ugly ol' car shed needs help - trumpet vine?

I posted this over on the Carolina thread... but would appreciate your input here also. I want to cover this car shed with a vine, preferably flowering and evergreen. There is nothing nearby to protect from an invasive vine... I am considering trumpet... or smilax (sp?) Need to know more about both.

I'm going to look in our woods to see if anything native might work. But need input please. This thing is just screaming for a vine!

I'm in Zone 7.

Looking in www.namethatplant.net for vines that might be helpful. Great site.

Thanks, Linny

This message was edited Sep 12, 2010 12:04 PM

Are you planning on tossing a net or something over the top so the vines can grabbed ahold of something so they can start climbing every which way?

I personally wouldn't do trumpet vine. The pods would need to be gathered so you don't start a neighborhood invasion and I would think it would be awkard to try to get the pods off the top of the carport.



These vines should be good for your area. It doesn't list whether they are evergreen.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-633.html

The one that has covered the base of my deck this summer with huge green leaves and a gazillion blue and purple flowers (nicely scented) is common passion flower. I got it as seed from Beckygardener in 2007, and it WILL come back for sure because there are a gazillion seed pods as well (pods look like and are the size of large limes and are easy enough to pick up but don't forget em). The plants have needed to be cut back with scissors twice so they didn't continue to creep across the top of the deck, but the bees and hummers love it and it gave much privacy. I'm not sure it would be ever green in your zone or not. It was very hardy in zone 9 unless there was a frost or a succession of cold nights, then it hung like a wash on the line, but was easy enough to pull back and start over. Others I've used were various morning glories and moonflowers. They also have their reseeding blessing or curse, as you see it.

Thanks, Pam. Passion Flower is exactly what I've got going. It was already there, just needed to be staked up in the right direction. It is maybe 10 feet from the shed, but I think if I will just be patient, it will do the job. Several separate plants are going great guns.

Linny

Stay away from smilax, trumpet vines have their own problems, like honeysuckles, wisterias, or nite bloomin jasmine, and you might not want to have to battle the bees to use your vehicle, chuckl, I love climbing roses, but plant far enuff away from the shed you wont get snagged by the little bloodthirsty thorns, :)

confederate jasmine or carolina jessamine

does well in all kinds of conditions - including drought once established.

Not too bad with the bees either

missingrosie - that is a gorgeous photo.

Thanks Dawn. That is the Carolina Jessamine. It stays in bloom for quite a long while. I have seen it really full and heavy but that one on the arbor doesn't really get heavy with blooms.

Thanks, mising rosie, that Carolina Jessamine is gorgeous, as is the photo.

Linny

Maybe it will work for you can also be grown in a pot to climb up your poles.