The Vines, creepers and climbers in India are often grown along the top of the compound wall or as a cover for walls, or at the entrance as an arch. Since, these are the plants with soft stems, they grow only with a support.
Vines have a place in garden decoration that cannot be matched by any other plant. They have the ability to produce a large quantity of flowers in the minimum of space and to hide or soften ugly materials or outlines. They should be selected for the purpose for which they are adapted. Certain group of vines work well on masonry, others make good ground cover, while some must have artificial support or help in their climbing.
The vines, climbers and creepers in India are divided into two general classes: annual and perennial, hardy or, as often referred to, woody. The annual vines as well as some of the smaller hardy types grow very well in well-drained soil, which has received ordinary digging. The larger hardy varieties, however, are often expected to remain in a single spot for many years and so merit about one cubic yard of good soil.
The hole for a vigorous vine should be at least two feet square and two feet deep, or better, three feet each way. The ground in the bottom should be broken up and made to drain if the soil is hard. The excavation should then be filled with good soil, well supplied with rotten manure and coarse raw bone. Each plant should have a space three to six feet square in which it will not have to compete for food and moisture with other strong-growing plants.
No vine should be planted where water drips on it every time it rains. This is bad for the foliage but worse still for the plant in winter. Much winter killing is caused by the drip of water on warm days, which coats the plant with ice at sundown. The ice-coated vine swaying in the wind suffers many cracks and wounds which offer means for the ready entrance of pests and the loss of stem juices in the spring. Large plants of vines, climbers and creepers category should be inactive if possible when planted. Spread the roots to the fullest extent, cutting off all broken or injured ones and take care to see that wooden supports of the plant are made of substantial, long-lasting material.
The vines, climbers and creepers grown against a sunny wall should receive special watering. They get the heat not only from the sun but also that reflected from the wall. Also at night the wall will reflect the heat long after sundown. The vines, climbers and creepers are used screening, for correcting or softening architectural lines and for flowering beauty. The common vines, climbers and creepers in India are mainly Bignonia venusta, allamanda, passiflora and Jacquemontia. While Bleeding Heart, Grape Ivy, Starry Wild Jasmine and Clematis are popular climbers in India.
