By Robert R. Westerfield
University of
Georgia

Ornamental vines can make an interesting addition to your yard
and serve more than one purpose. Following a few tips can help
you grow thriving vines in your yard.

Most flowering vines need at least a half-day of sun to grow well
and bloom abundantly. Other vines, like variegated English ivy,
will develop more vivid leaf patterns with a few hours of morning
sun.

Most vines grow best in fertile, well-drained soils. Bare-root
vines are best transplanted during the fall and winter.
Container-grown vines can be planted anytime if you water them.

If you need organic matter to improve the soil, rotary-till about
4 inches of it into the top 12 inches of soil before you dig the
planting hole. Compost is an excellent amendment.

A proper hole

Dig the hole as deep and twice as wide as the root ball. Make the
top of the root ball level with the soil surface. Then backfill
with soil removed from the hole, tamping it lightly to eliminate
air pockets. Water right after planting, and use a mulch to keep
moisture in the soil.

A low-cost way to plant a lot of vines as a ground cover is to
buy and plant rooted cuttings or “liner” plants. Ask your
nurseryman about liners.

If you plant during fall and winter, wait until spring to
fertilize. If you plant in the spring and summer, wait four to
six weeks for the plants to get established before fertilizing.

Then lightly sprinkle about a tablespoon of a complete, balanced
fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 around the perimeter of the
planting hole and water it in.

Then…

Once the vines are established, fertilize in early spring and
midsummer with a complete fertilizer such as 6-12-12 or 5-10-10
at 1.5 pounds per 100 square feet. Take a soil sample to your
county Extension Service office to find your soil’s precise
nutritional needs.

Vines have different pruning requirements. Generally, prune to
remove dead, diseased and damaged wood, reduce size and promote
branching. Vigorous vines such as honeysuckle, trumpet vine and
wisteria may require regular pruning to keep them confined to the
support.

As a rule, prune flowering vines after they bloom. This is
particularly true for vines like wisteria and spring-flowering
clematis that bloom on last season’s growth. Pruning these vines
before they bloom will reduce flowering.

The amount of pruning depends on the vigor of the vine and the
amount of foliage you want. Some vines will form layer on layer
of growth unless they’re thinned out regularly.

Wisteria, for instance, requires annual pruning to reduce the
amount of growth. Removing about one-third of the canopy each
year will lead it to grow short spurs on the remaining branches
that will bear next season’s flowers.

(Bob Westerfield is an Extension Service consumer
horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)