Harsh outlines of buildings, a dead tree, a dilapidated fence, a sunny window, an obtrusive outbuilding, may be transformed by the use of Nature’s drapery. There exists in the minds of many, unfortunately, a prejudice against vines on the house as injurious to walls. This is entirely unfounded, the contrary, so far as I am able to judge, being the case, especially on the south and west sides of frame houses, where the paint and consequently the woodwork, will be found in a much better state of preservation when protected by such vines as Ampelopsis Veitchi, Virginia Creeper, Woodbine, and the like, than when exposed to the burning, blistering rays of the sun. Vines make a thick growth of overlapping leaves which shed rain and prevent its penetrating to the walls. In England, where it is much used, it is said that walls covered with Ivy are almost indestructible, so hard and dry has the cement remained under its protecting care.

One of the prettiest of summer vines is the Adlumia, though it lasts but one short summer. It is a biennial, stooling the first summer and the second summer bursting into a wealth of tender green foliage, as finely cut as a fern, with hundreds of sprays of delicate flowers—a delightful vine when grown on the north side of the house, where it retains its fine green throughout the season, though in the hot sun it is inclined to burn. It is especially appropriate for funerals. It self-sows, and once established there is sure to be an abundance of it from year to year. In the fall seeds may be scattered where the plants are to remain, or the seed may be germinated in another spot and the seedlings transplanted later. As the plants always receive a check when moved, it is better to do so as early as possible in the fall, that they may become established before cold weather. Plants should be set two feet apart.

CobÆa scandens (Cup-and-Saucer Vine) is a most desirable summer vine. It grows to a great height and blooms freely, throwing great, bell-shaped flowers—pure white, greenish white, lavender, mauve, and purple—from the axil of nearly every leaf. The flowers of the purple variety are pale green at first, changing through all the shades of lavender and purple to plum.

There is another variety—the San Salvador CobÆa—that is even more desirable than the C. scandens. The flowers are much smaller, but have greatly exaggerated stamens that give them distinction. Its chief beauty, however, is the foliage of light, translucent green, to which the sun, shining through it, gives a luminous quality rare in vines. In manner of growth, too, it is superior, its many-lobed leaves lying parallel to, or flat on the netting, instead of at right angles, as is the case with C. scandens. Both these vines do well in a north or east exposure and require less water than most vines. They are admirable for covering an old tree or any partly dead wood.

Seed should be started in the hotbed early in spring, setting them on edge and covering a quarter of an inch deep. Unless the soil appears dry they should not be watered until the plants are up and have their first true leaves. Set out when danger of frost is past in mellow soil, watering as needed, and giving support for the vines to cling to. To stone and brick, or the bark of a tree, they will cling of themselves, each leaf-spray ending in a tendril that attaches itself to any rough surface. I have never been able to ascertain what height they will attain if given support, but the top of a reasonably tall tree falls short of their ambition.

The Centrosema (Butterfly Pea) is rather a hard vine to propagate from seed. Seeds germinate freely, but the young plants seem strangely lacking in vigour, so that frequently, after making a few inches of growth, they refuse to go further, and gradually dwindle away. It is therefore better to make several sowings, soaking the seed in hot water for an hour before using, and planting in hotbed or cold-frame. If it is dropped an inch or two apart in the rows there will be no occasion for disturbing until it is time to transplant into the open ground—which would better be deferred until the plants are six or eight inches high. They should be moved with as little disturbance as possible, pressing the trowel down its full length and lifting and transferring to their permanent position on the east side of the house in one operation. Water and press the earth around the roots and furnish immediate support. Thus treated they will usually thrive and bloom in a few weeks, continuing until frost unless seeds form, which should not be allowed on young plants.

Were they much more difficult to raise, it would still be worth many trials and failures to secure one thrifty plant, so lovely it is when in bloom. I do not remember another plant whose blossoms give one such an idea of perfection—of exquisite and minute finish, as this lovely Centrosema with its beautiful colour, delicate markings, and symmetry of form. Before it bloomed I had begun to wonder whether it was worth all the trouble, but when I saw the first perfect blossom all doubts vanished and I would go to much greater trouble to possess it.

The Centrosema is of slender growth, and seldom exceeds eight or ten feet. Plants should be set a foot apart in front of a wire trellis or other support. They are hardy, but should be given protection in winter.

Gourds are a very useful family. They are an ornamental feature of the summer garden, and afford an economic and unique addition to the winter’s supply of plant receptacles, hanging-baskets, low bowls for Tulips, Crocus, and other bulbs. Many of them are highly ornamental and graceful climbers—as the Wild Cucumber, Bryonopsis, Coccinea Indica, and Abobra, which have delicate foliage and showy fruit, and may be grown where any quick-growing vine is wanted. They are especially good for covering rear fences or unsightly outbuildings.

