A vine-covered tepee

The leafy tepee shown here is the favorite hideout in the Children's Garden at the Fullerton Arboretum in Fullerton, California.

"Kids want to get inside the minute they spot it," says Joyce Toy, an arboretum volunteer. Grown-ups need a bit of coaxing. "They hang back until their kids pull them in, but they always come out smiling," says Toy.

Be adult about it, we say. Admit you can picture yourself under these leaves--sitting cross-legged, palms up, practicing your mantra perhaps. Or in a beach chair with Puccini on the headset and a perfectly shaken martini in hand. Or curled up in an Indian blanket, sneaking a snooze. Pick your pleasure. Don't you deserve your own tepee?

Hyacinth bean vine (Dolichos lablab), a prolific bloomer, covers this tepee formed by bamboo poles. Below, we've listed other fast-growing annual vines to try.