18 Valuable Vines

Morning glory

Previous: Clematis

A long-time favorite of gardeners who love old-fashioned flowers, this rampant twining vine produces prodigious quantities of blooms. Each flower opens early in the day and fades by afternoon, lasting only that day. Plant one of the traditional favorites like 'Heavenly Blue' (Ipomoea tricolor) and you can expect 10 to 15 feet of growth. This annual plant doesn't have an invasive root system, but you can expect plenty of seedlings. Morning glory loves hot weather and doesn't want coddling (in fact, fertilizer and rich soil will produce more foliage and fewer flowers). If you can accept the weediness, morning glories are a good choice for covering fences and walls where management isn't going to be an issue. Pink, white, lavender, red, bicolors and stripes are also available.

Vines to Avoid
Some vines are better off left alone. Whether or not you decide to pass on morning glory or Virginia creeper, you might want to give cypress vine, porcelain vine (Ampelosis brevipedunculata) and akebia further scrutiny before you invite them home. To a lesser extent, English ivy and wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii) are a problem for some gardens; these plants are lovely when they're cultured and inbounds, but they're just as happy climbing trees as buildings.