Creeper

Twining is the climbing mechanism in almost 50% of all neotropical climbers, being observed in 4291 species, followed by tendrils (1931), simple scrambling (1333), adhesive roots (1062), prehensile branches (322), twining petioles (103), hooks and grapnels (26), and twining peduncles or inflorescences

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Dinesh ^club

Growing up rather than out is a good way to save space in the garden. You also get to enjoy lots of great vine plants such as sugar snap peas, pole beans, moonflowers, bougainvillea, and clematis. Adding a trellis or some other vertical structure to your garden also gives you a whole new dimension of visual interest.

But figuring out how to match climbing plants with the right kind of support leaves many gardeners baffled. Why won't pole beans and tomatoes climb up a lattice frame? Why won't sweet peas and clematis climb a pole?

The answer is that climbing plants climb in particular ways: some wrap, some adhere, and some curl. Here's how to recognize which plants do what:

How Plants Climb: Tendrils
Peas are a good example of a plant that uses tendrils to climb. Tendrils are skinny, wiry structures along the plant's stem that actually reach around in the air until they come into contact with something they can grab. Once contact is made, the tendril curls, forming a coil that allows the plant to adjust the degree of tension or pull on the support.

There are two kinds of tendrils. Stem tendrils (which passionflowers and grapes have) are shoots that grow out of the stem. Leaf tendrils (which peas have) look very similar, but the tendrils are actually modified leaves that emerge from a leaf node.

Like a rock climber scaling the face of a mountain, plants that have tendrils need handholds in the form of horizontal supports. Netting works well for plants with tendrils, as long as the mesh is more than 2" square. I once tried growing sweet peas on some bird netting that we had lying around and the peas refused to take hold.

Branches are a popular material for supporting tendril-climbers. Just make sure that branches are brushy—with lots of small side shoots—and not smooth, vertical sticks. Horizontal strings attached to posts or bamboo poles are ideal. Just don't position the strings more than about 4 inches apart or the newest set of tendrils may not be able to reach the next level of string. Also, because most tendrils are only about an inch long, they need to wrap around something thin (like string or wire) that's no more than about 1/4 inch in diameter.

www.gardeners.com/how-to/how-plants-climb/5373.html

12 days ago. Edited 12 days ago.