I used to have Dalechampia dioscoreifolia and don't remember any fragrance.

Thanks SoCalGal. I am reading up on the Dalechampias. One site referred to it having "light lemony fragrance" which I doubt would cause the same issues as more floral fragrances. So this is one to explore

Thanks gobluedjm. Creeping Fig does look interesting. It seems to be a determined grower - so obviously periodic trimming would be needed - which is no problem. I assume one would also have to prune off any fruit that grows? Since it is a strong grower - what happens when it runs out of vertical fence to climb? Does it then spread itself outwards horizontally?

Creeping fig will cover a lot more than the fence. It will keep creeping and creeping, year after year. What is the best way to phrase this? You know how some plants can take care of themselves and others need attention to keep them alive? Well, I can guarantee if you plant creeping fig it will still be there when the next person buys your house. It's one of the most vigorous growing plants I am aware of; you may come to wish it was less vigorous.

Another suggestion could be climbing guinea flower, it's pretty tame. Natal plum (the non-dwarf variety) can have very pleasantly fragrant flowers at night, but the bush does have thorns. Perhaps go over to the Rose section and consider a climbing rose.

Rats like to hide in creeping fig according to the vector control guy who came out to my house.

To parker25mv

Thank you very much for your response.

On climbing guinea flower (Hibbertia scandens) I found this - which has rather put me off!

"The yellow flowers have been reported as having an unpleasant odor variously described as similar to mothballs or animal urine or sweet but with "a pronounced faecel element".

That might not cause allergies - but it might be an aesthetic consideration with all the neighbors!

On Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa) the scent can apparently be quite intense. And since that is the primary concern - I'm reluctant to try that.

I am investigating climbing roses. Though my assumption is that roses need a fair amount of pruning and maintenance. I don't know how intense the scent of climbing roses is.

I have some follow-up questions about Creeping fig. I had read about the vigor of the plant. There are lots of warnings about that! It has quite the reputation!

I wonder whether the topography of where the vine would go might provide me some protection from the worst excesses of Creeping Fig.

1) The fence it would be growing against is in isolation. No walls nearby. Over 50 feet from the nearest structure or wall. I assume that - above the surface - it cannot leap over 50 feet to find another surface to climb. So does that afford me some protection from its negative aspects?

2) Once it has climbed and filled the vertical space of the fence - what does it do? Does it just start creeping horizontally until it runs out of fresh surface (which would be just fence) to cover? What does it do when if there's no more uncovered surface? Does it just get thicker on the available surface?

3) I know that the roots can spread. Is there a limit to how far they can grow? And is there a pattern to which direction the roots would go? eg Are they more likely to head downhill or uphill? Are the roots at their most invasive strength closest to where they were planted? Or do the roots at the furthest distance have strength?

4) I ask because about 30 feet uphill of where I would be planting - across a road and deep down in the ground - there is a septic tank. I would never plant a ficus tree near such a tank. But should I be concerned that the roots of a few creeping fig plants could traverse that sort of distance and do damage to a deep-set tank?

What is the fence material? IMO, vines on fences are usually among the higher maintenance landscape items. F. pumila, or the Boston ivy-types on block walls might be the exceptions--most of them are boundary stop maintenance. Most twining vines want to grow to the top of the fence, so after maturing, it is not uncommon to see a few bare stems on the fence area, with a cluster-mass of stems at the top. It takes a lot of regular maintenance to keep them from growing to that form.

The scent of roses varies by species/cultivar, and is not determined by growing type (ie. climbers).

A rather nasty plastic imitation wood! Installed by previous owner. And the current owner (I am neighbor with good rapport with owner) doesn't want to have to re-do the fence. Must be about 100-150 feet long.

In your opinion - is the F. Pumila in this situation likely to be something that will end up needing a lot of maintenance?

One other thought I wondered about was bougainvillea plants. I know they are nice aesthetically and they don't seem to have a strong scent. Any thoughts?

F. pumila will attach to the fence like it is super glued. It will grow into any seams and can eventually pry them open. And then, you should consider the weight of the vine when mature. It can be maintained using power hedgers, however, so it is not necessarily the worst of the vines maintenance-wise. But be sure before planting, or be sorry.

The bougainvilleas that are typically used to grow up fences, have nasty thorns. Personally, I hate maintaining them, especially after they reach desired size and want to keep growing. Prepare to possibly need bougainvillea looper (caterpillar) control measures in SoCal. You will also have to attach them to the fence somehow. Some species are hardier than others, so if you are in a marginal area, be sure to check hardiness.

Have you ruled out shrubs in front of the fence? It sounds from your recent description that there is room for them.

"The yellow flowers have been reported as having an unpleasant odor variously described as similar to mothballs or animal urine or sweet but with "a pronounced faecel element".

I don't notice any odor from mine. You'd have to put your nose right up to the flower, and even then it doesn't smell entirely unpleasant to me. Maybe different people's sense of smell is different, or the flowers can smell different under different conditions, but from what I'm smelling, I wouldn't let that put you off.

It's certainly nothing close to Callery pear.

Another option could be passiflora vine, although sometimes their leaves can get a little brown in the summer, and it could be just a little messy with all the passion fruit, and then that could potentially attract rodents. I'm not sure about the pollen, that could be an issue, but they are very exotic looking flowers. Passiflora does take a little more care than other vines though if you want them to do well (mainly watering).

Natal plum can only get intense at night, and the character of the smell is much less overpowering than jasmine. It smells like a mix of jasmine, pomelo (the peel and the blossoms), plumeria, and a hint of pear or banana flavoring. While the smell is wonderful, it's usually pretty subtle. I wish it was more fragrant!

Why not just paint the fence to an attractive color? There are paints for plastics now. Any vine is going to be a maintenance issue--are you up for that?

Boston Ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata, perhaps though it is deciduous. You end up with what looks like a hedge. The flowers are tiny and basically invisible, under the leaves. It's not going to be nearly as aggressive as creeping fig, nor as heavy.

There is a jasmine that is scentless, Jasminum nudiflorum. I've never grown it so can't comment as to suitability.

So. I don't think anybody answered what happens when it grows to cover the fence.. it mounds on top of the fence and itself and keeps growing out and up. If left long enough it can either support the whole fence or.. can tear it down in a strong wind or with some pushing as the fence decays.. many years down the road. If u put it on u won't get it off without destroying the fence. I think for some situations.. block walls.. it's a valid solution. Can't tell if it's sun or shade but u might want to try a trumpet vine if it is sun. At least u can take that off a fence without destroying the fence.

What about akebia? A vigorous grower but I find it easy to keep in check and train. Has small flowers that have a faint chocolate scent. You have to be very close to smell. Semi-evergreen in my climate, perhaps fully evergreen in CA? Pretty vine in my opinion.

How about Hardenbergia violacea (Happy Wanderer vine)? Tough as nails, but always looks pretty and can be cut down to the ground to rejuvenate every few years. I've never noticed a scent on these though some websites describe it as fragrant

How about a ruby passion vine or a Frederick edulis that gives fruit?