If it was up to me I would grow hardy kiwi, like Issai. It grows very fast,looks great, tasty berries in the fall, but it sheds its leaves in the winter and it grows so fast that you will be pruning or weaving the vines into your fence all the time. This is not a prune it once or twice a year type of vine, more like a prune it every month, and it will tend to stay up along the top of the fence.

There are some clematis species that I believe keep their leaves through most of the winter.

You could try Carolina Jessamine, its native, fragrant when in bloom, likes shade, fast growing once its been in the ground for a year, but it is poisonous so you have to be careful with pets and children around.

Most people with chain link fences grow English Ivy (Hedera helix) and spend a lot of time weaving it up and through the wires - a LOT of time. It is very slow growing at first, it takes about 3 years to get established and then it takes off and you will regret ever planting it for the amount of care it requires to keep it in line - and it is invasive and banned in some areas.

A mix of bignonia and jessamine and akebia and clematis armandii would be my suggestion for fast cover. I have kiwi,male and female but the leaves are too far apart to give good cover and it wants sun. I've grown the others on various fences in mostly shade and you need several to get decent coverage. Bignonia gives the most dense coverage but in a limited area.

another thought along the kiwi line is arctic kiwi, which has gorgeous pink & white variegation and likes the shade. But the same issues with it are- fast growing, probably just along the top of the fence and it's deciduous.

I think i'd do what dottie suggested with perhaps some autumn clematis thrown in, as it's been evergreen for me. I tend to like mixtures (for several reasons), and they sort out who's happiest at what spot on their own.

I'll second the crossvine (bignonia)...it tends to be a little better at covering a fence (or other vertical structure) than some of the others...many tend to go straight to the top then bunch/scramble along on the top (carolina jessamine is a good example). It's got GREAT evergreen foliage that turns purplish/bronze in the winter...and great flowers as well. And it'll grow in just about any condition.

Perhaps you might consider Aristolochia elegans..or Dutchamn's Pipe ( Calico Flower).
It is an evergreen vine, perfers the shade, and is hardy to zone 6.
The flowers are gorgeous....and it has year round interest.

Just thought i'd give you another option to consider.

Canna, I thought about that option as well--a great vine!--but I don't think the evergreen aristolochia is hardy past zone 8. There are deciduous options which are still good for the OP to consider, however. Unfortunately, it is poisonous to humans (I don't know about dogs). But the pipevine swallowtail caterpillars love it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Dave's Garden PlantFile

I have some Star Jasmine which I love. The Madison cultivar is supposedly hardy to zone 7, but I have seen it written as "hardy to zone 7 (6)." It keeps its leaves in the winter, though many turn dark burgundy, is tolerant of shade, has a wonderfully scented flower, and is drought tolerant once established. It took mine a couple of years to get going, but it is now quite vigorous. It grows easily from cuttings. If you'd like some to try, send me an email.

K.

Mbuckmaster,

Perhaps the information on my seed packet was incorrect.
I just bought the seeds to this vine for essentially the same reason...to cover up my ugly chainlink fence.

According to the package the seeds came in is says hardy zones 6-9......I guess i'll have to see. lol
The flowers are so unique, I'd still have it either way.

Good luck to the OP, it seems like such a simple thing to figure out...when in reality it's not.

I have Bignonia on a dog fence, and since it cannot shoot up into the trees, the blooms stay low and have been incredible. I also have some Clematis and Akebia on the same fence, but the cross vine is my favorite. Virginia creeper is a good one if you are not allergic. The Jessamine I have on another dog lot never blooms very much although it does get sun. Maybe it doesn't like dog "residue" as much as the other vines??

If coverage of chain link fence is the prime objective, I'd go for the evergreen varieties and get ones already potted since at the height of summer you'll have difficulty getting seeds to start where you want them to.
I love Virginia creeper but it wants to escape and climb. It also wants to run along the ground when you clip it back and will search for other trees to climb. While it makes incredible red color in autumn leaves, the leaves drop and a fence with bare vines isn't very attractive.

Canna, go for it!...I may not be right either. And there are all sorts of plants that surprise us with hardiness. It really is a neat vine; I plan on planting it myself in the fall. Let me know how yours does, please!

Just be aware the most aristolochias hide their flowers in their foliage. So as cool as the flowers are, you might not see them if you don't dig for them. You will get to see the beautiful pipevine swallowtail butterflies, though!

I know it's got a bad rep, but for the conditions you describe, I'd still consider using a nice variegated English Ivy, hedera helix. None of the flowering vines mentioned above will do so to any degree in deep shade (and some, incl. the jasmine and Clematis armandii, are unlikely to be hardy in your zone, or at least to go deciduous in winter), and there are ivy varieties that offer great color year-round. If you leave a mowing strip at the base of the fence on either side, you can control its spread, and it becomes woody enough over time to be self-supporting. Do keep an eye out for all-green seedlings which may appear over time, because they'll outcompete the variegated form and take over if given a chance, but this is really not a huge problem.

English ivies are pretty but aside from other concerns, can cause a rash very much like poison ivy in about 10-15% of the population. So, before you consider this option, you may want to rub some on you and make sure you're not on of them. It would be miserable to have planted something that would make you itch! I'd also be wary that if it can give you all green seedlings, that means it's seeding which isn't good. I've been battling reg green ivy on my prop for years that the birds spread seed of and could curse the person who first planted it. If you're going to do it, commit to controlling it and deadheading any blooms. to prevent spread by seeds/birds.

The advantage of bignonia, coral honeysuckle, jessamine, trumpet vine and some of the others mentioned is that they're natives. Couple can be aggressive, yes, but they are native. Of all the ones mentioned, my favorites would be the bignonia and coral honeysuckle (which isn't completely evergreen).

Everyone I know with a chain link fence covered by English Ivy had to literally sit out there for YEARS and weave the vines up and through the fence mesh, the plants won't do it on their own. In fact the vines constantly want to escape the fence and creep away on the ground or climb up into the trees - anything but be intricately woven into the chain link. The process took many many years since English Ivy pretty much sits still for at least the first year (and I've seen it sit still for up to three years in poor soil). Once it has adapted to its new home it can grow very fast but that rarely happens right after planting.

The first step in keeping English Ivy from becoming the next Kudzu is to stop it from growing up the sides of tall buildings or tall trees. The vine we see is actually the juvenile form, which it can stay as forever. Once it climbs up around 25 feet the plant will switch to its adult form which is more like a woody stemmed shrub, its leaves will change shape and it will bloom and set seed. So if you see it being used as ground cover or climbing up a small fence it is not able to bloom or set seed in that stage. That is not the plant that we should be concerned with - it is harmless, though a rampant grower. As a garden plant, they will grow in spots that few other plants will survive and nothing seems to eat them so they have a place in my garden but I cut them back every other year to stop them from blooming.

Mbuckmaster, I'll keep you posted....I have the seeds germinating in my greenhouse now. lol

Tam, It is true that the flowers do not always make a showy appearance...but, like you ststed...the butterflies are also a very welcomed benefit to having them...I do love butterflies! :O)