Look for Felix Leclerc. it grows up to 5 m. And apparently it's cane hardy to zone 4. However, I don't know if it is as shade tolerant as the Explorer series.

however, as Patti said, it will take years, to reach that size.

even would very vigorous clematis, you still need 2-3 years.

Is Felix Leclerc really that big? I thought it was a more typical Explorer height of 2+ m. It's really an Explorer that wasn't judged good enough to release the first time through, but when they were looking for more roses, made the cut.

Check out this discussion in the Rose Gallery forum...

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2147893/my-trellises-for-jean-from-wi-heavy-pics?n=19 I have decided to grow John Davis as a climber because of this post... An added plus is it is almost thornless which would help next to your patio. Those arborvitae are going to have to be trimmed severly every year... Mine are 8 feet apart on center and have totally filled in over 14 years time into a solid wall of trees 15 feet high.

And here....

http://www.midwestgardentips.com/explorer_roses.html

You might find some information that is helpful.

I agree that clematis may be more of what you are looking for if rapid growth is your goal. The larger the plant the faster it will mature, but even that will take time. Patience is the key...

Rebecca

I would recommend either John Davis (pink) or William Baffin (fuchsia). I have 2 John Davis climbers - it's a very hardy, pink climber with no winter dieback. Another climber that is relatively hardy is Rambling Red. I know that Gethesame nursery in Chicago carries it as does the Growing Place in Naperville. Both nurseries have a great selection of roses.

I bet the Northern exposure would suit clematis better. Quadra is another extremely hardy rose climber, but with the arborvitae shading the area roses will struggle.

Mad gallica, here is the Link for Felix Leclerc's height.

The one growing since the 80s at Cornhill nursery apparently is that tall.

John Davis will have a big flush in spring, with less that 4 hours of direct sunlight. But the 2nd scattered flush only comes with maturity (I.e. 8 years).

There are two other options but I can't comment on their shade tolerance:

Above and Beyond™ & Polestar. They are both cane hardy. But the latter has vicious thorns.....

Please be careful if you do business with gethesame nursery. Many people are happy with them. But others are not. They do not guaranty that there plants are true to name once they are planted they are yours even if it blooms as the wrong plant.

Thank you so much for everyone's comments. After some thought and researching all your suggestions I think I've decided to go with a clematis. I think it will just be a better choice. I will definitely choose a climber for the front of the house that gets full sun. Leaning towards Felix Leclerc or Quadra.