Creeping fig will get between the slats and grow over to your neighbor's side and ruin the fence, but as hoovb noted, wood fences don't last long anyway. If you have any sewer or septic systems nearby, do yourself a favor and pull it out now. It's real trouble if you have a crack in one of your sewer lines. Creeping fig also prefers full sun. Mine never grew at all in the shade, but the one on a south-facing fence is growing like gangbusters. It took a few years to get established. Is there any sun at all? If there is enough sun, you should plant more of them in March or April, about six feet apart, to get faster coverage. But they will not cover the fence in a year, and the 2x4s will still show when it does cover the fence. For covering ugly fences, I am a big fan of shrubs over vines. I started with vines, but found that they grow to the top of the fence, form a big wad up there, and get bare underneath. Sometimes mine would cascade beautifully down the other side for my neighbors. Ingrates. I don't think the Madagascar jasmine is a fast grower, and I'm not sure what the purple honeysuckle is. We'd need a botanical name to give you more info on that, probably. The vine I am most happy with after years of gardening is star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). Evergreen, coverage from top to bottom of the vine, glossy green leaves, heavenly scent, and easy-care. It would require some attachment to the fence. I bought a big one (15 gal) so I would not have to wait for coverage and it has been fantastic. An all-around great plant. Renee

I don't live in that area, but I know it is a fabulous place for a gardener to live! My favorite fast growing evergreen flowering vine is the white potato vine. Mine has taken over the trellis and the entire roof of my husband's office, and it is practically a non-stop bloomer, and it is also a real show-stopper. It does not tendril, which makes it easy to control. Drawbacks include: it sends up some suckers (not many, but enough) as much as ten feet from the trunk, especially after a severe pruning. It gets tomato worms, although the damage is not visible (except for the mighty impressive poops on my outdoor sink area). As you walk under the trellis, you see mostly dead twigs and leaves, since the new growth is above. I have planted and then torn out many flowering vines, including the evil pink Jasmine previously mentioned, the diabolical wisteria, and the king of all malevolent vines, purple morning glory (which I still pull out every week). The viciously uncontainable Passion Flower is allowed to live despite its capacity to reproduce both by seed and by sucker only because I become a blitheringly happy idiot every time I walk through a curtain of Gulf Frittilary butterflies when I go outside on a summer day. My hands down favorite is the potato vine, followed by pink and/or white trumpet. My father's favorite is the yellow banks rose because it grows fast and has no tendrils or thorns, but it only blooms once a year, and his second is bougainvilla (San Diego red, perhaps?).

Dear organic_gardenhag 10, "Rose is a rose is a rose," is a quotation attributed to Gertrude Stein. I'm going to modify that quotation by saying, "The Lady Banks rose is a rose is a rose," its Latin name being _Rosa banksiae_. As you said, it's virtually thornless and is evergreen; however, it is as much a rose as its thorniest cousins. With a profusion of beautiful white single, golden-centered flowers, the evergreen Cherokee Rose, Georgia's state flower, would be an excellent trellis-choice. Blooming during azalea season, the Cherokee Rose is native to China. It's thorny as all get-out and, thus, would be an excellent deterrent to cat burglars, home invaders, and other vermin. During the Antebellum Era, planters and yeoman farmers used the Cherokee Rose as natural, impenetrable fencing to keep rogue livestock confined to the pasture.

Here are three to start researching. Hydrangea petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea) These are extremely slow to get started, but there is nothing to beat the sight of a mature specimen in bloom. Climbing Hydrangea is a deciduous vine that clings with aerial roots. It needs solid support, like a wall, fence or even a large tree. They produce the lacy hydrangea flower heads in June. The dried flower head and peeling bark give it winter interest. Worth the investment in time. White flowers. 10 - 80' (Zones 4 - 7) Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower, Maypop) There are over 400 varieties of passionflower, most of which are tender tropical evergreens. Passiflora incarnata is a deciduous species that can actually survive a bit of freezing temperature. In fact, itÂs native to the southeast U.S. ItÂs semi-woody, with large serrated and clings with tendrils. Like its cousins, maypop is prized for its complex and exotic looking flowers. Purple and white flowers15 - 20' (Zones 7+) Campsis radicans (Trumpet Vine) A native American plant much loved by the hummingbirds and butterflies. Widely adaptable to heat and cold and an especially good choice as a perennial vine for Northern gardeners. Since they can get quite woody, their weight requires a strong support. Mature specimens make for nice winter interest, although they do require some maintenance pruning to keep them flowering at their best. Flowering can take a few years to start. Orange, Red and Yellow Flowers. Can grow to 40' (Zones 5 - 9) Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials