NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
AND REMINDER 
Vol. XIil 
Manchester, Mass., Friday, April 23 
No. 17 
bows 
Where Shall We Plant Our Vines 
By MARY H. NORTHEND 
THERE are more latent possibiti- 
ties in the planting of vines 
than any house owner has yet im- 
agained. With the exception of 
large trees already standing upon a 
houselot before the buildings are 
put up, there is nothing else which 
makes the newly-built dwelling so 
soon seen at home in its environ- 
ment, as does this drapery straight 
from the hand of nature. The lusty 
and vigorous growth of leaf and 
blossom nd tendril is the outward 
and visible sign that Earth is taking 
the newcomer to her heart, and 
making the home a part of the 
landscape. 
There are so many different vines 
from which to choose, that the very 
width of latitude hampers us in 
} making a selection. We are, per- 
haps, too prone to remember only 
that a certain specimen of vine 
lo 7 was beautiful where we saw itt 
- growing; and so decide to plant it 
for ourselves, in a different situation, with surroundings 
far from harmonious. ee 
Now vines may be used as an ornament, to. emphaize, 
the attractions of that which is beautiful, or they may 
serve as a screen, to conceal the blemishes of that which 
is unsightly. These different uses need different types 
of vines, since the light and airy festoons which enhance 
the beauty of some architectural triumph would be inade- 
quate to hide defects; and the heavy masses of foliage, 
which successfully veil that which is ugly or that which 
is merely commonplace, would conceal just as effectually 
the classic beauties of fluted Corinthian columns, in porch 
or pergola. In both cases, the value of vines is beyond 
question, but the house owner must be familiar with 
vines of various descriptions, so that he can make his 
choice with discretion. 
We have but one evergreen vine, and that is the 
English ivy. Except in Washington and Oregon, this 
does not grow with us as luxuriantly as in England; for 
in other localities our climate does not combine great 
dampness with an even temperature. Our hot summers 
tell more severely upon this vine than do our cold win- 
ters. It may thrive to a limited extent in sheltered lo- 
cations, upon the north side of buildings; but its growth 
always seems more or less forced, and is never really 
spontaneous and luxuriant. 
We have, however, a great variety of hardy decidu- 
ous vines, which possess all the good qualitites of climb- 
ing shrubs, and are perhaps the most valuable of their 
kind; since, when once well started, they demand no 
further care beyond a little necessary purning. 
Of these hardy vines, the two varieties of Ampelop- 
sis easily lead in popularity. The five-leaved or palmate 
variety is commonly known as Woodbine or Virginia 
ative fashion. 
Creeper, while that which has the three-parted leaf is 
called Boston Ivy or Japanese Ivy. Both varieties be- 
long to the order of concealment rather than to the order 
of decoration. If a house is hopelessly ugly, the least 
expensive method of making it beautiful is to cover its 
walls of wood or brick or stone with ampelopsis. There 
are no perceptible blossoms, but the Virginia Creeper 
often shows rich clusters of purple berries, and the folli- 
age of both varieties undergoes an autumnal change 
which is far more brilliant and beautiful than a spring- 
time inflorescence. 
Wherever thick foliage is needed, for shade or for 
concealment, there can be no mistake in planting either 
or both varieties of ampelopsis. They will thrive in 
alrost any soil and need no trellis. The Virginia Creep- 
er is perhaps the more hardy of the two, as it is often 
found gowing wild in great luxuriance. 
We have other native hardy vines of great beauty,— 
the Fox Grape, the Bittersweet, the Clematis, and the 
Trumpet Creeper. Of these, the Fox Grape, Vitis Vul- 
pina, has foliage of great beauty, and is well calculated 
to form a canopy of shade over an ornate pergola of the 
classic type, without in the least disguising the beauty 
of its pillars. This is mainly on account of its habit of 
putting out its foliage at some distance from the ground, 
leaving only a decorative brown stem’twined about the 
pillar, while it masses heavy leafage on the trellis-work 
at the top, with pendant sprays of blossoms or bunches 
of fruit to hang down between the bars in very decor- 
It is hardy all over the country. 
The native false Bittersweet, Celastrus Scandens, is 
more suitable for decoration than for shade or conceal- 
ment. It has handsome foliage, yellow flowers, and a 
scarlet fruit in orange capsules, which clings to the vine 
all winter. It is hardy, being found sparingly all over 
the country, although seldom growing commonly anv- 
where. It seems most abundant in the upper valley of 
the Connecticut, in the region about Brattleboro. 
Another splendid vine is the Trumpet Creeper, 
Bignonia Tecoma Radicans, which grows wild in Ken- 
tucky, and is hardy all over the country. It can be 
trained over a trellis when young, and will keep the same 
shape after the trellis has fallen away. It is beautiful 
when trained against a distorted tree, or in unsightly bit 
of stonework. Its dark-green glossy leaves would be 
sufficiently decorative, even without the splendid, scarlet, 
trumpet-shaped flowers, which it sends out in such pro- 
fusion. It is a clean plant, seeming to have no insect 
enemies, and is very attractive to the humming-birds. 
Its only bad feature is the fact that it does not put out 
its leaves until very late in the season, so that it is well 
to plant it in company with wistaria or clematis, which 
put out early. 
Our native Clematis is thoroughly reliable, and is 
especially pleasing when massed with other creepers upon 
pergolas of the rustic order. This is the Clematis Vir- 
guvuana, which beautifies the roadsides in August. It 
is commonly called Virgin’s Bower, Traveller’s Joy, 
Devil’s Yarn, or Old Man’s Beard, For planting singly, 
