Vine suitable for pergola.

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by Margaret, Mar 16, 2015.

  1. Margaret

    Margaret Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Sunshine Coast, B C Canada
    I have a pergola measuring about 10' square by 8' high which is at the moment covered by grape vines. It is built on a exposed rock but has some soil of varying depths surrounding it. It gets full sun except for on the northern side and the climate is usually wet in the winter and dry in the summer and is in zone 7. I do not harvest the grapes for several reasons but the racoons are a real pest as they love them. The bear problem we solved with an electric fence! The time has come to replace the vines with something which does not fruit but which will give good cover from the summer sun. At present the vines are planted only on two opposite sides of the square.
    Any suggestions please.
    Thanks.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    981
    Likes Received:
    792
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I would suggest ivy but they can get out of control and will take over everything so instead I will suggest a hardy kiwi such as the Fuzzy (Actinidia deliciosa) or Arctic (Actinidia kolomikta).......as long as you only plant male or female you won't get fruit. Kiwis grow quickly and will provide shade, especial the "Fuzzy" with their large leaves. However the male "Arctic" has some nicely marked green and pink foliage. But beware of Issai - Actinidia arguta 'Issai' - as they will produce fruit without a pollinator.
    Kiwis are good to about zone 4 and some will grow up to 30ft

    If you are looking for something with color, try the Trumpet Vine - Campsis radicans. Also good to zone 4 and will take a variety of condition but they have finer leaves and may not provide the shade you are looking for.
    Others to think about are: chocolate vine Akebia quinata (again plant only one type if you don't want fruit), china blue aka sausage vine Holboellia coriacea (evergreen or semi-ever green depending upon your winter)
    The last 3 will take a long time to fill a the area.
     
  3. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

    Messages:
    1,968
    Likes Received:
    736
    Location:
    South Okanagan & Greater Vancouver, BC Canada
    for sure NO ivy.
    EVER.
    i have ivy in an inherited garden and it is a royal pain in the neck.

    --------

    would the structure support a wisteria? (takes a while to grow)

    or is there a shady spot for the roots (roots in shade, heads in sun) of a relatively fast-growing (and long vined) clematis montana ... it does not bloom thru the summer tho.

    i understand your concern about grapes etc - it sure does attract the bears on the coast - I was having a bear opening our car doors at our remote cottage (ie we didn't lock the car doors due to no neighbors - except apparently our 4 leg friends were trying to drive away - thankfully no interior car damage! just a few claw scratches near the door handles!)
     
  4. Margaret

    Margaret Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Sunshine Coast, B C Canada
    Thank you both for the replies. Yes, ivy is a pain as are blackberries and my greatest hate.. bluebells!

    When I go into town tomorrow I'll have a look in the nurseries to see what they have. On looking further at the pergola what is needed are vines which will grow to at least 15', are ok with being de-leafed (technical term?) lower down so that the pergola is accessible on all four sides with a little curtain higher up but which gives quite dense widespread shade on the "roof". From your descriptions fuzzy kiwis or clematis montana might be possibles.

    Georgia Strait I am glad that your car did not suffer too much. There some photos on the net of totally destroyed interiors. Before we put up the fence we had a regular visitor who was on the other side of the door one morning when I opened it. We both retreated very peacefully. My dog, who was older and bigger than the bear when he first visited once chased the bear up the apple tree and as Max was barking right below him he first hiss and then urinated all over poor old Max!

    Thanks again both for the advice.

    Margaret
     
  5. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    981
    Likes Received:
    792
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Kiwis have no issues with being pruned and shaped - I have a female vine that I've had for about 7 years and she is well over 30ft long if stretched out (we allowed it to climb to the second floor patio deck and then "contained" it to one side of the metal railing......weaving it in and out of the rails until it created a screen from top to bottom), but we also removed all the lower shoots and leaves so that it is bare for the first 6ft.
     
  6. Margaret

    Margaret Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Sunshine Coast, B C Canada
    Thanks P Murphy. The kiwi sound to be the answer. Margaret
     
  7. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

    Messages:
    1,968
    Likes Received:
    736
    Location:
    South Okanagan & Greater Vancouver, BC Canada
    QUESTION - my friends have a kiwi - and it stinks - it has an odor like propane gas.

    it's on a dividing fence between neighbors - so they can't remove it. Otherwise it is a nicely behaved vine it seems.

    is this an imaginary odor (or maybe a nat gas leak) - or did the older vines have an odor. This smelly vine is definitely older. (google "odor smell kiwi vine" - apparently some people's pet cats go nuts over it too)

    WHAT about the fruit - won't that attract the bears and racoons and rats we have at the coast? perhaps as long as one buys one gender then no fruit?
     
