You say you "are not worried" about the lack of depth to the space, but I can tell you really have no idea about the thickness that a vine will develop. First, are you expecting to use the garage wall as the support, where the vine grows directly on it? If so that's not a good idea as it will work to destroy the wall over time. Do you expect to install a trellis for the vine to grow on? That's got to be placed away from the wall at least a couple of feet, and preferably farther, or the vine is still going to get all over the wall. Even at 2' away, it would be a constant chore keeping the back of the vine trimmed off of the wall. A trellis really needs to be where you currently have a walk. Only a redesign of the walk can properly address this area. As it is now, you'd be better off finding some non-harmful outdoor art to place on the wall.

Cairo, I'm going to get drilled for having this opinion, but it's the internet, so here it goes:

A lot of folks here are true experts, so take their advice from that perspective. They know the problems you might experience 3-10 years down the road. They realize that certain ideas may be great immediately, but will bring frustration/disappointment later on. They can see the big picture.

Having said that, they also are more likely to recommend ideal situations and be perfectionists in the garden than someone like me- who enjoys gardening as a secondary hobby and not a passion.

If you want an evergreen flowering vine on the wall, I would figure out which one you want and how to build a trellis to make it work. If after a couple of growing seasons, you find that it's too large or that it's too much work to maintain or that it isn't performing well: get rid of it and try something else.

Unless you insist that there be no risk. If that's the case, you can ignore my entire post.

You might try a taller type or ornamental grass instead of a vine.

I also used Boston Ivy at a previous home because it is self clinging. and easy. Pruning and removal were easy. It would fit in that tight space but doesn't flower.

If the siding is of a suitable material screw in eye hooks or loops and run something like nylon lines or treated wire through them so that the wall becomes like a guitar neck. Then choose one or more climbing plants of suitable mature size and structure to fit in the space, when attached to the wires and kept fanned out against the wall with regular pruning and training - for the scheme to work out it is vital to keep up with this last bit. If you are instead more of the plant it and forget it persuasion then you are much more likely to end up with a mess.

The narrowness of the bed can be dealt with by starting with young specimens small enough to fit.

Houses here don't have siding so I can't comment on that. But growing things on strained wires as Embo suggests is common practice. The whole side wall of my garden and the back of my house have them. I have Clematis, variegated Euonymus, Jasminum beesianum, Cecile Brunner rose, Parthenocissus henryana, Jasminum officinale and Chaenomeles, Trachelospermum jasminoides and Jasminum polyanthum. Several of these are both evergreen and scented. But all need maintenance to keep flat on the wall.

Run the wires horizontally from top to bottom of the surface, and all the way across it. And then attach the climbers as needed where they intersect the wires. Train each in a fan shape so you have even coverage, instead of bunching up at the top. The climbing mode is a way to get up into the light in the forest, with many climbing plants still retaining this vertical orientation even when planted where they have good light exposure.

The wire support system being described can also be used for the espalier of a number of woody plants. Vines are not your only option if you are up for some plant training and bondage. You don't even have to confine yourself to horizontal and vertical lines.

I'm seeing an evergreen pyracantha that has white spring blooms and fat clusters of red to orange berries in the fall until the birds eat them. Pyracantha does have thorns, but you have already planted a rose. What's a little more lost blood.

check this out: Armandii Clematis

Evergreen clematis would be a bit much for this planting site.

Is this kind of what you were talking about? I know I can do something like this myself . Donyou think the Jessamine would be to heavy and thick for it ? I am not sure why I am so focused on the Jessamine. I was in Arizona before this and really missed the climate East Coast offered. The south has some amazing flowers and the first time I smelled the Jessamine I was head over heels . Or perhaps a passion flower vine ?

Clematis armandii is just coming into flower here now. It is a very big, strong growing and jungly sort of Clematis. The OPs site would soon be overwhelmed.

The above photo shows quite a posh wire arrangement. A specific 'kit' isn't necessary. You only need ordinary galvanised fence wire arranged in parallel lines horizontally about a foot or 18 in apart. Fix it with screw-in galvanised eyes if that's possible on your siding. No need for verticals. This kind of arrangement is extremely strong and will be equal to most climbers if it is properly fixed in the first place. Here's one of mine.

