private lab. Vines climb toward the sunlight they need in ingenious ways. Before choosing any vine, find out how it climbs and how aggressively to determine the appropriate support for it to grow on.