The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-06-12
BEAUTIFYING WITH CLIMBERS
(By the EditOr)


It is very easy to beautify a house
and grounds with climbing vines that
come up of their own energy every
spring and proceed to decorate. But
there is a great difference in the
value of such decorations. The hop
vine grows rapidly and produces the
hop, but it also secretes sap that
attracts flies and other insects, and
it sheds a bloom that muses. the
place When frost comes it bleaches
and makes a bad appearance, dies
down for the winter and has to grow
up from the ground in the spring
The Virginia creeper sheds its
foliage in the fall but the vine itself
lives and is ready to put out fresh
foliage quickly in the spring. 1t
has it's clingers that coil around
whatever it can find to cling to, but
does not fasten itself to fiat smooth
surface. 1t needs poultry nettins
or something of the kind for a sup
port. When the frost comes it be-
comes gorgeous in extreme beauty.
1t sheds little granulated particles
from it's bloom for time but does
not attract insects. 1t is long lived,
lasting for generation.
Englemanns ivy resembles Vir-
ginia creeper but differs from it in
that it is more likely to spread out
in small parallel stalks than to send
up large main trunks and branch out
from that at greater distance from
the roots. 1t puts out little fingers
or clingers, and when the end of a
finger touches something it secretes
(sweats) a sticky fluid and as it dries
in contact with the air it fastens
itself to whatever it is resting again
st. If it should be pulled loose it
does not stick fast again by the same
fingers, for it does not seem to re-
spond to a second touch and send
out the 'stickum." 1t will fasten
itself to a smooth surface but when
the wind blows it is liable to pull
loose If it is on rough brick wall
it will cling to the rough particles
or sink it's little fingers into the
pores in the brick and make very
strong anchorage. Such vines are
being trained up the walls at the
Republican office but they are an
chored the first year by small staples, |
trusting that enough fingers will be
put out to make them secure for the
future years. The foliage gets so
heavy it seems unfair to expect the
tiny threadlike fingers to support
foliage weighing hundreds of pounds,
and it will not be surprising II
high wind some day shall peel on
the whole spread. The little staples
do not sink into the brick or mortar
enough to carry much weight. AS
the vines grow too large to pass
thru the staple 1t grows over 1t and
buries the staple within its body
Where there is a large vine few
nails or spikes can be driven into
the mortar where they will take some
of the weight of the vine If it starts
to pull loose from its anchorage. One
trouble about stapling a tender
young vine is that when the wind
blows across it, the swaying of the
leaves rocks the main stem of the
vine from side to side and pulls the
fingers loose and bruises the vine
against the staple and may cut 1t
of. When lead vine is cut off 1t
never grows any longer tho 1t is
likely to send out branches, and one
of them may be trained out in the
direction of the original main shoot
and take the place of it.
The value of vines on building
is that it keeps the building cool In ,
summer, takes off the baking e1ect
of the hot days and nights, makes +,
q pleasing decoration, and in the {
fall is gorgeous with color. The cost '
Of such things Is not measured in {
money excepting that the original '
plant costs probably fifty cents at {
a nursery. The rest Is just chores I
taking care of it. 1t should be plant t
ed in a good seeded, for 1t Is to last 6
4 lifetime and might as well be given
4 good chance. It's roots will spread
several feet, so If the planter wants
% dig deep and fertilize 1t for future
years the effort will be slight con-
,idering the greater prosperity of the
vine thru all the years. II 1t Is
we'll mellowed and fertilized 1t will
lot require so much watering after r
t is well along. But most people
Who plant these things and lose them, +
make the loss by not watering them P
,ften enough when the plants are e
title 1t doesn't matter how much +
ertilizer is put into the seeded, II
t is kept away from the roots for t
he first year or two while the soil t
8 absorbing and digesting it. When L
plant is young 1t is easily sickened 6
md killed by contact with fertilizer. t.
There isn't anything better for the n
,oung rootlets than just plain moist t
oil. a
The time to set transplant vines p
s when the leaves are on and 1t II
s not growing. A vine transplanted b