This is the recommendations for Santa Clara County, which is mostly Zone 9 Here is a link that might be useful: Planting Calendar

I would prune off the side shoots now, and concentrate on training a good trunk. If you want to leave one or two shoots temporarily to sample a little fruit, just pinch the tips after they get a foot or two long, to prevent them from growing too much. You want the energy to go into growing the trunk, but muscadines are so vigorous, a couple of clusters will not make much difference.

Gregsmama, If you could answer a couple of questions, we could answer your question better. Do you already have prepared beds, free of grass and weeds, with good soil? If not, you'll have to prepare a place to plant your plants. Also, are you looking for permanent plants, like shrubs or small trees? Or, do you just want some winter-blooming annuals like pansies or snapdragons that would add a little color? Let us know, and we'll see what we can come up with. And, keep in mind that you can only plant what you can find, so at this time of the year more than the rest of the year, you are at the mercy of the retailers. Down here in southern OK, they are getting some plants in at the big box stores, but not very many yet. If you visit real nurseries, instead of home center stores or discount stores, you'll probably find a better selection. Dawn

I'm new to this forum and am so glad that I ran into it - what fun and laughter just reading on 'Venting on squirrels', 'sudden demise of loved perennials due to voles', 'Why Blue' etc. etc, tee hee hee! This time I do need help and since this is a fairly recent vine forum thread, someone might come to my rescue. My Nikko Hydrangea - a gift on Mom's Day 1990 from my 3 kids, planted on the east side, close to our house for better protection, has lost the dappled shade that she depended on, when we had to take down a 25y/o problem Locust tree. Like a nut I enslaved myself covering Nikko, first with a bedsheet then (by end of May ... tired of baby sitting) I purchased a roll of plant shading fabric and long bamboo sticks and temporarity made her a tent, until I could figure out whether to move her to a shady place ... the thought of digging a 16y/o Nikko scares me! By the end of June the makeshift tent bugged me, so I got an arbor for her (just one of those Home Depot ones), not wide enough to prevent her pathetic afternoon collapses, we threw the shading fabric over the arbor ... again just for now. I thought of Clematis or Sweet Pea, since I have experience with them but perhaps with your suggestions and experiences with Silver Lace and Mandevilla or a Climbing Hydra (arbor is not too sturdy) ... will greatly appreciate your thoughts! Ditas Z5 Midwest.