Ways Vines Attach Themselves to Things

Tendrils

• Some climbing vines use tendrils for support. Tendrils are wiry, skinny shoots that grow from the vine stem, reaching out until they contact something they can curl themselves around. Some vines have tendrils that are modified leaves growing from leaf nodes. Vines with tendrils can be grown on netting with a mesh 2 to 4 inches square or on horizontal cord strung between poles.

Twining

• Some vines climb by twining their stems around a vertical support, such as a thin pole. Certain species of twining vines will wind their stems clockwise around a support, while others wind counterclockwise. Support twining vines in the garden by tying several thin poles together at the top to form a triangle or teepee shape.

Adhesive Pads

• Certain ornamental vines grow tendrils tipped with adhesive pads called holdfasts that stick to virtually any surface, rough or smooth. These plants can climb up the face of a building or trunk of a tree by gluing themselves to the surface they are growing on. They don’t need any special kind of support.

Clinging Roots

• Several vine species grow clinging stem roots along their length to attach themselves to any irregular, rough surface. They don’t need special supports. These short stem roots penetrate into cracks and crevices of the surface to hold the vine in place.

Scrambling Vines

• Some vining plants grow long, thin stems that normally scramble along the ground, growing up and over obstacles. These plants can be trained onto an arbor or trellis but they have no way to cling to the structure. They have to be arranged on the structure and tied in place.