fast growing vines for patio

13 years ago

Hello,

I installed several planter boxes with attached trellises as "walls" on my patio. I planted kiwi and grape several months ago, with the goal of them growing up the trellis and then further onto the roof structure, to provide shade (and fruits).

The plants look a bit sad, I don't know if they survived the winter or not. I hope they did and will start growing soon. But just to hedge my bets, I'd like to stick in some other vines that grow real fast, so that I can have a covered patio as quickly as possible. If/when the grapes and kiwi grow, I will cut the other stuff back. I'm looking for suggestions for fast-growing vines that would grow well in planter boxes. The patio gets plenty of sun.

Thanks!

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Comments (8)

girlgroupgirl
13 years ago
Where in Georgia are you, Fretal? Here in Atlanta not much is leafing out yet...just late winter things.
My other question would be, how large are your planters?
fretal
Original Author
13 years ago
I'm in Athens. And I don't expect anything to grow right away, I'd just like to know what kind of vines are really fast growing such that they cover the area quickly. My planter boxes are about 1ft wide x 1ft deep x 6ft long. The trellis is about 7ft high. Thanks!
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Your probably bang on with the cedars however they will take a long time to fill in an area. They don't require a lot of work compared to a vine generally speaking. I certainly don't recommend vines to fill your need because the privacy they give would generally be subject to the season. Below are some comments on the ones I have experience with. Most of the summer one of my chain link fences gets covered in Clematis Tangutica. I think it was called Clematis Bill MacKenzie. Its an amazing mess of yellow flowers. The nice thing with Bill MacKenzie was how fast it fills in during the spring over my other vines. I do have other clematis but nothing as bushy and filling as Bill MacKenzie. You could also look at Virginia Creeper but be careful as it can get out of control very fast. The neighbor behind our house has his crawling over his back fence snaking through the back lane and strangling parts of my garden. If you don't mind planting annuals every year you could try morning glories depending on the size / height of the area you want to cover. I've had good experience with morning glories all over my limited space. I'd seriously consider a long term investment though like cedars or some other type of bush. Evergreens for your area will give you all season privacy. Or if winter privacy isn't a big deal consider an edible bush like saskatoons. Well my 2 cents.
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From some research I think what I got was Boston Ivy. (The search feature here had these two): 1, I have been wanting to grow this myself for its beautiful color but been afraid of it being too aggressive. What I have found from research on it is that well it is aggressive just as much as the english ivy. To cover the fence with a good thick cover will probably take three summer seasons. Ivy rule goes something like this: first year it sits, second it creeps, third it leaps! Couldn't think of a rhyming word for the first year, ha, ha. I have found this to be true with my english ivy so should hold true for the boston. By the thrid year make sure you have a regular maintenance plan for keeping it contained to your desired area as it will keep climbing and reaching. Good luck! 2, Boston Ivy is the type of ivy found on the walls of the Ivy League colleges in the north east. It's been growing on those brick walls for 100 years or so and seems to do them no harm. It is different that English ivy in that it sticks with suction cups on it's branches and doesn't send tendrils into the structure like English Ivy. Also it is deciduous...looses it's leaves in the fall. English ivy keeps it's leaves and therefor keeps walls wetter during the winter. Once the Boston Ivy gets going....it goes fast....but be patient for about 3 years. As a side benefit, it has berries that birds like, and when it gets really thick birds often build nests in the vines. Linda C Mine loses it's leaves in the fall and did what these two described. In my case I wish I had gone with the English Ivy because it keeps it's leaves.
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Chloe, I'm about 18 miles from the coast. I have two white Bower vines, which I planted in early May. One is against the wall I'm trying to hide, receiving about 3 hours of sun a day, the other one is against a wall that gets sun all morning until about 2:00 PM. Both vines are growing pretty much at the same rate and both survived the 115F heatwave we've got a few weeks ago with almost no damage. They have grown by a third, I would say since May. I don't know if that's considered fast growing. I've been given them SuperThrive every couple of weeks and watch their leaves closely (I find that's a good too-much-too-little-water indicator. I've also planted oleanders in the same areas (sunny and not as sunny) and they are growing at different rates. The ones receiving less sun seem to be growing slower than the others but they all have flowers. I guess I could plant more oleanders and Bower vines but I think I'd like a bit more variety. Been reading about pink trumpet vine. It's lovely and does tolerate partial shade and it's a fast grower. A good candidate, I guess. A volunteer Cape honeysuckle is growing outside the backyard fence. That plant is amazing. It can grow in such harsh conditions. Full sun all day and almost no water. About the wisteria, there's the Chinese variety that grows very fast but I've been told not to use it near buildings because of how uncontrollable it normally gets. And the potato vine I purchased and planted in late spring was decimated by some nasty caterpillar. I tried everything (sprays, powders, store-bought and homemade) and nothing. The vine was growing gloriously. It hadn't produced any flowers but the foliage was splendid and then, almost overnight, most of its leaves had been completely chewed up.
