Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia - I may or may not have spelled all that right) will do fine in shade, although it will not flower or fruit as much. It has beautiful flowers and gorgeous fall color. Some people consider it aggressive - meaning it will happily cover whatever you let it. I have found that it is easy to keep in check, though, and I let it grow as a ground cover in areas that I haven't decided what to do yet.

I would strongly suggest not planting an exotic - it is so hard to know what will and what won't behave in any particular situation. If something is going to grow in places I don't want it, I'd rather it be a native.

I agree with Jill, definitely go with something native. vines are so aggressive to begin with. I always try to go native, but especially with vines.

It's the nature of vines to seek the sun. Virginia creeper, for example, will grow longer and longer, higher and higher until it finds sun--because only then can it flower and fruit, and that's what it want to do. Frankly, a vine in the shade is pretty boring.

Hi,

I looked up the Virginia Creeper and notice it can get 50ft and it twines and sticks to things. On the one hand that is a little scary, on the other hand, it might cover my fence fast like I want it to.

What about the Boston Ivy? I have had some of that on my chimney for almost 30 years and find that easy to keep in bounds. But again, that is from Japan and is not native.

Elaine, a vine in shade is boring? One that fruits and turns color in the fall? Anyway, I would take boring over the bright blue tarp my neighbor has over a boat in his yard. [g]

Adam

Here is a link that might be useful: Virginia Creeper fact sheet

No, no, no - don't do ivy! You'll never really get rid of it and it will pop up everywhere. Horrible stuff. None of the creeper in my yard has reached anything like 50' proportions - 10' max. It will look better in sun than shade, but it's a good choice even for shade.

A delicate native vine that likes shade is Adlumia fungosa. It is a vining bleeding heart with pale pink flowers. It's a bienniel, but if you get it to grow well one year, you will have seedlings forever. However, it is NOT aggressive.

I also like Clematis virginia for shade. It is perennial and more aggressive, but not nearly as, ahem, hearty as Virginia creeper - which I have on my house. Gotta get it out of my gutters this year.

Never heard of the Adlumia fungosa before - do you know of a source for it, Apcohrs? I googled it and it's GORGEOUS!

Cross vine, Bignonia capreolata, is a vine that will grow and flower in shade. It does get big after a while but it is one of the few vines that tolerates shade and is not overly aggressive. I remember it from Kentucky when I was a kid so I am sure it will grow in zone 6.

Oh, this just occurred to me, Adam - VA creeper does not "stick" to things like English ivy does. Ivy has all of those zillions of little hairs on the stems that cling tenaciously - creeper twines around things and has small stems that help it to hold on, but it is easily removed from anywhere you don't want it, and it doesn't damage the surface like ivy does. Another point against ivy, which can get under shingles, damage siding, pull mortar out of walls and all kinds of nasty things.

Hi again,

Well, if I go native, isn't the Virginia Creeper the only native that will grow in shade?

I looked at the photos of Bignonia and Adlumia. Very pretty. Are either of those native?

I couldn't find a photo of clematis virginia, is there another name? Is it Virgin's Bower? If so, I read that it tolerates light shade. I would like to try clematis, I love the montana and the Sweet autumn clematis for the speed with which they grow, their vigor and the fragrance on the SA clematis. Or any other clematis that might tolerate the shade. I especially like the small little bell type ones.

I am not sure how much shade it will be in. We just ripped out a whole border of old shrubs and have an open property line that is 90 feet long. The only thing there is a 4ft high post and rail fence, and in the background other people's Silver maples that are creating the shade. It could be the area gets some sun in the morning, but since the trees haven't leafed out yet, and the forecast is rain for the next 5 of 7 days, I am waiting to figure it out.

Since I have 90 feet of post and rail fence, I would like to grow a few vines to just travel along the rails and give some screening and interest. I could probably accomodate a Virginia Creeper and keep it in bounds fairly easily.

Thanks Jill for clarifying the difference in habit from the Boston Ivy and the Virginia Creeper. That does sound better. I wouldn't be using it as a ground cover at all. Would I have to be concerned about the root structure? Are they difficult to dig out if you decided to?

