There’s always more to explore in the world of gardening. A while back we wrote an article about ivy and how you should (and shouldn’t) grow and manage this vining plant. While we noted that ivy and other vines can potentially damage houses and other structures by growing into cracks and crevices and forcing them open, we didn’t go into detail on that issue. Probably as a result, we received quite a few questions from readers about ivy and other vining plants and whether or not they damage brickwork or masonry. As with all good gardening questions, this one is complex—there’s a lot of misinformation and popular mythology floating around. So, as we always do, let’s dig in and learn a bit more about vines, bricks, and masonry!
How Vines Attach to Buildings
Gardening nerds, rejoice! We’re about to get into detail (and be a bit pedantic) about how vining plants attach to buildings, trees, and other structures. We’ll try to keep it brief, but it’s important to understand the basics of how vines climb before we can address the impact they have on bricks, masonry, and other surfaces. (We’ll also take a moment to remind you that not all vines climb; “sprawling vines” just lay on the ground or other surface without climbing or supporting appendages.)
As you may have noticed, different climbing vines have distinct means of attaching to and climbing a surface. Some vines—like wisteria, honeysuckle, Smilax spp, and trumpet vine—keep it simple and twist themselves around whatever structure they’re growing on. These are also known as twining vines, and anyone who’s had to remove this type of vine from a chain-link fence knows how tenacious this approach can be. Interestingly, these plants always twine themselves in the same direction; wisteria twines counterclockwise, for example, while Smilax spp twists itself in a clockwise direction.
Other plants take a more complex approach and grow out root structures—sometimes called “air roots”—to grip the growing surface much like underground roots grip the soil. Climbing hydrangea, poison ivy, and Euonymus spp are all examples of these sorts of vines. Clinging vines can be beautiful and long lasting, but also tedious to remove as they tend to grip their growing surfaces.
Grabbing vines put out tendrils that wrap around any branch, stem, or other support they find. You may have seen the grabbers on your cucumber, melon, or squash vines. All of these popular garden plants fall into the grabbing vine category, as do decorative plants like Clematis and passionflower. Grabbing vines tend to be faster growing, seasonal plants—although there are exceptions like grapevines. Removing them can be fairly easy or labor-intensive, depending on the surface they’ve grown on and how long they’ve been there.
Finally, and perhaps most interestingly, we have the adhesive vines. Virginia creeper and Boston ivy are two prominent examples, as are Cissus spp and Baltic ivy. These plants put out tendrils, but rather than growing into the surface like air roots or wrapping around it like a grabbing vine’s these tendrils have pad-like adhesive structures on the ends that stick to the surface. These little pads can stay behind on the growing surface long after the rest of the vine has died back or been removed, making them a cosmetic issue especially on painted surfaces.
Do Vines Damage Bricks or Other Masonry?
So now that we understand how climbing vines climb, let’s get to our central question: do they damage brick or masonry surfaces? The short answer is “no, not really” and the long answer is just a touch more complicated. Let’s dig deeper.
Despite popular myths to the contrary, vining plants will not in and of themselves damage brick or masonry surfaces. The appendages they use to grip and climb generally aren’t strong enough to do structural damage—but that doesn’t mean they can’t contribute to other issues. As we’ve noted, air roots and adhesive tendrils can cause cosmetic damage to many surfaces. While this is most pronounced with wooden or painted structures, it can be visible on brickwork or concrete block as well. Again, this is a cosmetic issue, but one that may matter to some gardeners.
Structural issues occur when a vining plant—ivy is most famous for this—covers up a brick surface and conceals damage from view. This can lead to neglected maintenance and long-term issues. While this shouldn’t necessarily dissuade anyone from planting a climbing vine near a brick structure, it is something to bear in mind as you do regular inspections of the growing surface to make sure nothing is amiss.
One final note: vining plants may be safe for bricks and masonry, but homes with a brick veneer and clapboard or aluminum/vinyl siding under the eves should be careful to trim the vines back before they infiltrate that part of the structure. Vines of all kinds can grow into the gaps and cracks between clapboards or siding, forcing them apart and contributing to all kinds of issues. As with so much decorative gardening the key is careful and consistent pruning and trimming.
We hope this helps explain the interaction between vining plants and bricks or masonry surfaces. As with so many gardening myths, it’s partially true with a more complex explanation behind the lore. If you have tips or tricks for growing vines up structural surfaces—or more questions about doing so—please reach out. Gardzen is all about community and we love to hear from you!
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