Flowering shade vine, zone 7b?

I'm a somewhat novice gardener, but vines are my absolute favorite thing to grow, along with coleus and hostas..... I am looking for a FAST growing flowering vine to go up the pergola over our hot tub. The only photo I have is a winter shot, but hopefully it will give y'all an idea of the space I'm dealing with.... The side that I want to plant is the one behind the stairs of the main deck, and it gets morning sun, then increasingly dappled shade to full shade in the late afternoon. It would be great if it could grow tall enough to get into the top bars of the pergola, approx. 12-15 feet. Annual or perennial, either is fine. Does anyone out there have any suggestions for me? I live in the Annapolis, MD area....

This message was edited Apr 19, 2006 11:53 AM

If you want a fast grower, I've had really great luck with passion flowers and morning glories. Both have a few issues with pests, but the flowers are so pretty it's worth the extra effort. The passion flower (passiflora) has a tendency to attract very hungry caterpillars, although they do turn into beautiful butterflies eventually. The morning glory is bad for spider mites, so I have to spray it pretty religiously with neem oil early in the season. Check for your area though as my zone is different.

Hi there from another MD gardener!

Are you looking for quick coverage, fragrance or beautiful flowers? Silver Lace Vine covers quickly or maybe Dutchman's Pipe, which has interesting flowers. Have you been to Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville? They are probably quite close to where you live. They may be able to help you out to.

BTW, please visit the rest of us in the Mid-Atlantic Forum on DG.

Akebia-aka "chocolate vine".
They do really well in part sun, and have neat blooms, and great foliage.

They grow really quickly, when happy.

In my zone 8 they are completely evergreen. Not sure how they'd do in your zone, but certainly worth consideration.
-T

I would caution you about Akebia-aka "chocolate vine". I had one that almost ate up my house! I got rid of that bad boy!!

Then go for its relative; Holboellia coriacaea. Evergreen vines carry such novelty.