Planting Guide
Vines
Location and Selection
Not all vines are alike. Think about what you would like the
vine to do before you grab the first pretty pot! Would you like
the vine to sprawl on the ground as a ground cover or climb
a wall or trellis? Would you rather have something that stays
evergreen in the winter or can it lose it's leaves? Will the
vine be growing in the sun or shade? Would you like your vine
to produce ornamental flowers or berries? Do you want to attract
Hummingbirds? Take all these things into consideration before
choosing your vine. Make sure that your vine is appropriate
for your location.
Planting
Dig
a hole twice as wide and only as deep as the root ball of the
vine. Be sure to adjust the hole so that the top of the root
ball is 1" to 2" above ground level. Next, remove
the container. Plastic pots can be removed by turning the plant
upside down or laying it on its side and gently tapping at the
pot until the grass slides out. Refill the hole with a blended
mixture of 1/3 Sunshine Peat Moss or Soil Pep and 2/3 of your
garden soil. Firm the backfill by tamping it gently. Build a
watering basin around the plant high enough to hold 3"
to 4" of water. Make the basin at least as wide as the
hole that was dug. Immediately water the plant deeply by filling
the basin with water once, letting it soak in, and filling it
up a second time. The use of Fertilome Root Stimulator at planting
time will greatly reduce transplant shock and encourage your
grasses to resume their normal growing habits more quickly.
Feeding
Next spring, fertilize with Bookcliff Gardens Choice Professional
Turf Food. Scatter evenly beneath the plant in late April and
then again in mid June. Be sure to water it in well after applying.
This will give your vine a slow, even feeding throughout the
growing season.
Vine Categories
Vines fall into four general climbing categories:
- Twining: New growth on these vines twist and spiral as they
grow. They twist around themselves and other plants nearby.
These vines require some guidance and a structure to grow on.
Vines that fall into this category are: Honeysuckle, Wisteria,
Bittersweet, Clematis, and Silverlace.
- Tendrils: These vines have specialized growths that reach
out and grab onto the nearest thing they can make contact with.
Engleman Ivy and Grapes fall into this category.
- Clinging: These vines can climb up a wall without a trellis
or support. They have "Sucker Discs" that hook into
small irregularities and crevices on flat surfaces. Vines in
this category might be: Wintercreeper, Trumpet Vine, Boston
Ivy and English Ivy.
- Must Be Tied: Some vines have no means of support and they
need to be tied to a trellis. A familiar vine that falls into
this category would be Climbing Roses.
Training and Pruning
Most vines are just pruned to keep them within bounds, but
your can "renovate" your old vine occasionally. Do
this by thinning out dead, old, or winter damaged growth to
encourage fresh new, lush vines. Most Clematis varieties that
are grown here are best maintained by cutting the entire plant
back to 12" early each spring.
Plants such as Wisteria, Trumpet Vine and Grapes can be pruned
into a permanent, woody framework. To do this, form a multi
or single trunk up to the height desired and horizontal branches
or "arms" to cover the area. The vine can be maintained
to the basic size of your framework by pruning back to two bud
"spurs" early each spring.
Watering
It is impossible to give a watering schedule that will be right
for everyone all of the time. Factors such as the soil type,
how big the plant is, how fast the plant is growing, air temperature,
humidity, wind and light intensity all will affect how often
a particular plant will need watering.
The basic rule of thumb is to water deeply, but infrequently.
Get the water down a minimum of 18" at each watering. This
encourages the plant to develop a deep, drought tolerant root
system. Then give the soil a chance to dry slightly between
waterings. It is common for people to kill or unnecessarily
stress their plants by watering too frequently. The roots of
a plant require oxygen in order to function. If the soil is
constantly waterlogged, there is not enough oxygen available
to the root system and the roots suffocate and begin to die.
Knowing this, our recommendation is to water deeply by building
a basin around plants that are not watered by lawn sprinklers.
It should be wide enough to accommodate the root system of the
plant (generally out to the drip line of the plant) and high
enough to hold three or four inches of water when full. Fill
the basin full, let it soak in, and fill it a second time. Then
don't water the plant again until the soil in the basin begins
to dry. Don't just look at the soil surface; dig down 4"
to 6" to see how dry the soil is. The soil should be showing
some significant drying down at that depth. One little trick
is to scoop up a handful of soil from that depth and squeeze
it into a ball. If the ball holds its shape after you let go,
the soil is still wet. If the ball falls apart, it's time to
water. Using this method several times, you will be able to
determine your own watering schedule.
For plants that will be watered with lawn sprinklers, water
as described above at planting time. Then remove the basin.
Most of the plant's day to day water needs will be met by the
lawn watering. However, a deep soaking every month or two is
recommended in addition to the lawn watering. In addition, during
the winter a monthly deep soaking of all newly planted shrubs
is a good idea. This should be done for the first two winters
after planting.
Our Guarantee
Thanks for buying a plant from Bookcliff Gardens. Our goal
is that you be successful with every plant you purchase from
us. We'll try to give you as much information and instruction
as it takes to make this happen. If you have any questions,
please ask! We'll do our best to answer them. However, since
this is not a perfect world, and in spite of the best of both
of our efforts, plants sometimes die. If this happens within
the first year after buying the plant from us, we will replace
it; give you an equal amount of credit; or refund your money
if you have your receipt. We limit our guarantee to replacing
a plant only once, and the guarantee does not apply to annual
bedding plants or house plants. If you're having a problem with
a plant, come in and talk to us about it; we'll try to find
out what happened so we won't lose another plant. It's in both
of our interests that the plants you buy from us grow and thrive.
We want you to be successful!
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Bookcliff Gardens
(970) 242-7766
755 26 Road (North 1st at I-70) • Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
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