CHAPTER IX 
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL VINES 
What herbaceous perennial means — Pruning and mulching — Watering, 
lifting, and dividing — Everlasting sweet pea — Sweet peas for wet 
soils — Herbaceous clematis — Madeira vine — Ipomcea — The hop — 
Cinnamon vine — Air potato — Ground-nut — Butterfly pea — Bryony 
— Convolvulus family — Trefoil. 
AN HERBACEOUS perennial vine is one that 
produces an annual stem from a perennial root. 
In other words, the top dies each year but the 
root lives indefinitely. Such vines require no 
pruning, but the dead stems should be removed 
early each year. This is quite a troublesome 
process if left until spring as the stem gets hard 
and wiry. The best plan is to cut the plant to 
the ground in late fall and then to easily remove 
the stems while they are soft and pliable. It is 
advisable, with all these vines, to mulch during 
the winter with a good covering of well-rotted 
manure. ‘This adds to the ground plant food, 
which is often required, as these plants are, 
on the whole, vigourous growers and rank 
feeders. 
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