This is a guest post by Andy Finn. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.

Grapevine is a common term for a vast variety of the Vine Genus Vitis.  This is the vine that is commonly grown for human consumption, either as a fruit bearing or a wine-producing plant.  The grapevine origins are rooted in the Mediterranean region, possibly southern Turkey where they spread to Greece and Italy. Wild varieties are also present in Northern America and were eaten by the natives as berries, though they are unsuitable for wine production.

Of the Genus Vitis, there are many varieties that are suitable for landscaping applications. Generally speaking, fruit grapevines bear larger and seedless berries through human selection, with a sugar content of about 15% as opposed to wine grapevines that produce smaller but sweeter berries of about 24% sugar content. Red grapes contain also healthy polyphenol antioxidants from the seeds and the skin that have a beneficial impact on blood vessels, reducing high pressure and increasing life expectancy if eaten or drunk as wine in moderation, as they do in France where they live a long life despite a fat rich diet.

Wine grapevines must be carefully pruned in winter times so as to direct the vine energies into berry production rather than plant growth, making a fruit grapevine a better choice for landscaping purposes, as it needs less maintenance and provides any landscaped area with a fast growing foliage to cool and partition different areas of your garden as well as a welcome sweet berry production.

Grapevines grow fast and are particularly useful for covering old brick walls or unsightly parts of your garden, climbing well over trellises and pergolas and giving a characteristic Mediterranean “al fresco” feel. They are best suited to mild climates with warm summers, though some vines have been selected for cooler climates, like the Einset Seedless, Reliance and Venus. Warm climate fruit grapevine varieties include the Thompson Seedless, the Black Monukka, the Ruby Seedless, the Flame and the Fantasy.

Grapevines are best suited for landscaping away from the house because their berries will inevitably attract ants and insects that will naturally carry on into your house. If you need to cover a patio pergola attached to the house, an English Ivy could be a better solution, but for a free-standing pergola, a garden partition, a gazebo, a trellis or a wall, grapevines will confer that unique rustic ambience you can see while visiting California or Tuscany.

They require good drainage and exposure to the sun, so plan a south-facing growing spot if you live in the northern hemisphere and vice versa if you live down under. For the care and attention they require, grapevines offer unparalleled returns, as not only do they cool and protect from the sun but they also beautify the garden as well as providing a ready-made source of edible fruits.

If regularly pruned and looked after they can live a very long time but are sensitive to mildew, so be prepared to use non toxic fungicides if necessary. Because grapevines are fast growing, check regularly their tendrils and shoots so as to guide them where you want to, up a trellis or over the pergola joists. With a little of tender care you’ll be rewarded with a beautiful display of cascading foliage and berries that will enhance the coziness and appeal of your garden, making them a focal point of you landscaping features and attracting family and friends to join you for a relaxing time over a glass of wine.

Andy Finn likes outdoors and property landscaping. He built himself a DIY pergola and would like to share his experience with tips and suggestions on how to build one as well as garden landscaping in general.

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1. A Practical Home Solution for an Ugly Roof.

The Ugly Roof!

This blog is geared toward practical solutions, and I certainly have one for you with this post. We had a new roof done on our house approximately ten years ago and, for a long time, it looked great. As the years went by, it started developing black streaks and mold on the roof shingles on the shady side of the house.  Understandably, I was concerned that we’d have to have our roof replaced.  And the most unnerving thing was that we were told that it should last at least 20 years.  So, I made it a point to start looking at other houses in my town and I saw these black streaks on the roofs of many homes.  I remember distinctly, as we backed out of our driveway one day, my eldest daughter exclaimed, “Our roof looks horrible!”  And I agreed, wholeheartedly.

So, I made it my mission to start doing my research.  I discovered that the build-up of dirt, mildew, fungus, and moss is prevalent especially on the roof on the shady side of a house.  I also discovered that there is a product called ShingleShield Roof and Deck Cleaner that, when applied with a pump sprayer, and hosed off, will remove these streaks from your roof.

Now the big problem was, to remove these streaks, you had to apply the diluted solution of the roof and deck cleaner, directly to the roof!  And it basically required you to get onto your roof.  My wife had no desire to become a widow, so I ended up calling my chimney professional who cleans my chimney once a year.  He really didn’t know about the product and I thought that this could be another source of revenue for him.  He was interested in doing the job, so I purchased the product online and set up an appointment for him to apply the product to my roof.

He had the proper ladders to get up to the roof and had a special roof ladder that hooked over the ridge of the roof.  Prior to heading onto the roof we made it a point to cover all the bushes with plastic, even though the product is advertised as being non-toxic to plants.  I just thought it would make sense to cover them, just in case.

He then applied the product with a pump sprayer directly onto the streaks first.  Then he applied the solution to the whole roof by moving his roof ladder along the face of the roof.

After applying the solution to the whole roof, I handed him the lawn hose and he went up to the ridge of the house and sprayed off the solution with the garden hose.  He simply moved from one side of the roof to the other and thoroughly hosed down the roof.  You could see the stains disappear almost immediately.

After doing the initial application, you may have to go over individual streaks with a soft brush to get the really dark streaks totally removed.

One final step, if you do not want these streaks to return, is to have your roofing specialist apply zinc strips under the shingles at the ridgeline of your roof.  This should prevent these dark streaks from returning over time.  You can find these zinc strips on the website mentioned earlier in the post.  As you can see from the before and after photos below, this stuff works!

Before using ShingleShield.

After using ShingleShield.

Instead of paying big bucks for a new roof, consider giving your roof a makeover.  For a few hundred dollars you’ll be able to look at your house with pride again.

(Disclosure: I have no affiliation with the product mentioned in this post.  I am just a very happy customer.)

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