vine [ vahyn ] noun: a plant that is too slender, flexible, or weak to support itself but climbs, twines, or trails along a surface to grow or spread; the stem of such a plant. verb: to form or grow in the manner of a vine
The long flexible stems of vines are very efficient at transporting water and are good at pushing it upward. They grow rapidly and replace cut or damaged parts easily and have specialized climbing mechanisms. The flexible appendages that wrap round support structures such as wires or wire fencing and trellises are called tendrils. Vine stems that wrap directly around narrow structures to support their climbing are called twiners. Others climb by means of holdfasts, petioles, or with aerial roots.
Left to right: Native Bignonia capreolata and invasive Ampelopsis brevipedunculata tendrils; native Wisteria frutescens and invasive Pueraria montana var. lobata twining stems; native Parthenocissus quinquefolia holdfasts; native Clematis virginiana twining petioles; invasive Hedera helix aerial roots; non-native lianas.
Climbers, twiners, and lianas are other words for vines. Flora of Virginia defines lianas as woody vines while some other sources add the descriptors tropical or subtropical to the woody vines they define as lianas. Lianas are rooted in the ground and usually have long, dangling branches that help in their ascent, using a range of adaptations to attach to whatever structure or plant they are climbing.
Photo © Christa Watters
Vines can be annual or perennial, herbaceous or woody, deciduous or evergreen. Annual ones provide an opportunity to experiment with their effect on a landscape, while perennials can give lasting structure and consistency to a space. Vines are useful to get more plant area out of small spaces and to provide vertical interest in any landscape. They can help filter out noise and pollution and create a privacy screen. Flowering vines add life and color and attract pollinators. Some vines that are herbaceous when young mature into thick woody growths at the base as they age, for example poison ivy and English ivy among others.
Deciduous vines have their place in the garden, but so do evergreen ones, providing winter interest on a brick wall or along a fence. One handsome example, though not native, is Clematis armandii (evergreen clematis), which has shiny green leaves year-round and lovely small white blossoms in late winter or early spring. It climbs by twisting stems and petioles.
While vines have unarguable advantages, they also have disadvantages and require some thought and planning when you consider using them. Many of them tend to have vigorous growth habits and will require equally vigorous pruning at some stage of their lives – in some cases, quite regularly, lest they outgrow their spaces or spread where they are not wanted.
Native Vines
Left to right: (top) Bignonia capreolata, Campsis radicans, Clematis virginiana, Gelsemium sempervirens; (bottom) Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Lonicera sempervirens, Passiflora incarnata, Wisteria frutescens.
Generally, you should not let vines grow to the tops of trees; they can choke their growth and sicken or kill them by blocking light. Vines can grow so heavy as to overweigh their support systems, so consider mature size when planting those baby vines, lest they bring down a fence or trellis with their full weight, or, by blocking light and air, keep a wooden structure too damp and lead it to rot. Native vines can be quite aggressive growers, including Campsis radicans (trumpet vine or trumpet creeper), which climbs with the help of aerial roots and twining, and Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia-creeper), which clings to smooth surfaces with holdfasts at the tendril ends. Like Bignonia capreolata (cross-vine) and porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata), its tendrils are negatively phototropic, growing away from the light toward dark objects where it might find a support.
Invasive Vines
Left to right: Pueraria montana var. lobata, Ampelopsis brevipendiculata, Clematis terniflora, Hedera helix, Celastrus orbiculatus, non-native Wisteria.
Invasive non-native vines are among the most aggressively harmful plants that invade our landscapes, gardens, and agricultural endeavors. They lack natural enemies to keep them in check, and we are all familiar with invaders such as kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), porcelainberry, and sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora). English ivy (Hedera helix), a once beloved houseplant and garden groundcover is unfortunately still popular and commonly available for sale, and has escaped into the natural environment and done great harm. Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is another very attractive woody vine that escaped the private gardens of avid horticulturists, invading and destroying native habitats. Wisteria is a gorgeous plant, and while the non-native wisteria (W.floribunda or W. sinensis) that graces the walls of many a stone building in our nation’s capital are handsome plants whose purple floral clusters nicely set off their architecture, those that have escaped into the wild, invading natural areas and smothering trees, utility poles, and lines, continue to do considerable damage. All are attractive, making it hard to discourage their sale and purchase, but resist their appeal and choose to purchase and plant a native alternative. For example, Wisteria frutescens is native to America, and is a recommended substitute for our home gardens.
Vines are strong and often beautiful plants, but we recommend you plan thoughtfully and with good research when using them to add another dimension to your garden.
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MGNV Resources
Tried and True Native Vine Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
References
Lofgren DO. 1973. Climbing Plants. American Horticulturalist Spring, 52(1):26.
Smith BH. 2019. Vine Selections for Landscaping. Home and Garden Information Center. Clemson Cooperative Extension.
Lianas and Plants of the Neotropics. Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, Department of Botany. (accessed July 20024).
Weakley AS, Ludwig JC, Townsend JF. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Botanical Research Institute of Texas.