Hyacinth bean vine. (C) Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
If you are looking for a quick, seasonal cover up, grab a packet of annual vine seeds and sow them.
Annual vines grow from seed to 8 feet tall or more and bloom in one season, offering quick coverage of an unsightly fence. Or, they add height to the garden when grown on a trellis, obelisk or other device.
Most gardeners are familiar with morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea), especially the old-fashion blue varieties. There are many other colors of morning glories to choose from, including pink, white, red, picotee and striped. Morning glories usually bloom in late summer, but ‘Early Call’ is an early bloomer.
Morning glories, like most annual vines, do not like to be transplanted, so it’s best to sow the seed directly in the soil. Or, start seeds indoors in peat pots in mid-spring and transplant — pot and all — according to seed packet instructions.
Scarlet-runner bean. Photo courtesy National Garden Bureau
Another favorite is sweet pea (Lathyrun odoratus), a cool season fragrant annual in pastel and jewel tone colors. Sow seeds directly in the soil as soon as you can work it in spring. Shorter sweet pea types can be grown in containers for spot fragrance at the doorstep.
For fast summer growth and quick blooms, you can’t beat scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) and hyacinth bean (Dolichos lablab). These seeds should be sown outdoors when nighttime temperatures remain above 50 degrees F, about the same time you’d plant green beans in the vegetable garden.
Black-eyed Susan vine. Photo courtesy Swallow Tail Gardens
These beans, though, are grown for their flowers. The scarlet runner bean has bright red flowers and the hyacinth bean has pink blossoms that dangle from purple stems. The seed pods also are purple.
The climbing black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) has 2-inch wide white, yellow or orange flowers with dark centers. This one looks great in a hanging basket.