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You have to be reasonable in your expectations of fast coverage :-) Permament, perennial vines - clematis, honeysuckle, passion flower - will take some time to establish and fill in. But will be a better long term solution as they will provide better, denser and longer visual screening once fully establshed. And do not need to be replaced each year. Annual vines may grow fast but have a much shorter functional life as a screening plant and will need to be replaced seasonally. For 10-15' feet of fence you would probably need only one plant if choosing a perennial vine, as most will grow at least that large if not larger. But it won't hurt to plant more than a single vine if you want more complete visual coverage faster. You could plant one at either end and train them to grow towards each other or space out three equally along that distance. If you opt for a perennial vine in multiples, make sure they are all the same species (not one each of the clematis, honeysuckle or passion flower) as they grow at different rates and with different vigor and one will outcompete the other(s). And any perennial vine available at your local independent nursery will work for this purpose....although some will work much better than others :-)
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girlgroupgirl
13 years ago
Hi Fretal,
Well, you have planted some lovely things for your area, and they would fill out quickly except that 1 foot deep and one foot wide of soil is simply not enough space!! You planted perennial vines that want deep roots, and lots of space to grow. They need at MINIMUM 3' deep of soil and probably at least 3' wide, even then you will eventually find yourself constantly watering. I'm sorry but it may be time to quickly find much larger containers and transfer your plants over to something of a good size so you see nice growth for spring like you want!
Your planter boxes are window boxes are are suitable for annual plants (even then, in our summers annuals can fill a window box so quickly) - things that will be pretty for a season. Is there a Big Lots in Athens? They may have some nice size containers for inexpensive. I also purchased pretty but very large cement pottery from the recycle place across from the J&J flea market, I bought HUGE cement pots that were seconds for $10 each.
bev87
13 years ago
I planted moonflowers in a container last year & they grew wildly, over a 4' obelisk -- they might be great for your spot. They are very fragrant, white, and open up at night. They attract some neat hummingbird moths.
fretal
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi girlgroupgirl,
Thanks for the additional feedback. Unfortunately, I can't do bigger planter boxes since these boxes form the "walls" of my patio/arbor, and if I made them larger, there would be no patio left. I actually built them myself to get the right dimensions, couldn't find anything suitable at any store or online. And I'll have to constantly water anyway, since the patio has a (transparent plastic) roof, so there will be sun but no natural water. Given these circumstances, are there any vines that might grow in that limited space?

bev87: Never heard of moonflowers, but sounds interesting, I'll check them out.

Thanks!
Iris GW
13 years ago
Moonflowers are annual vines here, but they get big!

Consider cypress vine - a tiny and delicate looking vine that is also an annual vine that puts out a lot of growth in a single year. And the hummingbirds love it.

You are fortunate to live near Brushwood Nursery's Athens location.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brushwood Nursery - good source for native vines
girlgroupgirl
13 years ago
I don't even know if moonvine can handle only growing in 1' deep of soil. That is a very small space.
You could try planting some seed in there with your other plants to see if they will take over, unfortunately I fear that your fruiting plants will probably only last a short time. They will outgrow the boxes quickly. If you can add another "layer" of wood to make them deeper, add more soil and replant the vines that may help (especially for the moon vines). Asking at Brushwood is an excellent idea. Another great vine that might serve you well in this condition is the passion vine. It grows very quickly!
japmapleman
13 years ago
Carolina jasmine. Smells really good and has a yellow bloom

fast growing vines for patio

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fast growing vines for patio

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