Full Shade to Partial Shade Trellis Vines

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

Hi All! I need suggestions/reccomendations for planting a Full shade to Partial Shade Trellis Vine.

I want a plant that is fragrant and is able to grow in a mostly shade location on a trellis, not for coverage but for visual appeal and scent since it will be right outside the front door.

[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Random/P6180097.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/Plants/Random/P6180101.jpg[/img]

I was also Just wondering if there were such a thing as vining orchids.
I've seen things like this which I like

[img]https://submersibleledlights.com/userimages/orchid_string-vine_lights-ppl.jpg[/img]

But they are fake... so just wondering if there is an actual Orchid vine.

I am such a pleasantly picky plant picker!!

[cynthia_h]

My first question is...where is the photo from?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

From google image. I know its a fake its a light decoration lol I was just wondering if there was really anything like that.

[rainbowgardener]

The orchid that vanilla is derived from is a vine:

Vanilla planifolia- Large vining orchid whose seed pods are dried to provide the source of natural vanilla flavoring. 3 inch pale green flowers open for 1 day and must be hand pollinated if natural pollinators are not present. Lower part of vine grows as a terrestrial and upper part as an epiphyte.
https://www.hawaiiantropicalplants.com/orchids.html

Stephanotis is not a true orchid, but is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical vine with somewhat orchid like flowers.

[microcollie]

I was on a quick trip to Mexico a few weeks back, and ran across a beautiful vine, Vanilla Trumpet Vine (Distictis laxiflora). While not an orchid, it had a sweet vanilla scent from trumpet-shaped lavender flowers which age to white (or it might be the other way around) At any rate, there were a range of different shades on the vine, which was about 15 to 18 feet high. Stunning. I don't know if you're warm enough there, but it might be worth looking at. (The one I saw was in a part-shade spot)

I have a large passiflora in a pot that I overwinter inside, but it too would probably be perennial in CA. Mine is always in dappled shade, as it seems to burn in afternoon sun. It seems to smell more at night than during the day.

Jasmine? Kind of boring to look at, but can't beat the fragrance. I have one on my deck that gets a few hours of morning sun, then light shade for the rest of the day. (It, too, I have to overwinter inside)

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

Thank You for all your suggestions so far

@ Rainbow: A vanilla Orchid vine would I'm guessing have a strong scent of vanilla? I wonder if the Vanilla bean would be messy? It can grow in full shade right? The trellis I'd be putting it on would be fairly small, would that be an issue?

@Microcollie: Oddly I'm not much of a fan of trumpet vines ( I know I know crazy right? lol) Maybe its cuz they are tubular? Though the idea of the scent and the different shades of bloom nearly make up for the trumpet flowers
As for the passiflora I have been looking into them. Just can't decide if I like the jelly fish look yet I think they are growing on me though like Orchids gradually did lol.
I like the idea of Jasmine, and your right .. not much to look at but I did find a pink jasmine variety that I thought might work

I've also been tossing around the idea of Hydrangea though I'm hesitant about the supposed invasiveness and if it will fit in a small area ok?

[microcollie]

I love my hydrangea petiolaris, but it's certainly more of a grow-up-the-whole-house kind of thing than a trellis plant. I've seem people try to prune them to keep their size in check, but they always look a little peculiar. Part of their beauty is in their horizontal branching structure, especially in the winter. I also am lazy and hate to put plants where I know I'll have to do a big annual hacking to make them fit...rather let them show their true identity. Also, mine has no scent. (wish it did!!)

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

Do all Hydrangea climb? Are they all vines?
There are some Hydrangea that I love the color of such as H. macrophylla, H. serrata ‘Preziosa’ and many of the others on this website [url]https://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/hydrangeafaq2.html[/url] lol but I'd need them to be vines.

oh great lol I just had an idea to grow Hydrangea without pruning out in my backyard on the back fence where the neighbors just built an ugly shack to store stuff in lol I bet that would make them just thrilled

[microcollie]

As far as I know, petolaris is the only vining hydrangea. The other are self-supporting shrubs.

It is a great thing for hiding those pesky things like neighbors and their sheds, but takes a few years to establish. Maybe something more like clematis or virginia creeper on the back fence. (Actually, now that I think of it, there are a few lightly-scented varieties of clematis that might do well on your front trellis as well. Most can take a bit of shade, too.)

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

Do you know of any Clematis that have color varying/changing blooms? I like the idea of different shades of bloom colors on one plant. I was originally going to put thunbergia out there but found out that it needs alot of sun

Thunbergia African Sunset
[img]https://dobies.hostserver1.co.uk/I'm/pd/FLSTHU9934_3.jpg[/img]

[rainbowgardener]

That's actually a really difficult set of requirements. Not only shady, but the trellis is very small, not very many vining plants are going to confine themselves very well to that small a space.

A couple to think about:

Carolina Aster (Symphyotrichum carolinianum)

This plant climbs up to 12', and grows well from zones 6A to 10B. Blooms from late summer through late fall with delicate, pink and purple fragrant flowers, great for attracting birds, butterflies and bees. Good scrambling plant. Tolerates partial shade.

Canary Creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum)

This delicate annual vine grows from zones 9A to 11. It has a petite yellow flower somewhat reminiscent of a canary in flight, but it's mostly grown for its foliage. It will grow to 6', making it the perfect vine for small spaces like balconies or courtyards. Propagated by seed - either indoors in winter, or by direct seeding after the last frost. Good for partial shade to full sun.
https://www.suite101.com/content/vines-for-shade-a186079#ixzz0zglkVtkD

But tolerates part shade means it may not thrive very well in your mostly shade spot.