  8. pmurphy

    pmurphy Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    981
    Likes Received:
    792
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    I have 8 different varieties of kiwi and have never noticed an odor about any of them.

    As for fruit, certain types such as the Issai - Actinidia arguta 'Issai' - do not need a pollinator, meaning they will produce fruit with just one vine (and it is good fruit too, about the size of a grape). Most other types require both male and female vines to produce fruit; such as the Arctic, Golden or Fuzzy. And each "sex" will have its own name, for example the male Fuzzy is known as 'Tomur'i while the female is known as 'Hayward'. The male Golden is known as 'Tiger' while the female is 'Sunshine'.

    If you are looking for fruit, one male can pollinate up to half a dozen or so females in close proximity. If you don't want fruit, just plant females and, unless your neighbor has a male close by, you will get flowers but no fruit.

    FYI, the Fuzzy kiwi - Actinidia deliciosa - is the same one that you buy in the grocery stores
     
  9. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,779
    Likes Received:
    269
    Location:
    Burnaby, Canada
    Here are some more comments about kiwis. If you don't want fruit, it's safest to plant male plants; they will flower but never have fruit. On the other hand, the kiwis that I have are rampant growers. The large fuzzy kiwis, A. deliciosa, can easily grow 20 ft in one season and need frequent pruning to keep them under control. A. arguta vines are smaller and less robust but still need to be tended. I'm not familiar with other members of the family; perhaps some of them need less pruning.
     
  10. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

    Messages:
    10,789
    Likes Received:
    2,225
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    I was going to say - if you plant kiwi, you might want to smell flowers on the kind you're getting before you plant it. I'm always complaining about the smell of the ones in the food area at UBCBG. And I think it's the flowers, not the fruits. Maybe different ones have different smells?
     
  11. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

    Messages:
    1,968
    Likes Received:
    736
    Location:
    South Okanagan & Greater Vancouver, BC Canada
    on the non-kiwi side of the list - I have a clematis armandii (white flowers now) at the coast - and it seems well behaved - and you can have it with a bare stem - and then the flowers and leaves are on the top (ours climbs along a shared chain link fence - then up a hawthorn tree. The leaves are year round, tho they sometimes go a bit brown if we get a sudden cold snap at the Coast. http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=16788 (note in this thread - I wonder too if the photos are actually armandii - the leaves look different - they are just straight plain dark green leaves) - it takes a few years to establish - but once it's going - it's going and very easy.

    i noticed Clematis "Freckles" - at that really nice nursery called Jardin de Flores in Roberts Creek - up Pell Road. it apparently blooms in the fall - I have never tried it, tho it looks tempting! Here is some useful info from England - again, note the "bare legs" like a montana (I think you are looking for bare - then leafy /flowery over the top?) http://www.saga.co.uk/lifestyle/gardening/plant-portrait/how-to-grow-winter-flowering-clematis.aspx
     
  12. Margaret

    Margaret Active Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    381
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Sunshine Coast, B C Canada
    We took down the grapes from the pergola yesterday and I am gathering my courage to make a decision and go shopping tomorrow. You have given me a starting place for which I thank you. I have a very open mind at the moment and am even wondering if I might buy a couple of different vines.

    We bought a Christmas tree at Jardin de Flores when they first opened and I had rather forgotten them as they are not too visible from the 101. We are heading into Gibsons tomorrow and will certainly stop off the Jardin de Flores. Thanks for the memory jog.

    I decided to keep the upright parts of the grapevine to support the new vines and plan to bark ring them. I know that they will probably send up new shoots but those I can keep nipping off. Any thoughts?

    Margaret
     
  13. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

    Messages:
    1,968
    Likes Received:
    736
    Location:
    South Okanagan & Greater Vancouver, BC Canada
    my neighbor favors Round Up.

    that said - it would not be my first option - however -

    I think I would start with a solid piece of black plastic (not clear) and cover the stump - wrap it well.

    here is the public website for Jardin de Flores
    it is facebook but I think anyone can view it (public) without a f/book membership - i don't have one and I can see it
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jardin-de-Flores-Nursery-and-Farm-Roberts-Creek/393250897417292

    ps - if you are going to Gibsons Landing - the "fawn lilies" are in bloom at Gospel Rock - we saw then last wkd.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 30, 2015

Share This Page