Daily News-Record, April 2, 2022
Some native vines that provide food as well as shelter and nesting sites for wildlife are Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), and Common Greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia).
All three of these sun-loving plants are considered by many folks to be uncontrollable “weeds”, but none of them are difficult to limit. The alert gardener who does not want a plethora of vines simply needs to pull out the few seedlings that come up each year. Just as with any other kind of plant, these vines “take over” only after several years of ignoring them in the landscape.
Common Greenbriar is a plant that you want to grow in a corner or area of the yard where no one might brush against it. It has barbs that can scratch you, but therein lies part of its usefulness to wildlife. A fox (or cat or dog) chasing a rabbit will undoubtedly be brought to a halt if its prey runs under a greenbriar thicket. Birds often nest here, and the bluish-black berries that this vine produces are consumed by songbirds and mammals during the winter.
You could start a Common Greenbriar vine from fruits, or you could hope one appears in your yard on its own in the right place! Years ago, I encouraged volunteer greenbriar along my driveway and the thicket is quite attractive with its leathery but glossy green leaves.
I love Virginia Creeper because of its beautiful fall foliage that is my favorite color—red. The palmately compound foliage makes this vine extremely attractive growing up a tree trunk. The flower is inconspicuous but produces a bluish-black berry on a bright red stem that’s visible in early fall. Small mammals and many species of songbirds eat it.
Virginia Creeper often shows up in yards on its own (well, with the help of the animals that eat its berries), but it can also be bought from nursery catalogs. They transplant okay except they are sort of slow to really take off. When Virginia Creeper does start to grow well, it can reach over 35 feet (10 meters).
Trumpet Creeper is the best all-around native vine for the yard. It produces pinnately compound leaves and tubular orangey-red flowers that look great from late-spring until fall arrives. Besides increasing the beauty of your yard, Trumpet Creeper provides nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and seeds for Tufted Titmice, American Goldfinches, and Dark-eyed Juncos. I’ve even seen titmice storing shelled sunflower seeds from my feeders in its hollow dried stems!
Trumpet Creeper requires lots of room as it can grow more than 35 feet (10 meters) long. You must tie the vine to the structure on which you want it to grow until its rootlets attach to the support. I trained mine to climb up the trellising at the south end of my deck and it spills over the deck railing and onto the floor.
Older stems become woody with age. As a result, the vine eventually supports itself and you can untie it.
Marlene A. Condon is the author/photographer of The Nature-friendly Garden: Creating a Backyard Haven for Plants, Wildlife, and People (Stackpole Books; information at www.marlenecondon.com). You can read her blog at https://InDefenseofNature.blogspot.com