WRITTEN BY VALERIE EASTON

	COURTESY OF LOGHOUSE PLANTS
	The tubular flowers of Ipomoea 'Sunspots' make up in number what they lack in size, for by late summer the soft, heart-shaped leaves are close to obscured by a coating of hot orange bloom.

When the nights finally lose their chill and the weather warms up dependably, an often-overlooked category of plants bursts onto the scene. Perhaps descriptors such as explode, twine, blast, leap and rampage better convey the primal energy of annual vines. There's no question that the life force seems coiled inside. And like Jack's legendary beanstalk, many seem to grow before your eyes, destined to live their entire showboating lives in that brief time between the onset of summer and first frost.

No matter if you grow them every summer, annual vines still seem to catch you unaware with their boisterous growth and bloom. Few plants make a new gardener, or even an experienced one, feel so capable, for all you need do is plant them in rich soil and sun, douse with plenty of water and fertilizer, and stand back. A 4-inch pot of spindly green is soon opening glossy flowers atop pergolas or through borders to add a top dressing of bloom. And we're not talking petunias or pansies but curious, vivid, often hugely flamboyant flowers evoking their South African, Mexican or tropical homelands. Astonishing in their abilities and agility, mysterious and otherworldly, these vines are great fun while they last.
 

Now In Bloom Supremely fragrant oriental hybrid lilies are the garden's summer glory with their statuesque figures, showy splayed petals, freckled faces and wafting perfume. Simply plant the fat bulb in a well-drained spot in November, protect from slugs when the plant emerges in springtime, provide plenty of sunshine, and by summer you'll feel like a flock of Brazilian butterflies has alighted in your garden. The hugely white 'Casa Blanca' is the best known, but there are many more to choose from, including the pink, white and red Lilium 'Stargazer' (above), the hot-pink ruffled 'Sissi' and the slightly more subtle, lemon-yellow 'Impressive.'

Tracking down vines much more exotic than morning glories has been a challenge, but larger and specialty nurseries are carrying a fine selection ready to plant. Most also come easily from seed, but since Northwest growers seem to be responding to the demand for annual vines, my guess is that each spring we'll see a greater variety available in pots. These are a few worth searching out:

• Morning glory. Not the nasty bindweed but the lovely, annual kind, this is among the most recognizable of vines, with luminous flowers in shades of purple and blue. Newer introductions feature the same sweetly heart-shaped leaves but unexpected flowers; Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata) is native to Mexico and has cunning little tubular flowers custom-made for a hummingbird beak. The flowers start out scarlet and fade to yellow for a two-toned effect. Ipomoea 'Sunspots' twines and grows like crazy, sporting little flowers that cover the plant to create a living wall of hot orange.

• The Allegheny or mountain-fringe vine. This is a bleeding-heart look-alike, except that the blossoms drip from overhead rather than from a plant growing at your feet. Biennial Adlumia fungosa prefers shade and grows to 10 feet; the first year its spiral growth supports lacy green foliage, followed the next summer by delicate pale-pink hearts.

• Mandevilla x amabilis 'Alice du Pont.' Create a tropical bower with this vine. I buy it every spring for its sophisticated name, lush leaves and broad-petaled, deep-pink flowers as festive as a summer garden-party hat. Pair this with the bowtie vine (Dalechampia dioscoreifolia) all decked out with natty little pink bowtie-shaped flowers, and you'll really class up your garden for the season.

• The Chilean glory vine (Eccremocarpus scaber). You might want to grow this one for its common name, evocative of warmer climes, as well as its hot-red, trumpet-shaped flowers. It grows so quickly you could plant several to clothe a chain-link fence in fragrance, flowers and attendant hummingbirds.

• Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Red Top.' A tender, twining perennial, it might winter over in the mildest years, but is well worth growing as an annual. Its fragrant, jasmine flowers form starry contrast to new foliage that comes on red and changes to a soft olive veined in green, giving the unexpected impression of a crocodile.

• Red spinach vine (Basella malabar 'Rubra'). And finally, if you like to nibble your garden, be sure to plant a batch of this one for its showy foliage and dose of iron.

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and contributing editor for Horticulture magazine. Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net.

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