Vines and Climbers: Using hardy kiwi as a climber for a pergola, 1 by ChiTown

ChiTown wrote:
Pyromomma: I've attached a photo of what a single actinidia arguta can do. It's 35 feet to the top of that 3rd floor porch, and the kiwi is continuing onto the roof proper. There's a very vigorous grapevine with it, but it's only gone halfway up so far. The kiwi spent several years developing a huge root system before it began to bloom. It's my thought that in that 22 inch pot you will get only a rather stunted vine.

Skunkbay: It's my thought that a grapevine would be more satisfying on a pergola than the kiwi. If you prune your vine each year so that the fruiting stems are along the bottoms of the pergola's horizontal members, the bunches of grapes will hang down free and the leafy branches will up over the top. Kiwi will grow wild and droopy and generally drive you nuts.
As for the clay soil - I don't have any experience with growing kiwi in it, but it's my impression that they can pretty much put up with anything once they get a good start.