Some of the varieties have large white flowers which are finer than a Clematis, and of the fruit of large-flowered ones the prettiest hanging-baskets are made. Saw them in two when thoroughly ripe and dry, remove the pulp, scrape the shell clean and thin and give a coat of green or brown shellac inside and out, and hang with brass chains. They are more satisfactory if the gourds are a year old and perfectly dry. A hole must be made for drainage, and in case of bowls, tiny supports fastened to the bottom with glue to raise them from the table, as without the free circulation of air they are liable to mould.

Seed must be sown as early as possible that the fruit may have time to ripen before frost. Set out when all danger of frost is past in any garden soil in a sunny position where they will have good support, as they are vigorous and rapid climbers and will quickly go to the top of a tall tree. They are liable when first set out to be eaten off by cutworms, and they should be protected by a bottomless tin can sunk into the ground two or three inches, care being taken that there are no worms inside the can. The gourds do not grow for some little time after setting out, as they are making roots; but once they begin the development is rapid.

The variegated Japanese Hop is another summer vine that should be extensively grown. Its large, handsome foliage, freely splashed with white, is very showy and effective, and it thrives in almost any situation and soil, though paying well for extra care or attention in the way of cultivation, watering, and food. The vines are not hardy, but, as they self-sow, once established they are practically permanent. Several plants should be set near each other, as only the female plant bears seed. The leaves of this are smaller and the vine more slender. The great-leaved, robust vine bears no seed.

It is better to plant the seed in the fall, as when planted in the spring it may not come up until the following year. If this is the case the ground where it is sown should be left undisturbed until the following spring, when it will make an early appearance. When it does sprout the same season, the seed germinates in from eight to ten days. The plants do equally well on north, south, east or west walls, but should be kept sufficiently watered on the south or west.

There is but one precaution I have found necessary in growing the Japanese Hop: namely, to give it a rather elastic support, a twine trellis being better than a rigid wire one. The finest Japanese Hop I ever saw grew over a south window on a trellis of chicken netting; the growth was wonderful, and the great leaves were beautifully splashed with white. I was exceedingly proud of the vine, but one day I saw it hanging limp and withered from its trellis, and an investigation revealed the astonishing fact that it had grown so rapidly and attached itself so firmly to the unyielding wire that it had pulled its roots entirely out of the ground, literally committing suicide. Since then I have used a more yielding support.

The Japanese Morning-glory should be started in the house or hotbed and not transplanted into the open ground until the nights and ground are warm.

Many of the varieties received direct from Japan are only adapted for growing in pots; that is how the Japanese grow them, and we can hardly expect to improve on their methods. Pot off all plants showing unusual markings, or oddly shaped leaves, and plunge in the sand-box, giving sunshine and abundance of water and using large pots, or shifting frequently as needed. Give liquid manure once or twice a week. Furnish support for the vines to run on, either a trellis or sticks in the sides of the pot and strings run back and forth through and around them, or they may be trained against the wall back of the sand-box. Most of the seeds purchased here, however, are grown in this country, and the plants are as rugged as the old-fashioned Morning-glory. It will be noticed that those with oddly shaped leaves and broad, hairy stems rarely bloom here, the buds appearing too late to develop before frost. Grown in pots these might give some interesting specimens. If only a few of the buds are allowed to develop the size will be greatly increased.

The Maurandya Vine is one of the most satisfactory for low trellises, window-boxes, vases, rockwork, and the like, in summer, and for hanging-baskets in winter. In the open air it attains a height of five or six feet, giving an abundance of pink, white, and lavender-coloured, foxglove-shaped flowers, an inch and a half in length. The smooth, shining leaves are ivy-shaped and cling to supports by a twist of the stem. It grows readily from seed, and germinates in from twelve to fifteen days. For trellis and outdoor work start early in flats or hotbed, setting out when danger of frost is past, but for winter use June is early enough to sow seed. It requires no special treatment, doing well in any situation with good soil and sufficient moisture. This is one of the most graceful and useful vines for either summer or winter.

Thunbergias (Black-eyed Susans) like a warm, sunny situation, and in good soil will grow six or eight feet tall and be covered, until cut down by frost, with a wreath of tube-shaped, flat-faced blossoms two inches in diameter—pure white, white with black eye, yellow with white eye, and yellow with black eye. They are very valuable for covering low trellises, the foundations of porches, window-boxes, urns, or rockwork where a small vine is needed. They are admirable as basket or bracket plants in winter. They grow freely from seed, germinating in about twelve days, and should be started early in flats in the house or the hotbed. Much finer plants are grown in this way than can be purchased from the florist. Their only enemy is the red spider, and they should be showered frequently to prevent an attack.

