Gardens need plants that grow vertically for a number of reasons. Perhaps it needs a living screen to hide the neighbor’s overgrown garden, or it needs a means to block out the hot sun, or to add privacy to a patio or terrace. Vertical gardening cries out for creativity and with annual climbers, it’s an easy and quick aesthetic solution to a garden. Vertical gardening with annual vines could also be a temporary fix in the early planning of the design and work. There are numerous fast growing vines to choose from.
Annual vines sprout quickly, spread upwards and outwards and always on the move. The gardener will see the plants grow vigorously against any support she chooses. Most flowering annual vines will do so with abandon.
Annuals vines are a perfect choice over wooden structures because most wooden structures have to be repainted every two or three years. It’s an opportunity to change the vines every year for interest. Shrubby perennial vines like Wisteria make it difficult to paint.
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Morning Glory is the most popular annual vine. It is easily started from seed sown directly where it is to grow and by mid-summer, the gardener will have terrific coverage. In the mornings, the lovely bell-shaped flowers are abundant on the vine and come in just about every color imaginable. It is a sub-tropical vine, only an annual in colder climates. It is hardy from Zone 4, but in lower zones, may be killed off by a snap frost. It can grow to 10′ if planted early enough.
Sweet Peas are another popular annual vine. They are very floriferous and colorful with the added gift of scent. Plant the seeds against a shed or fence as a backdrop for foliage plants. The gardener could have a wall of scent and color. It likes cool environments and will grow to 7′ with care. Sweet Pea is hardy to Zone 3.
The Scarlet Runner Bean with its bright orange flowers is beloved by both gardeners and hummingbirds. They are very easy to to grow and quite fast. It can grow to 15′ tall and flowers in one season from July to the first frosts of autumn. It’s a perfect annual vine to use where a splash of red or hot-colored plants is needed. Scarlet Runner Beans are hardy from Zone 3, but in warmer climates it is generally grown as a perennial.
Hyacinth Bean is one of the most vigorous of annual vines. It is a rampant floriferous vine. When grown as an annual it can reach about 8′ in a season, offering purple or white flowers in June and July. It’s a perfect vine for growing on taller structures. The gardener could hang a rope between two tall pillars, plant the beans at the base of each pillar and the vines will meet in the middle forming a lovely covered arbor. Hardy from Zone 5 as an annual.
Annual vines form natural backdrops rapidly. By July, the gardener will have the scent and the height she’s looking for. For most annual vines, she can plant from seed directly in the garden. Space out the seeds according the the seed package. Prick out the limp or weak seedlings after the first true set of leaves unfold. It’s important to know when the average last frost of Spring occurs in the gardener’s zone. Frost can kill the seedlings.
References
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