A Lasting Foundation

Selecting Vinyl Garden Products for Your Climbing Plants

From the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the formal estates of Victorian England to modern New York rooftops, arbors and trellises have long served as attractive foundations for showing off lush foliage and lovely flowers. Simple or ornate, arbors and trellises are resourceful architectural features which complement many garden styles.

Constructed from such divergent materials as twigs, treated lumber and even ordinary water pipe, these decorative accents have disappointed and frustrated many avid gardeners. Poor quality wood held together with rusty fasteners isn’t a wise investment and makes for a short-lived foundation for climbers that can last for generations. One solution was to use wood treated with preservatives. Unfortunately these chemical treatments are now classified as carcinogenic and environmentally unsafe. And rust-plagued metal rarely looks attractive beyond the first season or two.

Investing in Carefree Styling

There are enough garden tasks to keep one busy for a lifetime; so smart gardeners invest in things that are low-maintenance and last. Vinyl (also referred to as PVC) has become a popular and cost-effective choice for decorative garden products. Vinyl is durable, weather-resistant, never rusts and doesn’t need to be painted. A good quality vinyl product is virtually carefree and lasts for generations.

The U.V. inhibitor Titanium Dioxide acts as a sunscreen to insure the product doesn’t yellow or become brittle. TiO² is a costly ingredient; so be aware that low-end products may skimp on this important protectant. Warranties range from 10-years to Lifetime and can be a complete replacement warranty or a prorated warranty.

From classic white lattice to elaborate arbors with seating, styling choices have never been greater. However, color choices are limited (white, light grays and beiges) and some companies offer only white. Manufacturers indicate that 9 out of 10 customers request white, so this may not be a problem for most homeowners. Painting isn’t a wise option as most paint won’t adhere to the smooth vinyl surface (remember this is a maintenance-free product) and doing so may void the manufacturers’ warranty.

[Sidebar photos and captions – Several vinyl fence manufacturers (Nebraska Plastics, Bufftech and Heritage Vinyl Products) offer garden product lines made from their fencing materials. These are available from their local authorized dealers. Other mass-produced vinyl garden products are sold through your favorite home improvement or garden centers. Vinyl lattice and garden accessories are available on the Web. Try keywords with the terms "vinyl" and "PVC" to locate online sources. See our resource section on page 215 for more information.]

Meeting Your Plant’s Needs

To realize their full-potential, climbing plants must rely on other plants, rocks or man-made structures for support. In order to select the most appropriate foundation for your favorite climber, you’ll need to know a little bit about how plants climb and their growth habits. Vines can be fast-growing annuals that last a single season or perennials that last multiple seasons. Either plant type can be trained to grow up the vertical supports and across horizontal arches.

Climbers can be divided into two different categories – vines with thin-stems and liana (say lee-ahna) with woody stems. Examples of vines are clematis, scarlet runner beans and ivy. Examples of liana are grapes, climbing roses and kiwi.

How vines climb –

By growing tall and lanky – you’ll have to secure them to a support or let them act as a ground cover.

By twining – they send out tendrils that wrap themselves around anything available.

By self-clinging – they send out rootlets that grow into the surface or claw-like disks that stick to surfaces. The rootlets and sticky pads can damage, wood, paint and other porous surfaces.

When using a vinyl arbor or trellis, some climbers may need to be tied or coaxed to wrap around the upright components. Flexible material such as garden tape, twine and plastic-covered wire should be used to avoid damaging the plant. Once the plant becomes established, the ties or strings can be removed on lightweight vines, tight twiners or where windy conditions aren’t a concern.

Plants that are self-clinging will "stick" to the vinyl surface without damaging it. However, it is best to secure these with ties as the plant’s own weight may cause it to "fall away" from the ultra smooth vinyl surface.

Selecting The Right Foundation

The weight of a vine or liana when mature should be considered when choosing an arbor or trellis. Although vinyl is very strong, it is also more flexible than wood or metal. Vinyl decorative accessories with flexible tubes and movable crosspieces may not provide the support a full-grown plant requires. If you live in a windy area or if your plant needs additional support, place your vinyl trellis within a few inches of a fence or exterior wall. Allowing some space between the trellis and the fence or wall ensures that the vine will be able to freely secure itself to the trellis.

To add vertical interest to your garden design, lightweight arches and trellises can be paired with delicate annuals like morning glories and thin-stemmed perennials like clematis. Fast-growing garden favorites such as Mandevilla ‘Alice DuPont’, honeysuckle and jasmine enhance the elegance of an arched shape to define a walkway or create a shaded rest area.

For plants with long anticipated life spans, choose an arbor. Woody-stemmed and heavy blooming plants such as wisteria, grapes and bougainvillea can grow for decades and need the strongest foundation possible. If you’ve ever had to prop up a collapsed support system or replace a deteriorated arbor, you know how difficult it can be to protect a plant’s mature beauty during the process.

[Sidebar: To learn more visit your local library or bookstore for Arbors and Trellises by Warren Schultz; The Backyard Berry Book: A Hands-on Guide to Growing Berries, Brambles, and Vine Fruit in the Home Garden by Stella Lee; Vines and Climbers by R. William Thomas (Ortho Books).]

Some Buying Tips

• Check with local vinyl fence retailers, garden mail order companies and on the Web for choices beyond those offered by home improvement and garden centers. On the Web, try both "vinyl" and "PVC" as part of your keyword search.

• Be prepared for a truck delivery. Many arbor kits use posts that are too long to ship by UPS so truck shipments are necessary. Many trucking companies will only deliver to your "front door". Inquire before ordering, if you need this to be carried to your garden site.

• Do-it-yourself! Many vinyl garden décor items are ready-to-assemble kits, so you’ll need some basic tools such as screwdrivers and pliers. Vinyl lattice can be cut with ordinary hand or electric saws. Finer blades work best.

• Read the instructions carefully and verify all parts before starting. The best manufacturers provide extra screws, nuts and washers; but just in case, dump these small components into a heavy bucket or tray to keep them contained.

• Select kits that use weather-resistant hardware such as stainless steel or powder-coated aluminum or vinyl pins and connectors.

• Be careful when handling PVC glue. It works by permanently fusing the two components together so misaligned components will stay that way!

• Ask your home improvement center for "just-add-water" cement such as Quick-Crete^® for easier installation.

• Measure your space carefully. Vinyl cannot be trimmed or sanded to fit and precut components eliminate most "adjustments".

• Freestanding arbors should have ample (a minimum of 4 inch square) posts that can be sunk into the ground at least 12 inches. Heavy-weight vinyl arbors use 5 inch square posts and allow for 18 inches in-ground. Concrete footings provide the most stable installation. Most manufacturers provide instructions on securing arbors in this manner. Arbors that have built-in seats or gates must be secured with concrete footings or bolted directly onto concrete walks and patios.

• Choose your preferred lattice opening and style and make certain all sheets match. Vinyl lattice panels come with different spacing, strip sizes and patterns. Openings range from 1 inch to 3 inches, strips can be 1 ¼ inch to 2 inches, and patterns can be diamond or square.

• Tame the mildew. Mildew may grow on vinyl in humid regions or moist and shady areas of the garden. The vinyl surface is very smooth so if mildew becomes a problem, use a high-pressure nozzle and simply spray it off. Some manufacturers recommend a mild household bleach solution to remove the mildew. We don’t recommend this procedure as chlorine can damage plants.

(copyright 2002 – Sharon L. Fullen)