Maybe you have a wire fence or an old stump you'd like to disguise. How about a clothesline pole or the side of your garage? I know there is someplace in your yard that a flowering vine would make more beautiful. Vines are easy for even the weekend gardener to maintain. An occasional pruning when they get out-of-bounds is about all they need to flourish.

Prune the summer flowering vines during their dormant season. You can cut them all the way down to two or three buds on each shoot if space is a problem. Spring flowering vines should only be pruned after they flower and don't prune them nearly as drastically.

As a rule, most vines like their "feet" in the shade and their "heads" in the sun. This means at least five to six hours of sunlight is required for the top, but shallow-rooted ground cover at the bottom is welcome.

Clematis are some of the most beautiful of the flowering vines. When you see trellises in front of houses overflowing with gorgeous purple flowers--those are usually Clematis 'Jackmanii'. There are many other colors and varieties to choose from and most are even hardy enough to grow in the North. I chose the variety 'Niobe', which has large red blossoms, but there are also white and pink ones. My aunt has one of every variety, which is quite a show when they are all in bloom. She grows many of hers right up her trees. She trains them up wire she strings on the trunks. Another idea is to grow them over shrubs. Just make sure to prune the clematis enough to let sunlight through to the shrub.

Another favorite of mine, is the 'Dropmore Scarlet' honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). I planted a trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) when I first started gardening here in Minnesota. I waited six years for a blossom before I finally gave up. The first year I planted the honeysuckle, it covered the trellis and bloomed profusely and the hummingbirds loved it. I've been told since, that the trumpet vine is marginally bud-hardy here in zone 4. However, there is a new variety named 'Indian Summer' you might want to try that is supposedly bud-hardy even in colder climes (see below).

Last year I planted the hops vine. Yes, its the same one that they make beer from! It has edible shoots in the spring, and the yellowish-green cones are very attractive. It covers any area rapidly, but can get out of hand so choose its location carefully. It needs to be cut down to the ground every year, which is a good supply of vines for holiday decorations.

Another vine that has done very well for me is the hardy kiwi (Actinidia kolomikta). The male vine has beautiful hot pink and white splashes of color which make up for the very insignificant little white flowers in the spring. You need a male and female to have fruit which is much smaller and sweeter then the kiwi fruit in the grocery store. This is my fifth year and I have several fruits even though my vines only get about four hours of direct sunlight.

Two annual vines that are worth planting each year are nasturtiums and scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus cocineus). Both are favorites of the hummingbirds and are also wonderful plants to get children started gardening. They grow fast, look beautiful, and your children can even eat the blossoms and beans. Other annual vines that will perform splendidly in your gardens are morning glory, black-eyed Susan vine, hyacinth bean, and cardinal climber.

What could be more relaxing in the summer then a garden seat with an arbor overhead covered in beautiful blossoms?

Building a Trellis Video
How to build an easy and sturdy arbor from Nebraska Extension.