Hi Yodio, I'm also a newbie gardener and I can't really answer your questions about how well they will grow, but I have a picture of the green wire fencing that I've attached to a trellis up against my garage that I thought you might be interested to see. This is my first year with clematis. My garage is a pale cream color, and the trellis with the wire fencing is not really as noticable as you'd think (not an eye sore), and like you, I was afraid it was going to stand out like a sore thumb but it really doesn't because the wire is so thin, and from a distance (I've viewed from my neighbors yard) you can hardly tell it's there. This is also a north facing wall, and I've planted the clematis behind my shrub and ferns. I've swapped the garbage can with the yard waste bin to allow more light to get back there, but they've grown well so far (I have minuet and alba luxurians - I've cut them down again to promote root growth, but they both made it 3/4 up the trellis already without direct sunlight). I still need to add a downspout extension so my clems don't get overwatered, but only time will tell if they will bloom in this area (no direct sunlight). If you look at the fenceline in the background, I also have clematis planted there (this pic is a couple of months old), and those get mostly indirect sunlight, but they will get direct sunlight once they grow to the top of the fenceline, and some of those have already produced blooms. I'll let the experts answer the questions regarding lighting and planting as they'll know better than I.

My coastal Z8 is cool, often cloudy, and I would not move now unless an emergency. The plant would likely be OK but it would be easier on it if I waited until Fall rains begin. If I could point out something you may want to correct - Your hydrangea would do better without the competition for nutrients and water of grass up to the crown and stems. Also, you run the risk of damaging the plant with weedeater or mower keeping that grass short. It would be happier and healthier planted with nothing growing around it and the root zone (think potential size, not it's small size now) mulched. As the mulch breaks down it will slowly feed the soil, in the meantime it helps to keep roots cool and moist, conserves water.

Everything kinda eariler each year here too in the PNW. It's been colder this early spring than in some years. But overall the winter is warmer and the plants know it. A global warming like cycle effect. Don't get me wrong, I really kinda like us becoming z9 instead of z8, but the models say our forest trees might burn like happened in CA, clear up to N CA and parts of southern OR. Global warming? Our current President is going to learn more about the effects of this in his new "business" than he ever would have imagined. In fact, he might even have to believe it as he deals with increasing intermittent drought times in Africa as well as CA. San Diego is already currently putting in a large municiple desalination plant! Faster change within a lifetime, rather than over many generations is tough. Human life energy and $ investments get taxed due to faster rates of change and on wrong choices. When it happens slowly civilization can just move correctly in the change direction. Adaptation becomes easier. Less famine, disease cycles that way. (Can you imagine what it'd be like if the US had another "dust bowl" event or Africa's Sahara Desert suddenly positioned towards doubling in size? We were just in dry desert like Baja CA, Mexico for a week. They must pump water like crazy where they live to make the habitat more hospitable. The rest of coastal CA is in trouble if they shift to that climate. Baja can't expand much more on current water supply needs. They would need to add desalination plants and pay that energy cost and environmental effects. There we a lot of Whales there this Feb. It's a natural calfing time due to less food (= less predators) and higher salinity, which floats baby whales better. Higher salinity is caused by higher evaporation rates than up north. If that water goes up into the sky it must later come down, often as storms. Thus, if we extend the salinity effect as far as N CA then we have current 1x storm potential go to eg 3x. More frequent, powerful, extended range storms. The mosquito disease range also moves north with the warmth effects. This would be a great time for your grandkids' future to buy land one growth zone north of you. Now we as gardeners can help. Grow large leafy plants like HYDRANGES and better yet TREES, and BAMBOO that eat CO2. Build wooden structures with them to tie up carbon. This is a good banking system. If we get a mini ice age due to asteroid hit, then we recycle/burn things to make heat, grow mushroone such as oyster mushroom and shiitake, and restore global warming effects this time for benefit. Dark ash can be added to darken snow for heat capture and soil building to make CO2 hungry plants. Anti-global warming front yard (by chance not informed design, our last house). Who needs grass to cut? Labor could go into harvesting wood and handcrafting things to stock pile CO2. Our new yard is sunny, but we are transforming it. Before Six months later Our divisions from the last house and some acquistions give us 80 kinds of hydrangea installed into the new design and 7 types of timber bamboo. We have little land and so just 5 smaller trees we added, including 3 Japanese Maple, a Persimmon and Witch Hazel. Internet photos or sone of our bamboo types. Click photos to expand any condensed images. Phyllostachys nigra "Black Bamboo" Phyllostachys nigra 'Bory "Tiger Bamboo" Phyllostachys nigra 'Henonis "Henon or Blue Bamboo" (thought to be the larger parent type bamboo from which the other nigra varieties mutated from. It starts as a nice tall green bamboo and develops a blue surface powdery film with age.) Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis' "Golden Vivax Bamboo" Phyllostachys vivax 'Huanwenzhu Inversa' "Kimmel Golden Vivax Bamboo" Phyllostachys atrovaginata "Incense Bamboo" also has edible shoots. Bamboo stands give privacy barriers, add backdrops for our hydrangea and other plants, and are evergreens which helps the yard look great in winter. We like the decorative spent canes for craft and yard uses. These also make edible shoots if tbey excape my root barrier investment. And they can be used to defend against wild dogs and humanZ in time of famine or Zombie attack ... then there's torture potentials too. I'd grow the Incense Bamboo for the fragrant waxy surfaced canes alone or scary looking shoots. These interesting looking shoots are equally useful to detour unknown neighborhood kids from jumping over the fence, thus not incensing me again.

Plant patent for 'Lindsey Ann' = LA Dreamin' From a Ball Hort publication: “My son and I noticed an interesting Hydrangea in a neighbor’s yard and watched it over a few years. We were attracted to its stunning blue color and the fact that it also displayed pink, purple and mauve colors in between. The blooms lasted well into the Fall and the plant survived our harsh Michigan Winters. We asked the neighbor if we could take cuttings off the plant. The following year, we took our first cuttings of what would become L.A. Dreamin’. John McDonough, our BOS rep, was attracted to our Hydrangea and started asking us about it. Now we are partnering with Ball to spread this wonderful Hydrangea further. The L.A. Dreamin’ name comes from Macrophylla Lindsey Ann, a tribute to my late daughter and the life that we were blessed with for 11 years.” – John Bakale, Michigan Evergreen Nursery, West Olive, MI L.A. Dreamin’ PPAF Height: 5 ft. (1.5 m) Spread: 6 ft. (1.8 m) Zones: 5 to 10 The first Mophead that shows pink, blue and bicolor blooms without special treatment A real standout in the crowded Hydrangea market PPAF for Next Generation 'SAXREBII' = Poppet Info from the same Ball PDF on Next Gen Poppet: Poppet ‘SAXREBII’ PPAF Height: 3 ft. (0.9 m) Spread: 3 ft. (0.9 m) Zones: 5 to 9 Smaller flowers, but lots of them! Cream-colored eye sets off deep pink petals. For a change…acidic soil produces dark blue to purple blooms. Compact habit for low-growing shrub. So, though both marketed by Ball Horticultural, not the same.