Climbing vines can add a beautiful and natural touch to your home’s exterior or indoor space. However, their speedy growth and powerful tendrils have the potential to cause some damage. Read on to explore the pros and cons of growing climbing vines, so you can decide if these plants are suitable for your gardening goals!
The Benefits of Climbing Vines
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There are many benefits of climbing vines that may motivate you to grow them. Climbing vines are an easy way to add a burst of greenery to your home and garden area. Many varieties also bloom large, fragrant, and colorful flowers that can quickly beautify your space. They can create a tranquil and inviting atmosphere and add texture to dull or empty surfaces.
Climbing vines also provide a natural screen that blocks out unwanted views or intense summer sunlight. Additionally, their dense and lush foliage offers a habitat for wildlife, like birds and insects of all sorts.
The Trouble With Climbing Vines
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Though there are many positive aspects to growing climbing vines, they can also come with some disadvantages. Climbing vines can spread quickly, which means they will require regular maintenance to help control their growth. If you are willing to commit to a strict pruning routine, this won’t be a large issue. However, if you want to keep your gardening upkeep simple and less demanding, these plants may not be the right choice for you.
In addition, climbing vines have skinny tendrils that can easily attach themselves to the surface of walls, fences, and siding. As they develop, they can penetrate into cracks and crevices. This can lead to the vines expanding so much that they begin to erode and damage these surfaces. Over time, your home’s structure and foundation can begin to deteriorate. Furthermore, if left unkempt, the moisture from the vines can cause wood rot and mildew. These issues can be quite costly to repair, so it’s important to be aware of their possibility if you choose to grow climbing vines.
Controlling Growth
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The simplest way to prevent any potential issues with climbing vines is to train them to grow on a trellis or in a pot. These are excellent options no matter if you’re looking to grow them inside your home or out in your garden. Training your vines means you’ll get to control the direction and intensity of their growth. This way you’ll be able to prune them more easily and keep them from growing into wanted areas or damaging nearby objects.
Climbing Vines That Won’t Cause Damage
If you’re looking for climbing plants that won’t cause damage to your home, you’ll be happy to hear there are many options available. Be mindful that there's always a chance that any vines can creep into crevasses and spaces you don't want them in, but it will be much easier to control their growth when they have smaller tendrils, shorter stems, and are not considered invasive. Below are five of the best non-invasive climbing vines to choose that aren't likely to cause any damage to your home.
Clematis
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This hardy and woody vine is best known for its beautiful, bright purple, and star-shaped flowers. If you’re planting this vine outdoors, it will likely attract plenty of pollinators like hummingbirds, bumblebees, and butterflies all summer. These vines appreciate full sun and moist, well-draining soil. Clematis can grow between 8 and 12 feet in length on average.
Morning Glory
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These vines grow heart-shaped leaves and bloom trumpet-shaped flowers in pink, purple, magenta, and white. They like to live in spots with well-draining soil and lots of sunshine. Morning glories are sensitive to temperature changes, so if you’re planting them outdoors, make sure to do so well after the last frost of the season. These vines can grow up to 10 feet in just one season!
Sweet Pea
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These vines bloom pink and red flowers that give off a sweet scent. Though they appear delicate, sweet peas are actually quite hardy and you can plant them as early as late winter or early spring. They'll grow up to 10 feet long under the right circumstances!
Angel Vine
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These vines are a great option if you want to add some greenery to your space with minimal commitment. They don’t require any pruning. Instead you can cut off any brown leaves or thinning stems when needed. They are also fairly drought-resistant and can do well in areas with low light.
Angel vines reach full maturity at 8 inches tall but can grow up to 20 feet long. To help control its growth, you can grow it in a pot. Doing so will also allow the stems to gently droop over the rim without damaging the plant.
Creeping Fig
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This climbing vine is a quick grower so it will easily fill up any empty spaces, even though it has fairly small foliage. They prefer locations that receive partial sunlight and appreciate moist soil.
Just remember that these plants will still require regular maintenance, but they will be much easier to care for because of their less aggressive growth. You can grow each of these vines either in a pot or out in your garden with the support of a trellis or arch. If you’re planting them indoors, be mindful that these vines all require lots of sunshine so keep them close to a window. These vines will grow between 10 and 15 feet long!
Branching Out Your Gardening Goals
Climbing vines can add a natural and beautiful look and feel to your home. Because of their fast growing nature however, they can quickly spread to unwanted areas which can cause damage over time. If you’re choosing climbing vines for your home, go with varieties that you can train to grow in a pot or on a trellis so you can help control their growth. This way, you’ll be able to ensure your home remains beautiful and protected for years to come.
How has your experience been growing climbing vines? Share your story in the comments below to start a conversation with other home gardeners!