The Experience of a Vine-Clad City— By Daniel v. Casey 



THE "MOST BEAUTIFUL STREET IN THE WORLD "—THE VINES THAT MAKE IT SO 

 —THE KINDS THAT HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME AND HOW TO GROW THEM 



ONE of the leading land- 

 ^^ scape architects of 

 America has declared that, 

 considering the cost of its 

 homes, K street, Dayton, is 

 the most beautiful street in 

 the world. The chief reason 

 why it is so is that every 

 house is covered with vines. 

 Vines have been planted on a 

 larger scale in Dayton than 

 in any other city of its size in 

 America. Dozens of different 

 species have been tried and 

 the list of best kinds for public 

 use in civic improvement work has been 

 narrowed to a small number which will be 

 found of the utmost practical value to be- 

 ginners, especially those who have little to 

 spend. Good permanent vines cost any- 

 where from twenty-five cents to a dollar and 

 a half depending chiefly on the ease of prop- 

 agation and the age and height of the plant. 

 Dayton's experience emphasizes the need of 

 trellises wherever vines are to be trained over 

 wooden walls. The simplest, cheapest and 

 least obtrusive trellis is of woven-wire fencing 

 fastened to the wall on horizontal strips of 

 poplar or pine two inches square. These 

 strips keep the vines away from the weather- 

 boarding, preventing dampness and con- 

 sequent decay. When walls are to be painted 

 the entire trellis, vines and all, may be taken 

 down without injury. Over such trellis, 

 which may be had in the width desired at 

 every hardware store, any of the hardy 

 climbers can be trained without difficulty. 

 Boston ivy may be used on frame houses in 

 this fashion without damage to the walls. 



Temporary vines are annuals which should 

 be planted in the same bed with permanent 

 vines while the woody species are getting 

 their growth. Annuals give results the 

 same year in which they are planted. They 

 are of two kinds — those which are grown 

 chiefly for their flowers, and those which are 

 grown to cover unsightly objects as quickly 

 as possible. Morning glories fulfil both 

 duties. Sweet peas are useful only for 

 flowers, and have no value for screening any- 

 thing obtrusive, because they are not high 

 enough and because they generally become 

 unsightly themselves. The wild cucumber 

 vine is one of the best fast growing an- 

 nuals for covering such places, although its 

 flowers are not showy, and it sometimes be- 

 comes a nuisance. It makes great quantities 

 of big seeds that germinate quickly and I 

 have seen several gardens overrun with wild 

 cucumber vine, which actually became a 

 weed. No reader of this magazine ought 

 to plant wild cucumber on his porch. It is 

 gcod enough to cover a rubbish heap, but 

 there are better things for a good veranda. 



There is no question as to which are the 

 two best lall-growing hardy vines for foliage 



Photographs by the National Cash Register Company 



effects. They are ampelopsis and Virginia 

 creeper, the former being the best for brick 

 and stone and the latter for wood. Ampelop- 

 sis requires no support because its beautiful 

 little tendrils which look like baby hands 

 fasten on to every surface with a grip that 

 cannot be shaken. Virginia creeper requires 

 a support and is more wayward in its growth, 

 so that it often leaves large gaps of wall uncov- 

 ered. Ampelopsis makes a flat surface and 

 its leaves are dark green and glossy; a wall 

 covered with Virginia creeper has a looser 

 and rougher texture. Both have brilliant 

 autumn colors and are rich in shades of red. 

 Ampelopsis has practically no insects. Vir- 

 ginia creeper is much troubled in some parts 

 of the country by caterpillars. 



If, as some say, ninety-nine out of a hun- 

 dred American buildings are commonplace 

 or ugly, it is a good thing to cover the walls 

 completely, but when we have a piece of 

 architecture that is a joy to everybody — 

 something in which we can really take 



pride — ampelopsis should never be allowed 

 to cover it entirely. In such a case the beauty 

 of the vine is its aspiration — its incom- 

 pleteness. This is particularly true of a 

 beautiful church, and the right relation of 

 architecture and foliage is well understood 

 in England, but not in this country except 

 in Boston and a few other communities. 



Of the tall flowering vines, wistaria is un- 

 doubtedly the best, and the common purplish 

 flowered kind (Wistaria Chinensis) is justly 

 the favorite. Its long grape-like clusters of 

 pea-shaped flowers are much richer and 

 stronger than the pure white variety; and 

 the long strings of the Japanese species have 

 never made a great impression in America, 

 presumably because we like mass effects, 

 whereas the Japanese like these loose and 

 airy clusters, and care more for lines than 

 they do for color. The wistaria must be 

 headed back and pruned with care if you 

 are planning to cover a wall with it com- 

 pletely, and if you want a big show of 



206. The Virginia creeper {Ampelopsis quinquefoha) must have a support. Narrow strips of chicKen wire can 

 be used for a building liKe this, which is mostly glass. Every factory should be covered with vines 



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