Here's one that likes more shade but not very floriferous it sounds like:

Hybrid Fatshedera Lieza (XFatshedera lieza)

Best for partial shade, but will grow well in full shade. Fatshedera lieza is a hybrid of Japanese Fatsia, a popular houseplant, and English Ivy var. hibernica (Irish Ivy). The plant has 5-lobed ivy-like leaves (larger than ivy, though, around 8" to 10"). It loves partial shade and will tolerate full shade.

Fatshedera will grow up to 6' high before falling over and will need to be tied in place on a trellis, as a lattice cover, on even as a container plant on a balcony, patio or in a small courtyard. Grows in zones 8 through 11.


Clerodendrum speciosum, bleeding heart vine, is another tropical vine that likes shade, but again it is a very vigorous climber which will not be confined to your little trellis.

I think your set of requirements is too contradictory and you could use to rethink what you want to do with the space. Maybe a nice little shrub?

[microcollie]

I think your set of requirements is too contradictory and you could use to rethink what you want to do with the space. Maybe a nice little shrub?

I'd agree, RG. Maybe even a container which could have both vertical elements to fill the bare space, but also some trailing things to cover the utilities.

As for the multi-colored clematis, I don't know of any, but there's no rule that says you cant plant multiple vines of varying colors together to get that effect.[/quote]

[applestar]

Something else to consider -- since you have the water faucet there, the area could be flooded some times.

With the stucco exterior, self-clinging (I.e. suction pads) vines should probably be avoided, but you *could* use masonry eye-screws and wire to build a support system to train the vines on -- search for espalier against masonry wall support instructions.

Just how much sun does this wall get, if ever?

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

I haven't had the chance to sit out there all day to see how much sun it does get unfortunately However, Here is how I see it. The sun rises in the east. so my house is blocking it from the sun most of the day ... once the sun begins to set in the west is when the area will get the most sun. I am figuring the area might receive 3 hrs or less of direct sun daily. (I think) Wishing there was an easier way to monitor this without having to stand out there all day Its definitely a difficult area to monitor sun with since there are so many things that are able to block direct sun from the area such as the archway and the huge tree in my front yard. I do however know that the area does receive direct sun at some point during the late afternoon around sunset. I actually had a moon flower vine there once before but it didn't fair very well. Didn't like that vine much as it only bloomed late afternoon through the night and we hardly saw the blooms.

[rainbowgardener]

PS the clematis that was mentioned won't grow in that much shade either.

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

I like the Canary Creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum) I've actually had my eye on some seeds that I might buy.

I came across some more options in my search and was wanting some opinions on them.

double blue butterfly pea vine

Wisteria 'Blue Moon' Vine

or Snapdragon Vine

[rainbowgardener]

No way can you grow wisteria on a trellis like that. They get HUGE and heavy, break arbors they are planted on from the weight of it, unless it is massively reinforced. Here's a picture of one, but they get bigger than that unless intensively maintained:

[url=https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.milliways.gardenbargains.ie/UN%2520DO%2520Wisteria.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.milliways.gardenbargains.ie/pruning%2520a%2520wisteria%2520climbers%2520scented%2520in%2520summer.html&h=417&w=400&sz=34&tbnid=CW2BkNEVrf_1FM:&tbnh=229&tbnw=220&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwisteria%2Bimages&zoom=1&q=wisteria+images&usg=__GrNDC6SP3jUJSUpKd99kZt_7678=&sa=X&ei=-laTTIK_HceVnAeIoozDBw&ved=0CBYQ9QEwAA]wisteria vine[/url]

(look at the bottom of the picture to see the size pillar it is growing on; nothing less than that would do)
snapdragon vine is the right size but likes full sun.

But mentioning it made me think that if you really want a vine there and would settle for it not being there all the time, maybe you could think about annual vines. They don't get so big, because of having to start over every year and there are some shade tolerant ones:

sweetpotato vine might work, morning glory (watch out it reseeds freely and can become aggressive if it gets in your garden), sweet peas.


For perennial vines mandevilla might work for you. It is tender and us northerners have to bring it in for the winter. It will tend to outgrow the trellis, but not so aggressively, a little trimming might keep it in bounds. It grows in full sun to part shade, so I don't know if it (or any of these) will tolerate your small amount of sun.

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

The annual thing has got me thinking... perhaps I could get one of the smaller perennials (canary creeper) as well as a small annual (double blue butterfly pea vine/Mandevilla). Plant them both and that way it will give a visual display and then when the annual dies back the other vine will still be there for show until the other one comes back again. Then again being as I live in Socal some annuals tend to be perennial. What are your thoughts on this?


Oh yea! And another one that I keep forgetting to mention is Hoya. I have just rooted a couple Hoya macgillivrayi. Perhaps I could put one of those out there?

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/P1010596.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i618.photobucket.com/albums/tt261/NySnap/P1010595.jpg[/img]

Wanted to give a quick update on what I ended up doing here...So I decided on the Thunbergia African Sunset. Which is doing great so far! It has had lots of blooms despite the shaded area.

I've been considering putting some type of plant at the base of the vine.. that will fill in the rocks.. not sure what plant would do that and also look nice and handle shade ok.. Any suggestions?