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Manual of Gardeningvine, gourds, and others, are frequently used. One of the best of recentintroduction is the annual hop, especially the variegated variety. This is a very rapid-growing vine, seeding itself each year, and needing little care. The climbing geraniums (_Pelargonium peltatum_ and its derivatives) are much used in California. All the tender vines should be planted after danger of frost is past. So many good vines are now on the market that one may grow a wide variety for many uses. The home gardener should keep his eyes open for the wild vines of his neighborhood and add the best of them to his collection. Most of these natives are worthy of cultivation. Even the poison ivy makes a very satisfactory cover for rough and inaccessible places in the wild, and its autumn color is very attractive; but of course its cultivation cannot be recommended. Vines that cling closely to walls of buildings are Virginia creeper (one form does not cling well), Boston or Japanese ivy _(Ampelopsis tricuspidata;_ also _A. Lowii,_ with smaller foliage), English ivy, euonymus _(E. radicans_ and the var. _variegata_), and _Ficus repens_ far south; others that cling less closely are trumpet creeper, and climbing hydrangea _(Schizophragma hydrangeoides)._ Vines for trailing, or covering the ground, are periwinkle _(Vinca),_ herniaria, moneywort _(Lysimachia nummularia_), ground-ivy _(Nepeta Glechoma), Rosa Wichuraiana,_ species of native greenbrier or smilax (not the so-called smilax of florists), _Rubus laciniatus,_ dewberries, and also others that usually are not classed as vines. In the South, Japanese honeysuckle and Cherokee rose perform this function extensively. In California, species of mesembryanthemum (herbaceous) are extensively used as ground covers on banks. Page 86. Next Page |
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