What about Porcelain Berry? Silver Lace Vine? Or Honeysuckle?

Thanks,
Adam

Bignonia and Adlumia are both natives, as is Clematis viginiana (yes, that's virgin's bower). All will tolerate light shade, and the Adlumia likes deep shade. Bignonia is a semi-evergreen, while the clematis is deciduous. The clematis is indeed lovely - I have a beautiful one trained on a trellis. Both bignonia and the clematis need support to climb - they can't stick to a vertical surface without something to twine around.

Creeper is easy to remove if you don't want it.

Porcelain berry is an invasive exotic - please don't plant it! I don't know anything about silver lace vine - do you have the Latin name for it?

And native honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens, is beautiful. It is available in yellow and red cultivars. Again, it needs help to climb and it will not do very well in shade in terms of flower production. Please do not plant any other honeysuckles - they are all invasive exotics and very, very aggresive (well, there are a few native bush honeysuckles, but the odds of finding them at the nursery are vanishingly small).

Hi Jill

Polygonum aubrertii is the latin for Silver Lace Vine. I would like to get the Lonicera as well if I find a spot with some sun. Would that attract hummers? Are there different varieties of that one?

Thanks for all the information. Looks like I am narrowing it down.

Adam

The silver lace vine is an invasive exotic in Connecticut, so avoid it in MA! Looks like you'd have your hands full with it - many of the polygonum family are highly invasive.

Lonicera sempervirens is a huge favorite with hummers, and here in PA it practically blooms all year. It will flower from spring through fall where you are, although most heavily in the spring. I know that there are yellow and red cultivars, and I think there are several of each. They are generally fairly easy to find at nurseries or by mail order.

I have seen long stretches of post and rail fence covered with sweet autumn clematis around town here in zone 5. I think it was in mostly sun though. But it was beautiful and might be worth a try even if you only got a few flowers.

How about trying some annual fast growing vines such as scarlet runner bean?

Hi,

The Virgin's Bower needs some direct sun to bloom but will tolerate quite a bit of shade if you don't mind the lack of blooms. Make sure you keep it off the ground, though, or it will root. You can cut it back periodically to keep it in check. It is beautiful in bloom, though.

Jeanne

I think I got my original Adlumia fungosa from WE-DU nursery. The nursery has new owners - does anybody remember what the new name is???

Have you thought about a native pipe vine (Aristilochia durior - is the one I think is native in your area - better double check though). They don't have beautiful flowers but are host plants for pipevine swallowtails & produce a lush foliage in shade.

The lonicera sempervirens is very beautiful & everygreen but it does need sun to do well. I have one in partial sun & one that gets more & the sunnier one is definitely happier. They come in orange or yellow. I believe highcountrygardens.com has both so you could take a look.

I would recommend the bignonia they really like shade & have beautiful red or orange flowers that are well loved by hummers. Mine is just starting to grow (its a bit dry for them here). Plus it would be about the right size for your fence.

I am also going to get some lonicera albiflora (white bush honeysuckle) on my next plant expedition. It grows as a bush but also climbs a small amount (very susceptible to deer damage though). It has red berries that are good for birds and is evergreen.

There are also a bunch of native species clematis some of which are shade tolerant but I believe they tend to be smaller (10-15 ft.)

Definately do the Virginia Creeper, I have it as a ground cover in one of my sunny beds and as a climber on some of my trees, it is easy to control and provides food and shelter for lots of wildlife.

Some other NATIVE to US vines I thought of are Bignonia capreolata (cross-vine) which can grow from full sun to shade so should go well since you are not sure of the amount of light you have. It is semi-evergreen (will be evergreen in mild winters), blooms in June with orange flowers, humingbirds love it, and it grows very fast.

Aristolochia macrophylla (Dutchman's pipe) - great little interesting flower in May, full sun to shade, grows fast and may be a annual in your area but will seed in so you will never know!

Decumaria barbara (Southeast Decumaria) has white flowers in June and gets a butter-yellow in the fall. It is also full sun to shade.

good luck, let us know what works!!!

