Quote for today: If at first you don't succeed, you're running about average.
- M.H. Alderson

Article by Jackie Carroll
Editor of GardenGuides.com

For the cost of a packet of seeds, you can quickly create a show stopping garden accent or a living hideaway for children, hide a rusty chain link fence or an unsightly garage wall, and turn an ordinary balcony into a private garden. Started from seeds, annual vines will scramble to heights of 20 feet or more, highlighting features you want to show off and
covering eyesores.

Here are just a few of the many uses for annual vines:

Add a little magic to your garden by planting a trellis or pole with brightly colored morning glories and moonflowers. You'll have a burst of brightly colored flowers during the day, and luminescent white
blossoms at night.

Add shade and privacy to your balcony with annual vines. Because their root systems are limited, they can be grown in large planters on a trellis, or
allowed to trail from window boxes and big hanging baskets. The vertical growing habit will make a small area seem larger.

Annual vines are ideal for introducing your children to the magic of gardening. Build a teepee of bamboo or fallen tree branches, and plant with scarlet runner beans or tall nasturtiums. Your children will enjoy
their colorful (and edible) hideaway while learning about the wonders of nature.

Plant climbing vines along chain link fences and light poles to soften the look of your landscape.

Annual vines will quickly blanket a problem slope or other area that is difficult to mow with colorful flowers. If your slope is difficult to plant, use a vine that will reseed itself such as morning glories
or cardinal climbers.

Plant vines along a southern wall to keep the house cooler in summer. Annual vines are easy to grow. They like a sunny location with good quality, well drained soil. Plant your seeds according to the package directions, and keep them evenly moist until they germinate. After
germination, you'll only need to water when the weather has been extremely hot or dry. Use fertilizers sparingly. An abundance of nitrogen will encourage your vines to produce an abundance of dark green
foliage and few flowers.

Have your trellises or other support in place when you plant your seeds. If you can't plant right next to the support, insert twigs into the soil next to the seeds to lead the vines to their intended support. If the vine can't find its support right away, it will waste time searching and reaching for something to grab on to.

Recommended Annual Vines

Black Eyed Susan Vine Unlike many climbing vines, this one isn't invasive so it can be incorporated into existing gardens without fear of crowding out existing plants. It's a great choice for hanging baskets and window boxes. Height: 5' to 10' trailing vine Photo courtesy of http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/

Cardinal Climber Vine The deep red flowers with white or yellow throats are sure to draw attention to your trellises, fences and poles. Height: 6' to 20' vine Photo courtesy of www.blitzworld.com/garden/

Cypress Vine This vine can add a tropical texture to your landscape with its interesting foliage and mix of bright red, pink and white flowers. With the right conditions, it grows to 20 feet. Height: 8' to 10' vine Photo courtesy of http://inspirezone.org/hiking/

Hyacinth Bean Vine This striking vine will have your visitors asking if it's real! The flowers are followed by velvety purple bean pods. Height: 6' - 20' vine Photo courtesy of http://www.korrnet.org/cityfarm/ - Image provided by Michele Meyer at badseed@fuse.net. Beardsley Community Farm Web page.

Mina Lobata 'Firecracker Vine' or 'Exotic Love,' this unusual, exciting, interesting annual vine has up to 12 beautiful 2" tubular flowers on each spike. Performs well on trellises and in hanging baskets. Height: 6' to 10' vine Photo courtesy of http://aoki2.si.gunma-u.ac.jp/BotanicalGarden/

Moonflower Plant this fast-growing vine on a porch, near an entrance, or under a window where you can enjoy the evening performance and heady fragrance. The flowers bloom only at night, and unfold in 2-3 minutes, and event worth waiting for! Height: 10' to 20' vine Photo courtesy of http://www.outsidepride.com/

Morning Glories In the summer, flowers open in the morning, and in the fall they stay open all day. Morning glories are grown as a groundcover in difficult areas. Height: 8' - 10' vine Photo courtesy of http://www.redbudfarms.com/special/

Sweet Peas Sweet peas are shorter than most of the other annual vines mentioned here, but their outstanding fragrance make them worthwhile when height isn't important. They make a wonderful cut flower. Height: 3' to 5' vine Photo courtesy of The Botanic Garden of  Smith College www.smith.edu/garden/Gardens/ systgarden.html

How Does Your Garden Grow?
Chapter One (Part One) from Tom Ehrenfeld's book, The Startup Garden

Article by Tom Ehrenfeld

Q&A
Questions from our readers...

Q. You ran a great article on CAD using the Macintosh computer, but I don't do design work. What computer is best for accounting, scheduling, estimating, etc.?

G.B.
Santee, CA

A. It is not the computer, but the software you should be looking at. First you find the software that is best suited for your needs. Then you pick the best hardware to run it on. Of course there are significant differences between different hardware systems and this translates into differences in the software. My personal recommendation is the Macintosh computer. The majority of users have a Windows based system.

Make sure you like and understand the system. Even if your secretary or someone else will be using the system you should understand it better than anyone in your company (you do not want to be left hanging if you lose a key person). Lastly, do not buy on price alone. Compare apples to apples. Look at what kind of after the sale service you will receive. How much training are you going to get? What kind of facilities do they have for training? Do they install the system in your office? What does extra consultation cost? Is it available?

Q. What cartoon character said, "The trouble with the rat race is there is never a finish line"?

A. Is this a joke? Or is there a deep hidden meaning here? The answer is Dagwood in the "Blondie" comic strip. We play trivia too!

Q. Is there any site on the web that has landscape software (freeware or shareware) for use?  Just wondering, as I have over an acre to fill with trees and plants, and don't quite know where to start.  It makes it doubly hard as I live in an area of rocks rocks rocks!  If softball or baked potato sized rocks were worth anything, I would be the Bill Gates of rocks!

Nani

A. If you are looking for landscape software for design here are some sources:

http://www.taoherbfarm.com/
http://www.gardencomposer.com/
http://www.broderbund.com/SubCategory.asp?CID=467

For information on plants and planting see these sites:

http://davesgarden.com/welcome.php
http://clearwaterlandscapes.com

Those sites should help.

Q. I am looking for sources of information regarding the safety of children and water features (do's and don't s of a design, inspirational designers, academic or professional debate on the subject).

Do you know of any legislation or approved codes of practice for pond/water feature design?

Thanks for your time,
oneill69uk

A. In general, if children can get into it, it can be a hazard. No water feature will be completely safe without adult supervision. One idea on reducing the hazard would be to raise the water feature as in a sitting height border. This would not stop children, but at least slow them down. You can also place decorative landscaping around features to prevent actually approaching them.

Codes and legislation will vary widely from area to area.

Have questions? We have answers. Send your questions to editor@progardenbiz. Your questions are welcome and will be answered by email and appear in our "Letters" or "Ask?" columns.

Starting a Landscape or Gardening Business:

ProGardenBiz, a landscape and garden magazine for the Green Industry is your online resource for starting and operating a business as a landscape contractor or landscape and lawn maintenance gardener. Related fields covered by ProGardenBiz are irrigation installation and maintenance, sprinklers - repair and maintenance, waterscapes, water features, and ponds. You will also find information on plants, plant identification, trees and tree maintenance, and many other topics that span the Green Industry.

If the answers you seek are not readily found, then drop us an email at: editor@progardenbiz. Your questions are welcome and will be answered by email and appear in our "Letters" or "Ask?" columns.