8 Vines and Climbers to Elevate Your Garden

April 18, 2025

8 Vines and Climbers to Elevate Your Garden

1. Boston Ivy

  • Growth cycle: Perennial
  • Height: Up to 50 feet
  • Light: Prefers morning sun and afternoon shade
  • Highlight: Large, textured leaves that turn vibrant red and orange in fall. Ideal for cottage-style facades. Less damaging to structures than English ivy, though it adheres strongly to porous surfaces.


2. Carolina Jessamine

  • Growth cycle: Perennial, semi-evergreen
  • Height: 10–20 feet
  • Light: Full sun to partial shade
  • Bloom time: February to April
  • Highlight: Bright yellow bell-shaped blooms that announce the arrival of spring. Needs a sturdy structure to climb.


3. Coral Honeysuckle

  • Growth cycle: Perennial
  • Height: Up to 20 feet
  • Light: Full sun to partial shade
  • Bloom time: March to June
  • Highlight: Vibrant orange tubular blooms that attract hummingbirds and pollinators.


4. Peggy Martin Rose

  • Growth cycle: Perennial
  • Height: Up to 15 feet
  • Light: Full sun
  • Bloom time: April, with potential rebloom in October
  • Highlight: Pink climbing roses known for their resilience—famously survived two weeks underwater after Hurricane Katrina. Regular pruning is key to manage growth.


5. Tangerine Beauty Crossvine

  • Growth cycle: Perennial, evergreen
  • Height: Up to 30 feet
  • Light: Full sun
  • Bloom time: April to June
  • Highlight: Brilliant tangerine blooms. A Texas native and "Texas Superstar" plant, this vine is hardy and low-maintenance.


6. Star Jasmine (Confederate Jasmine)

  • Growth cycle: Perennial, evergreen
  • Height: Up to 20 feet
  • Light: Full sun to partial shade
  • Bloom time: April to August
  • Highlight: Fragrant white star-shaped flowers. Needs a trellis or support to climb; doesn’t attach to masonry.


7. Clematis

  • Growth cycle: Perennial
  • Height: Varies by variety, up to 20+ feet
  • Light: Part sun
  • Bloom time: Spring or fall
  • Highlight: Large, showy blooms. Popular varieties include 'Jackmanii' (deep purple) and 'Sweet Autumn' (white, fragrant). Great for shady areas but may bloom less.


8. Wisteria

  • Growth cycle: Perennial
  • Height: Up to 30 feet
  • Light: Full sun
  • Bloom time: April through July
  • Highlight: Dramatic purple hanging blooms with sweet fragrance. Long-living and vigorous—best grown in large containers with strong support.


Tips for Thriving Vines:



  • Plant now: Spring is the perfect time, before the intense summer heat arrives.
  • Healthy soil matters: Mix compost with existing soil and use root stimulator like Bio-tone Starter Plus.
  • Water wisely: Monitor moisture daily during the first two weeks. In summer, water twice a week until roots establish.
  • Support structure is key: Plant near fences or walls and use trellises, wires, or soft ties to guide growth.

With the right vines, your garden will gain height, beauty, and life with minimal effort!

June 13, 2025
If you’re a homeowner, chances are you’ve built up a lot of wealth – just by living in your house and watching its value grow over time. And that equity? It’s something that could help change your child’s life. Since affordability is still a challenge, a lot of first-time buyers are struggling to buy a home in today’s market. Even if they have a stable job and a solid plan, buying can still feel out of reach. But that’s where your equity could make all the difference. To give you an idea, the average homeowner with a mortgage has $311,000 worth of equity, according to Cotality (formerly CoreLogic). That’s significant. And some parents are using a portion of their equity to help their children become homeowners, too. According to Bank of America, 49% of buyers between 18 and 26 got money from their parents to use toward their down payment (see chart below):
June 13, 2025
If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you might feel like the odds are stacked against you in today’s market. But there are resources and programs out there that can help – if you know where to look. And one thing that can make homeownership easier to achieve? An FHA home loan. They’re designed to help you overcome some of the biggest financial hurdles in the homebuying process – and that’s why so many first-timers are using them to make their purchase. Whether you’re dreaming of ditching rent , planting roots, or just wanting a place that’s truly yours, an FHA home loan could be the path that gets you there sooner than you think. Buying Your First Home Probably Doesn’t Feel Easy Right Now While the motivation to buy a home is still there for many people, affordability is a real challenge today. According to a survey from 1000WATT, potential first-time buyers say their top two concerns are saving enough for their down payment and making the monthly mortgage payments work at today’s home prices and mortgage rates (see graph below):
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