Hi,

I thought I would update you. I ended up getting two vines so far. A clematis virginiana and a Trumpet Honeysuckle vine. I have them both planted and they are already doing fine. The honeysuckle is just now opening it's blooms, and the clematis started climbing the fence I have it against, within 2 days. LOVE when plants do that..lol.

I am looking forward to how they work out. I also want to get a Virginia Creeper to train horizontally along a stockade fence that is pretty long and prominent in the yard.

Thanks for all your ideas. I still want to get a few more of those mentioned above. I have lots of fence I want to try them on, but for right now, I am holding where I am at.

Adam

What's the scientific name of your trumpet honeysuckle vine?

I am looking for starts for the following vines.

allegheny vine (pink if possible)
butterfly pea
cup & saucer vine
purple bell vine
climbing shell or corkscrew vine.
Thanks for the help, Rayven
kitkat@bendbroadband.com

There's another clematis that I've been told is native....Clematis glaucophyllum. Also known as leather flower. Had one at another house, in another state, it was gorgeous!

The Adlumia is really pretty. I added a link in case any one wants to see it. I have Virginia Creeper in a mostly shady area in my side lot. I have been working on this lot, clearing out invasives and thinning trees for five years. The creeper is the last to go. I may keep some that are already growing on the neighbor's fence, but pull the ones taking over the ground. It is easy to pull, but a lot of work to get the entire vine out. It grows right back if you don't get it all. I'm not overly impressed with it, but once I get the rest of the area in gear, I may change my mind.

Here is a link that might be useful: vine

Hi Adam/ RI here/ and I had a spot that needed to be covered on the deck for privacy/ planted a clematis/ and am totally amazed at how it took off and covered over 7' in less than a few weeks. It's in a semi shade area and prob gets full sun about 3 hrs in the afternoon vs. the one that I planted in full sun and isn't doing a dang thing..prob about 14" high so far..lol Good luck !!

Virginia Creeper does stick to objects in the same manner as Ivy. It will grow straight up the side of your house, very quickly. AND although easy to remove, it leaves the little marks where it's suckers or feet attached to the house. I know they are native and birds LOVE their berries and where you are located, they may NOT be invasive. BUT here in SUNNY FLORIDA where they can grow year around, they grow for enormous distances horizontally and vertically. The birds devour the berries like candy and consequently they come up volunteer anywhere and everywhere, Apparently every seed that passes through the tummy of a bird is fertile and will grow wherever it falls. They are colorful and provide lots of food for the birds and I would rather have it growing in my yard than poison oak (whose berries are well liked by birds also, by the way) but surely there is some other vine that you would like better.

Hi Ed,

Thanks for sharing that information with me. I was not quite sure the vine would cling and I wasn't expecting it would leave those little feet behind. I think the Virginia Creeper is native to New England where I live so despite the fact that it can grow quickly and reseed, I would assume that it was doing that long before I was around. I can't see how it could be wrong to avoid growing a native in it's native area. I thought we were supposed to be increasing native plants over invasives?

Adam

As I said, you may not find it invasive in your area; but it IS definitely an invasive here where it can grow year around. I guess a native invasive is to be preferred over an exotic invasive; BUT, I was thinking there has to be some native vine which isn't invasive. Have you tried Scuppernongs or Muscadines?? It isn't all that pretty but the birds and other wildlife love them.

I have a "volunteer" vine that started growing in the middle of a new raised bed filled with perennial bulbs and sedum. It has "sticky" stems, six-or-eight lobed leaf that grows very large, and vaguely is shaped like a maple leaf. It grows rapidly and finally I had to clip off the growing tips so it wouldn't engulf the porch railing above it. I have been unable to find any photos online that resemble it. This link is to a photo of a new leaf from the vine.

Here is a link that might be useful: strange vine leaf

Not seeing anything but people eating lunch

Sorry, I had to remove the photo. Will re-post it and correct this entry.

Here is the correct photo:

Here is a link that might be useful: strange vine leaf

One more time:

Here is a link that might be useful: strange vine leaf

Looks like it might be hops. You know for brewing beer.
Cathy

I was at a lecture last Tuesday and several people asked about the same vine. It is hops. With the trend for making your own beer people are growing it in their backyards. There are two main types that are escaping into peoples garden's, Japanese and regular.