Roses and clematis both like the sun so maybe check with your garden center for better choices on a north wall.

Or post this question on the Clematis forum for a lot of excellent clematis suggestions and feedback.......it really has nothing to do with Landscape Design :-)

Clematis are never fast. The gardener's proverb on clematis is the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap.

why not use an annual vine, like trumpet vine, to fill the gap fast while waiting for the clematis to fill in over time

sorry, I meant cypress vine , ipomoea quamoclit

Here is a link to the clematis forum.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/clematis

Have the roses been blooming in that spot? Usually the issue with both roses and clematis in shade is that they don't bloom well, and with the wall on one side and the maple tree on the other, it sounds like this area might well not have enough light for good bloom.

First, I love the Cypress Vine idea, I did some research and they're in the Morning Glory family; it doesn't re-seed easily, they would need to be soaked or sanded. But I love the vine. The other choice is back to Clematis. Nobody agrees on ones that can live in shade because I think it's different for everyone. Are they in microclimates? What zone is it? Do you ever water? Me - not so much. So I'm going to have to think about this whole idea and try to run a nursery at the same time. I am so far behind on my own yard it's actually a joke. That's why I like Clematis. Most of them just crawl up and sit there. Hmmm. Thank you for the clematis forum, I already saw that, there's like 30 clematis that people list that grow in shady areas, however that doesn't mean zone 6. I was hoping for a clematis expert who could say "try one of these 5 vines they'll get huge and can handle shade". There's a lot of experts floating around out there. Thanks everyone.

Most clematis will grow in zone 6, so that really isn't a limitation.

Henri is a nice white.

Here is another option - go to the search page of Clematis on the Web and only fill in the factors that are most important to you, leaving the rest of the form blank. So for your application, look at clematis the are 3-4 meters tall (probably also 4-5 meters) and that are shade tolerant (under aspect). I wouldn't bother with zone 6 since the data isn't complete, so you might miss some, and as I said above, most clematis are hardy to zone 6. You could look up any individual cultivars for hardiness if not given. They will give you a list of clematis, and if you click on the links, each has a descriptive page with photos. Not all may be readily available in the US, but it will give you some to look for.

I do think, however, that something other than roses and clematis might be better choices for good bloom in this quite shady spot.

http://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/groundcover-and-vines/clematis-a-shade-garden-superstar