The Manettia Vine is one of the most satisfactory vines for winter blooming, requiring only a small pot and a place in a sunny window, and blooming better when pot-bound. A daily watering, and occasional doses of weak liquid manure when the other plants are getting it is all the care it needs. It does not require a warm atmosphere, blooming freely in a temperature of about 50°, and giving an unfailing succession of its bright little flowers every day during the winter. It is that rare thing—a plant which the florists have not overpraised. It is every bit as good as it is claimed to be. Though equally at home in a hanging-basket or on a trellis, I have found it most attractive when grown on strings across the window in company with Solanum jasminoides, whose sprays of airy white flowers contrast with the orange and scarlet of the Manettia. A small plant obtained from the florist in spring and potted in a four-inch pot, with good compost, will be ready to bloom by November, and will remain in bloom from that time until spring, when it should be repotted in a six-inch pot and plunged in the sand-box to grow for winter blooming. The only precaution necessary is to keep it in a small pot, as it blooms more freely when pot-bound. Cut back if not branching freely, as the bloom comes at the ends of the new growth.

Clematis (Virgin’s Bower)

The large-flowered Clematis are the most expensive vines we have. So slowly do they propagate from cuttings that the price remains high from year to year. The cheapest way to obtain them is to raise them from seed and, though this is a more or less uncertain method, the expense is so slight compared to the purchase of plants that where many are required it is worth repeated efforts. Plant the seeds in flats in the house either in fall or spring. Cover an eighth of an inch and press the soil down firmly, keeping moist and warm. They germinate in from six weeks to a year; for this reason fall planting is desirable, as the soil may more easily be kept in the right condition. When the plants are large enough to handle, pot off into small pots and plunge in the sand-box, if the weather is warm enough, or in a sunny window if cold. Winter in a frost-proof cellar the first winter, putting them in the open ground where they are to remain till the following spring. The plants will give a few blossoms the second season, enough to show the variety, and the next year may be expected to bloom freely. Plants raised from seed are more likely to bloom and do well than those from cuttings.

Clematis paniculata comes more freely from seed than the Jackmanni strains, and should be largely grown, as it is one of our loveliest vines and blooms when most others have ceased. Clematis flammula self-sows and established little plants are continually coming up in unexpected places, which may be removed to any desired position, as this variety does not in the least mind being disturbed. All Clematis are benefited by winter protection, and such varieties as Ramona and other spring bloomers should have the tops protected with sacking or old carpet. Mrs. Edward Andre dies to the ground in the winter, but should be well protected around the roots. Many growers cut back Clematis to within a few feet of the ground each fall, but where large spaces are to be covered one loses much time, as the frost usually does all the trimming necessary. The early spring bloomers from last season’s wood and cutting back in the fall simply lessen the blossom points. If it is necessary to trim for symmetry or lack of room it should be done immediately after the plants are through blooming, that they may have abundant time for new growth.

It is to be regretted that this fine vine is so common and old-fashioned that no one seems to appreciate it sufficiently to bring it up to its really magnificent possibilities. When grown as a shrub no finer plant for a hedge could possibly be desired. For this purpose the plants should be set about three feet apart, or even closer, if it is desired that the hedge should be useful as well as ornamental. Set in an even row where the hedge is desired, tie each plant to a stout stake, and allow only one branch to grow, cutting this back when three feet high to form the head, which should be made to branch freely. By the time the stake has rotted away the plant will have made a trunk as large as one’s wrist and perfectly self-supporting. All dead and weak branches should be trimmed out each year and the hedge kept pruned back to symmetrical growth. If the seed-pods are not allowed to form the plant will be in bloom nearly all summer. Such a hedge will be a thing to bequeath to posterity along with old oaks and fine elms.

The Trumpet Vine is equally desirable as a climber, and on some surfaces is self-supporting, but on others, as the side of a building or a board fence, it often fails to attach itself, and in that case must be artificially supported. This should be very securely done, as a hard storm may tear a heavy-topped specimen entirely away from its support and do much damage. The best support is afforded by stretching a galvanised wire across a branch, just under a joint, and fastening each end by a staple driven firmly into the building.

Grown as a shrub on the lawn the Trumpet Vine is very fine and should be trained to a stake and grown the same as a Kilmarnock Willow. Every year, as my Bignonias bloom, I grow more and more enthusiastic over their possibilities, and wish more people would grow them with some definite aim in view.