Tag: vines

Docile Annual And Perennial Vines

UNITED STATES—Most of the familiar vines really are exploitative bullies. They shade the same trees and shrubs that they climb for support. Some will...

Vines For Better Or Worse

UNITED STATES—Vines in the wild are downright exploitative. They do not support their own weight, so instead climb or sprawl over shrubbery and trees....

Groundcover Is Carpeting For Landscapes

UNITED STATES—If shade trees are the ceilings, and hedges and shrubbery are the walls, then turf and other groundcover plants are the floors of...

Grapes And Vines Of Wrath

Anyone can plant a grapevine. With a bit of work, almost anyone can make a grapevine grow. Most who put forth the effort can...

Get The Lowdown On Groundcover

UNITED STATES—Lawns composed of turf grasses are the most functional, but also the most demanding forms of groundcover. That is old news. There are...

Trees Do Not Like Chimneys

UNITED STATES—There are many reasons why fireplaces and their chimneys are not such a safety concern like they were decades ago. Only a few...

Vines Do Not Replace Hedges

UNITED STATES—Urban homes are innately close to other urban homes. Newer homes are even closer to each other than older homes are, and are...

Vines Are Naturally Social Climbers

UNITED STATES—If more of us knew how vines compete in the wild, fewer of us would grow them in our home gardens. Understory plants...

Covering New Ground Or Old With Groundcover

UNITED STATES—As the simple name implies, 'groundcover' covers the ground. Groundcover plants stay lower than shrubbery, and function something like mulch. They insulate shallow...

Keep Vegetation Clear From Chimneys

  Fireplaces simply are not what they used to be. Building regulations in many municipalities do not allow for the construction of new fireplaces, except...