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Oftentimes local conditions require the selection of a permanentvine with a fast growing habit. It may not be advisable to use annuals,but rather to use a more permanent type and accordingly the designerresorts to such plants as the Dutchman's pipe, the knotweed, and thekudzu vine, which under normal conditions will make a growthranging from ten to forty feet in a single season. The knotweed is notentirely hardy in severe exposures and the young plants should not beplanted in the open ground before the latter part of May. In general, vines fill a gap in the field of landscape planting whichcannot be filled with shrubs. Where conditions develop in which onlya limited space is available for foliage, flower and fruiting effects,vines must be accepted as the logical solution of the planting problem.A quite common mistake in the use of vines is to select types which aretoo fast growing or which are not adapted to the special purpose forwhich they are used. A common mistake also is that of coveringinteresting pieces of brick work and stone masonry with vines whichcompletely obscure the beauty of the architectural detail. Vinesshould be used on buildings to emphasize the architectural detail;otherwise there is little use in spending sums of money to produceadded beauty in architecture if such detail is immediately to becovered with vines. We often see an elevation of a house on whichappears a chimney with the entire surface of the house and chimneycovered with vines. In such instances the vines, for the purpose ofarchitectural composition, should be planted only on the chimney oron the surfaces at either side of the chimney and not on the chimney. |
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