Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Frank Lloyd Wright said, “Physicians can bury their mistakes, but architects can only advise their clients to plant vines.” If you’ve got a mistake or two in your landscape (or maybe just a deck or fence that is too dominate for your tastes), then you may be able to cover it up (maybe even make it look attractive!) by planting vines.

There are all sorts of vining plants, some that can grow quickly (an established kiwi plant can grow more than thirty feet a year!), some that do well in shade, some that enjoy acidic soil, and some that even produce edible fruits. Examples of the edible kinds include passifloras (AKA passion fruit), hops (yes, the kind used in beer), cinnamon (creates white-fleshed tubers with a nutty potato flavor, which are edible after cooking), and the previously mentioned kiwi (you can find both the kiwis you’re familiar with from the grocery store and small grape-sized versions that don’t need to be peeled).

Before selecting a vine, do some research online and talk to your local nursery folks. Many vines that look pretty can be incredibly invasive and hard to get rid of down the road (wisteria is notorious in this regard). Others die back to the ground each year, so they may not be best if you want a permanent fence cover. Some need sunlight to thrive, so aren’t good in shady spots. And, of course, some won’t be able to handle your particular climate. But… to get the ideas rolling, here are a few ideas and a few pictures:

Kiwi Growing up a Two-Story Deck

The blogger who snapped this picture of a couple of kiwi vines (you need a male and a female to get fruit) traipsing up a two-story deck entitled the post, “Hardy Kiwi Great if It Doesn’t Take Over Your House.”

Passiflora or Passionflower Vine

The lush green foliage and pretty red flowers on the passiflora vine sprawling along this fence make it an eye-catching sight. From Abbe’s World of Wildlife (I bet the birds enjoy those flowers).

Hops Vines

If you have a home brewer in the family, you’ll suddenly become quite popular by growing hops.  Also, the vines can do a nice job accenting a deck railing as seen on the garden page of this B&B’s site.

Jasmine Vine

Here, the homeowner isn’t covering up a deck or a fence, but the roof of a swimming pool arbor.  And the leafy green shading hot swimmers?  A jasmine vine.  Read more at Jasmine Perfection.

These are just a few of the species of vine you can add to your landscape to hide those architectural blemishes.  Remember, though, vines usually grow quickly and need yearly (sometimes monthly!) pruning to keep them from running out of control.  Also, vines cling to surfaces and can do damage (While finding these pictures, I read a story about wisteria prying free cedar siding and invading someone’s attic!).  Good luck!