Horticulture Principles and Practices

After selecting the appropriate species and the area to plant it, the plant should be
set at least 6 to 9 inches (15.2 to 22.9 centimeters) away from the base of the support.
The growing shoot is led to the support by providing it with an angled stake on which
to climb. Once on the support, it is allowed to grow without much interference in the
first year. Thereafter, the shoot should be trained in the desired direction. Where a shoot
is growing at a rapid pace without producing side shoots, it should be pruned to stimulate
branching.
During the dormant season, deadwood should be removed. Any shoot that has
overgrown the space allotted should be cut back. Excessive growth should be removed
to avoid congestion.
Training is important to guide the growth of the plant and to contain it within desirable
boundaries. Vines that bloom on the previous season’s wood should be pruned after
they bloom in spring so that new growth will occur during the summer period to produce
flower buds for the next spring. Those that bloom on the current season’s growth should
be pruned before growth starts in spring to stimulate growth later in spring for more flowers.
It is important to contain vines, especially aggressive ones such as trumpet vines, so
that they do not damage a home’s roof and gutters. When vines are old and show deadwood,
renewal pruning may be necessary.
19.20.1 USING CLIMBERS IN THE LANDSCAPE
Vines may be used in a variety of ways to enhance the landscape and for other functional
purposes:
1. Ground cover. Vines may be used as a ground cover by allowing the plants to trail
on the ground. Species that can be used in this way include ivy (Hedera), Vitis,
Akebia, and Ampelopsis.
2. Hedge plants. Climbers with thick, woody stems, including climbing roses,
bougainvillea, and Hedera, can be trained over appropriate structures such as
tightly stretched wire to form a fence.
3. Container grown. Climbers can be grown in containers and trained over wire
supports to form a variety of decorative shapes. Climbers such as philodendrons
and epipremnums that produce aerial roots can be used in creating moss poles.
4. Cover vertical structures. Climbers can be trained to grow over arches or other
vertically erected structures. These species are vigorous and include Humulus
lupulus ‘Aureus,’ Adlumia, Mina lobata, and Codonopsis.
5. Climbing a pergola. A pergola is a structure consisting of pillars or posts linked by
cross beams or arches. Climbing plants can be grown, one at each post, to climb over
the structure and around the posts.
19.20.2 CLIMBERS AS STANDARDS
Climbers generally do not have enough wood to be self-supporting even when mature.
However, some plants such as Wisteria sinensis and Jasminum polyanthrum can be
trained to stand up as single-trunk, self-supporting plants. Most species trained as standards
never achieve self-support and have to rely indefinitely on a support of some sort,
usually metallic. Standard climbers are also used as border plants around patios.
SUMMARY
Perennial plants, especially, require periodic management in which parts of the plant are
selectively clipped to control growth and remove unproductive and diseased parts. This
activity, called pruning, is designed to improve and sustain quality plant products and
aesthetic value. The four general purposes of pruning are phytosanitary, aesthetic, reproductive,
and physiological. Trees and shrubs are pruned differently. Fruit trees are pruned
to improve light penetration into the canopy and to remove unproductive and diseased
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