Vines/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Grapes | 12/12/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I obtained five grape seeds from fruits and after struggling with them for about a month ... A: Greetings, Abhishek - I am not familiar with the growing conditions in your country, but I do know ... | ||
| How best to get rid of vines which have overtaken my fence | 10/26/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Over the past several months, vines have made a major attempt to completely cover the fence that's ... A: Good day, Raphael! Although you did not specify the types of vines "eating" your fence, there is ... | ||
| Creeping fig | 10/3/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I am trying to grow a creeping fig on a old painted brick wall. It is taking a long time to become ... A: Greetings, Carol! Small world - I used to live in Melbourne as a child before I moved back to the ... | ||
| clematis | 7/25/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have two group 2 clematis - can't recall the name. I tried to tie the vines up to a lattice to ... A: Good day, Rosalie - Clematis - in any group - can quickly become an "eyesore" if left untended for ... | ||
| Is this a vine or a weed? | 7/13/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: About a month ago I noticed a little plant growing in my avocado's pot. I decided to let it grow and ... A: I have family in Birmingham! (Just a shout-out to Alabama...sorry to digress....) Thank you for ... | ||
| controlling grapes | 6/3/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I recently moved in with my in-laws and have taken on the task of whipping the vegetable garden into ... A: Ahh, grapes. I have visions of Lucy and Ethel, stomping grapes in the episode where the Ricardos and ... | ||
| Lagenaria vulgaris | 5/26/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: My "Lagenaria vulgaris" plant is five months old. It grows a lot of flowers - both male and female, ... A: Good day, Abhishek - I have to say that I have never grown Lagenaria vulgaris (which we call ... | ||
| Chinese Star Jasmine | 5/25/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: although you are in America and we are in Australia, I assume the same applies: We have a number of ... A: Good day, Ian! Western Oz!!! You are so lucky. I lived in Melbourne for a few years as a child, but ... | ||
| Honeysuckle Vine | 5/25/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I recently bought a honeysuckle vine and potted it in a large pot and placed it on our deck. It was ... A: Good morning, feroza - Yes, too much moisture is often the culprit when it comes to sudden ... | ||
| climbing hydrangea | 5/15/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: My climbing hydrangea is 8 years old. We live Coastal Georgia. It gets medium shade. A garden center ... A: Deb - Climbing hydrangea is a fabulous flowering vine, but it takes a long time to establish itself. ... | ||
| Clematis | 4/30/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: So out clematis vines dies (probably from clematis wilt) last season. Now though we can see new ... A: congratulate yourself for even knowing which group your Clematis belongs to. Most people don't have ... | ||
| Star Jasmine/Moonflower Vine | 2/21/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Our back 8' fence is a solid cover of the neighbor's star jasmine that has been growing for many, ... A: The Star Jasmine fence sounds gorgeous ... and I am somewhat amazed that it hasn't brought the fence ... | ||
| vining crops (garden) | 2/9/2011 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: some years i have to many blooms (cucumber, cantlope,watermelon,) and they grow well just very and ... A: Let me start off with a disclaimer - I have never grown cantaloupe. I have grown cucumber and ... | ||
| gardening | 10/19/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: what is the method and proper time to grow bogenvelia vine? i,m indian residing at himachal pradesh. A: Bougainvillea vines are spectacular vines, and I have only one of them because they are not hardy in ... | ||
| Wisteria | 9/26/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Aside from how good it looks, I know nothing about Wisteria. I have been given one Wisteria seed ... A: You can certainly get the seed off to a good start indoors. Here's how: once you have removed the ... | ||
| Wisteria | 9/26/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Aside from how good it looks, I know nothing about Wisteria. I have been given one Wisteria seed ... A: Greetings, Dan - Congratulations on getting a good Wisteria seed pod. Wisteria is, by far, my ... | ||
| Climbing Vine | 9/24/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have an unique problem to where my neighbor's security light is directly on my property line. The ... A: that is a rather unique problem! Obviously, what you want/need is probably an evergreen vine. ... | ||
| star jasmine | 9/16/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have 2 star jasmine plants recently purchased and now growing in two 12" containers. I live in ... A: Yes, I think that the back porch room would be a better site than the basement, and I'd place in ... | ||
| star jasmine | 9/15/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have 2 star jasmine plants recently purchased and now growing in two 12" containers. I live in ... A: Good day, Teresa! Star jasmine are spectacular vines, and you are certainly doing the right thing ... | ||
| Clematis in pots | 8/23/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have a few questions about Clematis vine. We recently bought two Clematis vines: Warsaw Nike, and ... A: Mini. You've got quite an uphill battle, living in a relatively cold climate and growing Clematis! ... | ||
| trumpet vine | 8/22/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: i have a trumpet vine in my back yard, the stem is not to large. why doesn't it produce flowers. ... A: You aren't alone, Anthony. Trumpet vines are vigorous growers and a lot of people plant them with ... | ||
| dutchmen's pipe vine | 8/20/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Our vine has been completely destroyed by a caterpillar that eventually turns into a beautiful black ... A: to live in beautiful Vero Beach! I will REALLY envy you come next February if we get a repeat of ... | ||
