If you’re not a fan of (the possibly only slightly brutish) Engelman ivy (Parthenocissus quinquefolia ‘Engelmannii’), here’s one of the biggest reasons why they’re worth planting. Isn’t that colour fabulous?
Mine grow up and along a stucco wall and completely fill in some open spaces near (and, as you can see, occasionally “on”) the junipers…I do prune them once a year, but for the most part I just let them go to town. The whole multi-purpose groundcover/vertical filler thing works beautifully for me.
Which climbers are tops (!) in your garden? Which ones do you regret (or stay far, far away from)?
Flowery Prose 
Fall color is basically non existent here so I enjoy seeing yours – is that Grey Owl Juniper?
It’s a ‘Blue Chip’. It’s somewhere between 25 and 30 years old and it seems to get more grey every year (much like me, LOL!).
The autumn colours in the UK were wonderful too, but the leaves are falling fast now
I’m glad you were able to take in some wonderful fall foliage! It was a great year for it, I think.
We’re under snow now, even though there are still a few leaves left clinging. But a Chinook wind is on its way so we might have dry ground by the end of the week. 🙂
I think the one that I had in my last home in the Arizona Mountains was called Virginia Creeper and it turned red like that in the fall. I was thinking about that a few weeks ago but don’t have a place for it here. I miss those colors.
Yes – this is a cultivar of Virginia creeper (the leaves are a bit smaller on the Engelman). Same amazing autumn colour – so pretty!
I love these vines too, but don’t have one in my garden. My only climbers are clematis… unfortunately the wild one also finds its way into the garden and that grows really tall if you let it!
I love clematis and have planted two of them that are struggling mightily – it doesn’t help that the lawn service seems to single them out for inappropriately-timed “haircuts” every year. Ah, the joys of gardening in a public place! I am always thrilled to spot the wild ones whenever we go out hiking in the woods, but they definitely can get HUGE – I can see why you’d want to keep it down to size in the garden. So pretty, though!
Only climber here is clematis but I enjoy looking at others. 🙂 I always wanted a trumpet vine until I read lots of negative articles.
So many amazing clematis selections! I love them!
Ahh, Virginia creeper, beautiful in the fall but a real thug. I try cutting it back and pulling out its root system under some young cedars and an old Austrian Pine – sometimes twice a year – but barely make a dent in its progress.
They can definitely be vigorous, that’s for sure! I’d hate to see what these guys would do in really good soil…. But they can really handle our weird winter weather, which is a bonus.
Lovely seems a paradise
The colours were fabulous this autumn!
I like climbers a lot. We have a hops vine that is just too amazing for words, a wisteria that shows promise, some pretty nice honeysuckle, and a climbing hydrangea that refuses to flourish. But none have this beautiful red foliage in autumn!
Such fantastic selections! Oh how I wish we could grow wisteria here! 🙂
A wonderful colour combo, picked up beautifully in this photograph. To me it looks like a fabric design, would make some wonderful curtains!
I loved the way it looked, too – both the colour and the pattern stopped me in my tracks.
Spectacular indeed. I have Virginia Creeper growing wild on my fence and up the telephone poll, and I’ve let it make a groundcover in one area as well.
I just love the way they fill a space, and look good doing it!
Such amazing fall colours – seems this is the ivy’s time of year!
It sure is! They really shine in autumn.