One phrase came to define the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright’s work: organic architecture. This idea, that human dwellings should exist in harmony with their surroundings, revolutionized design in western countries. A beautiful example of the concept lies in Fallingwater, a home Wright designed atop a waterfall in western Pennsylvania. Fallingwater performs organic architecture by meshing the house’s structure and materials with the surrounding wood, water, wind and topography.
While most of us won’t live in a home Wright designed, many residents have the opportunity to align their homes with the natural environment. While a few homeowners have the opportunity to design their structures from the ground up, most are thinking about what they can do with the homes they already inhabit.
Gardens and plants serve as key ways that people can implement organic architecture in their spaces. While there are many ways of doing this, today’s blog will focus on the use of vines in relation to fencing. As a fencing company, we’re invested in supplying quality fencing that can support all of your design aspirations. With a wide selection of product at great prices, we’re confident you can find a fence that suits your environment and your wallet.
Vines: A Background
The partnership of humans and vines goes back a long time. 7,000-8,000 years, in fact. While humans were likely making drinks from wild vines, they decided it made more sense to domesticate them for fermentation. In that process, humans selected the vines that best fit their purposes, mostly in supplying large and tasty fruit. In ancient Egypt, viticulture thrived. In the Bible, after the flood, Noah planted vines.
Clearly, vines have been around for a while, and humans seem to put them to good use. But what is a vine, and what makes them different from other plants? Vines are distinguished by their growth of extremely long stems. It grows these stems as somewhat of a cheat in order to save energy on processes that cost other plants. These long stems conserve energy by 1) allowing other plants and landforms to support growth without having to invest in supportive tissue, and 2) allow vines to grow quickly into the surrounding area in order to find the most suitable conditions. They can grow out of the reach of animals who eat their foliage while remaining rooted in shade.
For home gardeners, these qualities have big implications. Vines’ quick growth and ability to produce lots of foliage means they can be used to decorate poles and walls, replacing manufactured surfaces with green leaves and multi-colored flowers. They’re relatively easy to take care of and uniquely seek out their ideal environments with regard to sun and structure.
Types of Vines and How to Grow Them
While the world of vines is vast and complicated, gardeners commonly categorize them into clinging vines, twining plants, and tendril bearers. While the biological nuances can prove tedious to learn, they do have implications for home gardeners, mainly in the type of support required.
Clinging vines, like their name suggests, are the easiest to grow. Clinging vines include types of ivy and hydrangea that often inhabit old buildings. Sometimes they are described as self-clinging, since they send out rootlets that can fix themselves to surfaces without needing to wrap around a structure. The clear advantage here is not needing any type of structure; any fence will accommodate these vines.
Twining plants, like hops, require twines or other string- or rope-like lines to wrap themselves around. Their tips slowly search around for objects like this and guide the growth of the vine when they’ve found them. Trellises can take many forms, depending on the environment, but most will feature long lines. Fences can act as natural trellises if they have features that facilitate wrapping, like chain link fences or some picket fences. Vertical lines are generally easiest and most natural for plants, but they can also be grown horizontally across a fence by installing strings between eyelets screwed into the fence. Finally, twining vines can be grown vertically up a fence and up and over a structure like a gazebo or lined diagonally across a yard to provide shade.
Tendril bearers, unlike twining plants, send out special tendrils or offshoots to seek out support. Once the tendrils have identified a support structure, they will wrap themselves tightly around it and provide a connection between the vine and the structure. With regard to fences, those with features to which tendrils can cling, like a chain link or slatted fence, can facilitate vine growth on their own. However, with flat surfaces, more structure is required. One way to incorporate this structure is to attach a panel trellis directly to the fence with the use of screws or other means. Another more minimalist approach would be similar to the previously described lines for twining plants. With tendril plants, however, you can get more creative with patterns and designs for your lines, since the vines themselves can grow upward as long as their tendrils have somewhere to which to latch.
Types of Fencing for Vines
At Fencing Direct, we have fencing solutions to meet your gardening and landscaping needs. As mentioned, clinging vines can attach themselves to most surfaces, and would be best suited for tall vinyl privacy fences that feature flat surfaces that would require added structure for other vines. Twining plants and tendril bearers require a bit more thought. Fences suited for these vines include chain link, picket fencing, post and rail fencing, and some other products. Most of these fences will naturally support vines once they’re established. Still, depending on your preferences, you can choose the fence first and implement trellis solutions through either professional or DIY means.
Whatever your gardening dreams, Fencing Direct can supply top quality products at a savings, shipped direct to your door. Their durability and longevity will ensure that they, like your garden, grow into old age while our warranties ensure more peace of mind. Check out our website or give us a call today.
