Summer-Flowering Hardy Vines —By w. c. McCollom, 



New 



York 



CLIMBERS THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL IN LEAF AND FLOWER AND BRIGHTEN UP TRELLISES AND WALLS 

 ALL SUMMER — WHAT TO GROW IN DIFFERENT SOILS AND HOW TO PRUNE FOR MOST FLOWERS 



THERE is one important point in the 

 growing of summer-flowering vines 

 that must not be lost sight of. With few 

 exceptions, these vines flower on the 

 current season's growth, and if there is 

 dry weather during the growing season 

 previous to flowering, they should be 

 freely watered at the roots. 



In their beauty and freedom of bloom, 

 their extreme hardiness and their adapt- 

 ability to dry impoverished soils, the 

 honeysuckles are the most useful. They 

 can stand more abuse and neglect than any 

 vine I know of. Don't neglect them, how- 

 ever; they are quick to repay any attention. 



The honeysuckles twine and will ascend 

 any suitable support. They are all good 

 growers, are never troubled with insects 

 or disease, excepting under very unfavor- 

 able conditions, and once established they 

 are there to stay. They are not tall 

 growers, twenty-five feet being the extreme 

 limit. Although they delight in sunshine, 

 they will do quite well in a moderate shade, 

 and will grow and flower in locations so 

 dry that other plants would perish. 

 Honeysuckles flower on new wood; not, 

 however, on the terminal growths. Cut 

 back severely to produce long shoots of 



The Japan clematis win flower freely in semi-shade 

 and is not particular as to soil 



flowers; but for effect as a vine prune 

 lightly. In both cases, the right time is 

 early spring. Honeysuckles can be trans- 

 planted either spring or fall, and young 

 plants raised in quantity by layering. 



For mixing in with green-leaved vines> 

 for screens to break up a heavy effect, or 

 for planting separately where good yellow 

 color is desired, the best vine is the golden 

 Japan honeysuckle (Lonicera J aponica, var. 

 reticulata). Besides being a good foliage 

 plant, it has very attractive flowers whch 

 fade from yellow to white. A form which 

 is an excellent ground cover — but not 

 among shrubs, as it will climb them — is 

 the dwarf golden Japan honeysuckle (L. 

 J aponica, var. flexuosa). This plant has 

 a bad habit of rooting too readily when a 

 shoot touches the ground. 



For covering old stumps and boulders, 

 the Belgian honeysuckle (L. Periclymenum, 

 var. Belgica) will please the most critical; 

 it is a dwarf grower, becoming somewhat 

 bushy, and its long, drooping spikes of 

 fragrant, red flowers, which are borne in 

 profusion all summer, add color to any 

 situation. For a situation that demands 

 winter foliage as a screen, and where 

 flowers would lend attractiveness to the 

 spot in summer, the vine that stands out 

 most prominently is the evergreen honey- 

 suckle {L. J aponica, var. Halliana). The 

 small, dark-green foliage of this vine 

 would warrant its use even if it never 

 flowered; but fall finds it with long, 

 drooping spikes of pale yellow and white 

 flowers, when fragrant flowers are scarce. 

 For a conspicuous lamp post, or a much 

 frequented summer house, use Heckrott's 

 ever-blooming honeysuckle (L. Heckrotti). 

 This plant is covered the entire summer 

 with clusters of fragrant, reddish flowers. 



The honeysuckle that grows to the 

 greatest height of all is the native L. hirsuta. 

 It has little else to recommend it, however. 

 A good dwarf variety that does not make 

 itself obnoxious by continual suckering 

 is the trumpet honeysuckle {L. sem- 

 pervirens). This is covered all summer 

 with orange-red flowers, but lacks fra- 

 grance. The best honeysuckle for shady 

 spots is the woodbine (L. Periclymenum), 

 a good, free bloomer. The flowers are 

 yellowish-white and very fragrant. The 

 only pure white honeysuckle is L. longi- 

 florum, which is tender and needs pro- 

 tection in the latitude of Long Island. 



If you want a natural climber to cover 

 the side of a stone or brick building, lamp 

 post or dead tree, where it is freely exposed 

 to the sun, there is nothing to surpass the 

 trumpet creeper (Tecoma radicans). Its 

 gorgeous masses of glowing red tubular 

 flowers — produced during the very hot- 

 test period of the year, a time when flowers 

 are scarce — give a wonderfully brilliant 

 effect. Its foliage is also worth while. 



346 



In situations where it has plenty of light, 

 the foliage is produced in feathery sprays 

 right down to the ground. Without the 

 sun it will become bare at the bottom. 



As it flowers in clusters on the terminal 

 growth of the current season, prune hard 

 in early spring. Another point is training; 

 the vine is very apt to become bare at the 

 base, in which case bend a shoot down to 

 the base. With good, rich soil and a 

 southern exposure, the trumpet creeper 

 will climb to a height of forty feet. It 

 climbs by rootlets; it can be transplanted 

 either spring or fall, but the former is the 

 better time. Young plants can be raised 

 by layering. 



The variety atropurpurea is identical 

 except in color, being deeper. There is 

 also a bush, or standard form excellent 

 for a conspicuous place on the lawn (T. 

 radicans, var. speciosa). 



FOR FLORAL DISPLAY 



For floral effect alone the Chinese trum- 

 pet creeper is much superior, because the 

 trumpet expands more, showing the inner 

 color of the flower better, and moreover 

 more flowers are open at one time. The 

 best colored form of this is T. grandiflora, 



The trumpet creeper grows anywhere but only 

 flowers when in full sunshine 