| Stinging Vines | 8/16/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I was clearing an overgrown area in my yard (in Southern Illinois) this weekend and came across some ... A: Okay, I've asked around here in my area (mid-Atlantic) and I think that perhaps what you have is not ... | ||
| unidentified vine | 8/14/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have a trailing ground vine that has started to grow by the bushes in front of my house.It is ... A: You have what is commonly called "Wild Strawberry" (Fragaria virginiana) and it is, indeed, ... | ||
| Dutchmans pipe | 8/3/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I just planted a dutchmans pipe this year, it took off for awhile, but now the ends went brown and ... A: congratulations on choosing a truly spectacular vine! It is one of my favorites, and I have just ... | ||
| moon plant/vine | 7/25/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Franklin:Moon plant planted in May when very tiny now is 7 feet tall and loaded with leaves but no ... A: Greetings! First of all, I am assuming that you have moon vine (Ipomea) and not moon flower ... | ||
| trumphet honeysuckle vine | 7/14/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I love your website! We had 4 vines that are 10-12 feet tall and grow over our arbor. This is the ... A: it's a sign that the vine is drought-stressed. Even though they are drought-"tolerant" (up to a ... | ||
| wisteria | 7/1/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I live in Alabama on a very wooded .75 acre lot. The previous owners made a point to never do any ... A: Josh...Congratulations on clearing out your property and making such progress; I am sure the effort ... | ||
| Need help choosing a flowering vine | 6/17/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have a wood fence that I would like to cover using some type of flowering vine. I was hoping to ... A: Yes, I think that would be okay, as long as the wooden slats are wide enough and set tightly enough ... | ||
| Need help choosing a flowering vine | 6/17/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have a wood fence that I would like to cover using some type of flowering vine. I was hoping to ... A: If the slats of the wood are thin enough, some vines will find a way to wrap their tendrils around ... | ||
| Morning Glory | 6/9/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: Several years ago I bought a packet of morning glory seeds and planted them along my white picket ... A: Good morning - This is my second attempt to submit a reply to your very good question; I answered a ... | ||
| ailing goldflame honeysuckle | 6/1/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I live in Paris France - I dont know what zone that is the equivalent of - but we get a lot of rain ... A: Bonjour, Maria! Let's tackle the last few questions first. Growing Lonicera x heckrottii (Goldflame ... | ||
| Wisteria Vine | 5/8/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: My wisteria was taking over my arbor, so over the winter I carefully cut it back about 20-25%. We're ... A: Well, if we rule out disease (hard to do remotely/on-line) or any insect problem (such as borers) - ... | ||
| Wisteria Vine | 5/7/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: My wisteria was taking over my arbor, so over the winter I carefully cut it back about 20-25%. We're ... A: Roger, I am so sorry about your wisteria! Before I can consider your question thoroughly, though, I ... | ||
| Vine diseases | 4/12/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have begun pruning my grape vine and several branches are bleeding. Should I be concerned? ... A: Baking soda has been used as part of a homemade fungicide since the 1930s, and although I have never ... | ||
| Pruning vine | 4/9/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have begun pruning my grape vine and several branches are bleeding. Should I be concerned? A: Good day, Steven! Congratulations on having a grape vine. You did not say what variety, but as my ... | ||
| Grape (Scuppernong) vines and weeds | 4/4/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I have a couple of scuppernong vines running along the fence. Underneath I have mulched with ... A: You're so lucky to have scuppernong grape vines; they are one of my favorites. Unfortunately, ... | ||
| English ivy horticulture | 4/3/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: During this past winter deer have stripped the leaves from my English ivy groundcover with the ... A: Richard, I'm sorry to hear about your deer problem! They are lovely creatures, but they do seem to ... | ||
| growing jasmine in my garden | 3/31/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: i live in slovenia on the south-east slope of a hill & would like to grow jasmine to climb to the ... A: Jasmine is a fabulous, aromatic addition to any garden, and although I am not knowledgeable about ... | ||
| jackmanii clematis in zone 6a | 3/18/2010 | Kathleen Franklin |
| Q: I planted jackmanii last season, but am now realizing that I know very little (next to nothing) ... A: Jackmanii is one of my all-time favorite Clematis; I have one growing up our lamp-post/address ... | ||
Kathleen Franklin
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer all kinds of questions about vines that thrive in most U.S. soils/climates, though I am more knowledgeable about Zones 4-8. I am a huge fan of vines (even the sort of "Look out, Martha, here it comes again" varieties), especially wisteria, climbing hydrangea, Carolina jessamine, and (invasive though it is) English Ivy. I grow them all, and would love to share what I've learned with you!
Experience
I am a certified, active Master Gardener in Maryland (Montgomery County) and have six+ years experience working at a local garden nursery. I've been gardening for more than 20 years and have done consulting work for many residential homeowners on all aspects of gardening and garden design.
Organizations
Maryland Master Gardeners
Friends of Brookside Gardens
Nature Conservancy
Publications
I have authored numerous nature and gardening-related articles for publications ranging from Audubon Naturalist News to Washington Gardener magazine.
Education/Credentials
I have taken courses in Integrated Pest Management, perennials, shrubs, and vines.
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