Invite Climbing Plants To Climb On In

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - That's cute! And I didn't have to do any work at all.

Why not just let a climbing plant clamber up over something like a shrub?

That's how I ended up with dark purple clematis flowers nestled next to poofy blue hydrangea puffs. There is a trellis for the clematis back against the wall behind the hydrangea. But over the years, the hydrangea's gotten so big, I can't get back there easily enough to tie up the vine anymore. But why bother when the hydrangea is happy to hold it up just fine?

You don't want to let vigorous vines smother a shrub or cover the canopy of trees. But for gentle growers like a delicate clematis or even an annual like mandeveilla, it's a nice surprise to see a flowering vine in your garden using a sturdy shrub as a shoulder while it struts its stuff.

Reported By Phran Novelli, KYW Newsradio