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Friendships begun in this world can be taken up again in heaven, never to be broken off.
...Francis De Sales

VINES

Vines soften the harsh lines of any building or fence. Nothing is quite so beautiful as a trellis or pergola covered with lush green foliage. Buy one that blooms and you get a double treat.

Carolina Jessamine likes wooded areas and swampy river banks. The deep yellow spring flowers have a delicious scent and the evergreen foliage is small and fine. It is insect and disease free.

Clematis, a fast growing perennial vine, needs a good support and the roots need to be shaded and cool. You can accomplish this by placing low-growing plants around the base and mulching well. Clematis vines like loamy well-drained soil and should be tied or pinned in place while young. They may be planted in spring or autumn and should be fed at least once in the growing period with a balanced fertilizer. Prune in early spring when your vine blooms from young bottom shoots. Trim those that flower from old wood in late winter when they are dormant.

The Rosa De Montana is one of my favorites. It grows anywhere, blooms in summer and fall, stands dry conditions well and clings like mad to anything. Even in the lower South it dies down in winter, but it comes right back up again in the spring. It will reach thirty feet if unattended, showing masses of bright rosy-pink blossoms in long racemes. My mother has one that covers the south side of her house every year and is absolutely delightful.

And of course, Wisteria! Where would the Southern garden be without it! It is a beautiful sight to behold in the spring when the long clusters of lavender pea-shaped flowers hang gracefully from the pale, green-leaved branches. The vine may be allowed to run rampant, may be trained to trellis or, if heavily pruned it may be kept to small tree size. A word of warning - if allowed to run rampant it will take over and squeeze the life out of any thing it comes in contact with. I have seen many beautiful trees wrapped up in wisteria and this is not a completely bad thing. But be careful if you plant it in your flowerbeds, make sure to root prune it and cut any runners that come out at the base before they get too long. If allowed to grow they will cover your flower beds.

And last but not least, Honeysuckle. Those of us originally from the South, know that you don't have to buy Honeysuckle. You can find it growing on any fence line or briar bush along side the road. They are beautiful and fragrant, but will grow rampant if not pruned.

If you have a vigorous twining vine growing up your home's wooden shingles, take a closer look. Chances are its shoots are creeping under the shingles, prying them off as the vines grow. To avoid damage, train these vines up a sturdy removable trellis placed 6 inches or so from the wall of the house. Watch the shoots closely and prune off any shingle invaders. Or, replace the twinging tangle on your trellis with a nontwining vine, like a clematis or a climbing rose.

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