Many plants that are invasive in the South, or even the East Coast, or well-mannered here. Generally, such plants are more problematic where the precipitation season is in summer and summer nights stay warm.
Between summer dryness and marginal survival during winter, I wouldn't worry unless someone local tells you otherwise.

A lot of common landscaping plants are poisonous in theory: oleanders, rhododendrons, pyracantha...the list goes on and on, including many California natives. If your kids spend a lot of time browsing on your shrubs and perennials, then that might be a concern. More likely the household cleaning agents you keep under your sink pose a far greater risk. Poison control centers are not inundated with calls regarding ornamental vine consumption. Most parents can't even get their kids to eat broccoli.

Thanks for the reply, Dick. Your line of thinking was where I was going, too.

Yeah, my kids aren't really into browsing through my plants. The baby has been known to eat a couple of house plants. But he is getting older and understands the rules better.

If by "Cypress vine" you mean Ipomoea quamoclit, then it's an annual, and the seeds would be best started in late winter or early spring, after danger of frost is past. It grows to 20 ft. and may self-sow, but it shouldn't be out of control. :)

It looks like a very pretty plant, judging from the images below! Love that foliage!

Brenda

Here is a link that might be useful: Ipomoea quamoclit Googled

Yes, that's the plant. I love the lacy foliage. And the blooms are so bright. Just the thing to add color to my bush after it's blooms fade. My hope is that it will reseed after its first season and I won't have to encourage it anymore.

I have never planted a vine to go up a bush before. Are they any tips that someone would like to offer regarding that?

I have this (yes it reseeds like nobody's business) and will grow up other plants into a rampant but colorful tangle by summer's end. Hummingbirds love it. As to how well your bush takes it, it depends on how tough a shrub it is. Something unkillable like Euonomous would probably shrug it off, a Daphne or Gardenia would be killed. You can always pull it off and uproot it if it looks like it's getting out of hand.

My bush is pretty hardy. It gets no water except for what it might leech from the lawn. But as far as direct irrigation, it gets none. However, it's been there for upwards of fifteen years. So it's well established.

It is a pretty common shrub, but I don't know the kind. So here is a picture:

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The bush has blue berries that open into white blooms.

Well, it looks tough enough to cope. Only problem is that the vines need regular watering to grow,unless your lawn sprinklers keeps the ground under the shrubs moist. Here's a couple of pics of them in my garden right now. They get watered at least twice a week.

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Climbing up an Amaranthus, which will be completely swathed by November

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Seedlings

Hmmm, I was planning on watering them while they were getting started. But then letting them find their own water under the ground from the lawn. I guess I'll just have to try it out and see what happens.

When did you start the one on the amaranthus? I would love to start some seeds now and see what happens. But I'm concerned that the growing season would be too short before they could produce seeds. It is an annual in this area, right? Is yours producing blooms yet? It looks so cool!

If you're where it's cool, on the coast or up in the foothills, it's probably too late, but if you're in the central valley or desert area, you can probably plant, but don't delay. The plant climbing the amaranthus is probably about six weeks old. Volunteers come up intermittently all summer in my garden. Sue

I'm in the Sacramento valley. I'll plant some and save some just in case. I'll try to remember to post pictures when they are growing.