Divine vines
Annual vines are charming, versatile and fast-growing, providing a quick show of foliage and flowers. They can be trained along vertical supports like fence posts, porch columns, trellises and arbors; allowed to spill from hanging baskets; or left to ramble along the ground. Look for seeds of black-eyed Susan vine, vining nasturtiums, moonflowers, scarlet runner beans, cypress vine, hyacinth bean and Spanish flag. Morning glories are among the most popular annual vines due to their vigor and profuse blooms (but site them carefully, as they may reseed so enthusiastically as to be weedy). A particularly unusual morning glory is ‘Picotee Blue’, which bears purple, star-shaped flowers with a delicate outline of white. ‘Flying Saucers’ has white-and-purple streaked flowers that are 5 inches across.