How to Train Wall Vines

Some of the most attractive old houses and buildings have vines covering parts of the walls. Most often, these are ivy vines but other types of vines will also work. The vines available for this particular look range from simple vines such as ivy to flowering or fruit-bearing vines like the trumpet vine or grapes. You can train vines to follow walls by providing supports and tending their growth to keep them growing in the direction you desire and away from areas that they shouldn't cover.

Scaffolding poles
Hammer
Strong steel wire
Wire cutters
Pliers

Instructions

- 1
  Plant your vine near the wall you desire it to climb. The vine will creep along the ground until it finds the wall and begins to climb it.
- 2
  Drive scaffolding poles into the ground next to the wall near were the vines grow. The scaffolding poles provide support for the vine and any fruit that you expect. If you need more support to deal with the added weight than the poles will handle, place them now. You can always remove unneeded ones later.
- 3
  String strands of steel wire back and forth across the face of the wall. Attach the wire to various points along the poles as you move up the wall. The vine will select its own way across a space or into a new direction, so place as many pathways with the wire as possible.
- 4
  Tie the vine to the wire network when it is young, so that it will go in the direction you desire. You will need to tend the vine from time to time, especially for ivy vines, to limit the directions you allow it to climb. Prevent it from covering windows and doors.
- 5
  Prune and clip the vines back as you would other shrubs to create fuller coverage of the wall and to fill out the body of the vine.

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