<i> Ficus pumila </i> Creeping fig : Evergreen clinging vine

It seems like a perfect solution: You have a barren wall or unsightly fence, and you would like to improve the appearance with greenery. Espalier and other trained vines involve too much work. That leaves the option of the two clinging vines, the coarse-textured Boston ivy and fine-textured creeping fig.

At the nursery you find Ficus pumila. You plant it and wait for it to take off. It does nothing for several months and then the thumbnail-size, heart-shaped leaves start to creep upward, attaching to the wall. After a few months, it takes off, covering the wall with trails of delicate-looking, lettuce-green leaves.

Flash-forward a decade. The vine has overtaken the wall. Stems have transformed into trunks more than one inch in diameter. Leaves are leathery and 3 inches long.

A Persistent Vine

What once conformed neatly to the surface does not lie flat at all but instead protrudes as much as 15 inches. (That kind of bulk is quite heavy, and strong winds have been known to tear the vine down.) The tendrils with which the stems attach themselves have eaten into the paint and fused with wooden surfaces. When the vine is finally ripped off the wall, the tendrils (like tiny barnacles) remain.

One Southern California gardener was so dismayed by the mature form that she decided to rip out the whole thing. That was years ago, and it is still springing up. To control it, some gardeners cut it to the ground every few years and perhaps repaint the wall--and creeping fig creeps right back.

There is hope, however. Ficus pumila varieties Minima and Variegated have smaller leaves, are slower growing and less aggressive. The leaves of Variegated are mottled with creamy white borders. Minima has dwarf, heart-shaped leaves. Its habit is more condensed and it will grow closer to the wall.

Ficus pumila is very common in nurseries and is available in almost every size container. For the smaller varieties, have your nursery order from Monrovia Nursery Co. in Azusa.