Things to consider:

Knowing what your siding is will make a difference as to how to best fasten the wires or other trellis. Vinyl or cementatious material like Hardiboard or wood or aluminum? I have also screwed hooks or eyes into the underside of soffits with a one story roof, so taking a look at the If this is a single story roof in this area is also important. What you don’t want to do is create an issue with water seeping in and getting trapped behind the siding.

You will likely want to set up drip irrigation in that spot since your roof overhang will create a rain shadow. Depending on how the walkway drains, it may get runoff from the walkway or it may remain quite dry even when there has been natural rain.

You may not need an evergreen plant there. Consider a deciduous plant on a pretty trellis that you can string with lights in the off season, underplanted with a flowering evergreen groundcover. (Just to expand possibilities since the first idea folks come here with may or may not be the best possible choice.)

If replacing the walk is in the realm of possibility, consider what you might be able to grow there with the walk moved out another foot or 5. The fact that builders even install walks like this drives me nuts.

As others have remarked, you will need to stay on top of this for maintenance, and will want to choose a plant where frequent pruning won’t remove all the flower buds. There is little less appealing that having to brush by damp or sticky or staining plants just to get to someone’s front door.

Dig Doug I've just seen the picture you posted, which wasn't showing when I replied about Clematis armandii. The photograph actually shows Trachelospermum jasminoides, not Clematis armandii. The latter is much larger in leaf and flower and much more loose growing

Fatshedera does not lend itself to trellising well - much too large and vigorous a plant for that purpose. And does not flower well or in a very attractive presentation either :-) Jasmines, evergreen honeysuckle or the pyracantha (rather under-used plant, IMO) would work better. You can also trellis or espalier winter blooming camellias (Camellia sasanqua) very successfully as well

Yes, the X Fatshedera is another coarse textured plant like the evergreen clematis - just the thing to make what is already a rather limited looking planting site even smaller appearing. And in the above cartoon is is confined to a single vertical section instead of being fanned out to furnish most of the wall space, which would produce a lot more attractive and complete appearance. With instead having part of the planting consist of aspidistra with nothing but blank wall above it the scheme looks haphazard and unfinished.

Tough crowd lol

Dig Doug, your design shows very well that it's not necessary to cover the whole side of the building with trellis if the OP doesn't wish it. But it's true that Fatshedera isn't a great choice for growing flat against a wall. I have one against the back of my house. It scrambles through the Parthenocissus henryana. But it's a stiff branched scruffy sort of plant that flops away from the wires. It doesn't climb by itself but also doesn't lend itself to espaliering.

Also your design shows Hellebores in full bloom at the same time as Crape Myrtles, so could perhaps mislead the OP, unless these plants are intended to be schematic representations rather than recommendations.

That tends to be the problem with computer generated mock-ups (or cartoons if you will). They are just unrealistic. The plants are seldom displayed according to their true nature or habit, they are far too uniform and if it blooms at all, it will be showing flowers regardless of the season or timing ;-)

But they look nice so those who are unfamiliar with landscaping or the plants themselves get far too easily swayed by the visuals.

So because they are by nature unrealistic portrayals, 'cartoon' is not far off point!

Cartoon: n) A cartoon is a type of illustration, sometimes animated, typically in a non-realistic or semi-realistic style; a preparatory design, drawing, or painting (as for a fresco).

If you have the climate for the jessamine then that should work fine - as long as you keep up with it.

"First time home owner and I'm just having fun with it :)"

The good news is that if your idea about planting a vine on a trellis at this space doesn't work out perfectly, it is not be a costly or catastrophic outcome. It will be a fun, easily correctable learning experience! For a vine, I would explore large flowered clematis because they are pretty and fun. You could also experiment with moonflower vine or heavenly blue morning glories because they are quick and cheap from seed. Moonflower vine would be something you could get from Ebay.

Coral honeysuckles.

does not have a scent but it will bloom most of the year for you. They come in reds and yellows and hummingbirds will thank you.

may need a little pruning but no more than Carolina jessamine which blooms only in the late winter..

have fun with it.

It’s evergreen here in z5.

Lonicera sempervirens, the native coral honeysuckle is not evergreen in the northern part of zone 5, but it for sure will be in cairo’s Zone 8. It is a large rambunctious vine and will require a large support structure and careful attention to training and pruning. I have no knowledge of how it compares with Carolina jessamine since I haven’t grown that, but here my L. sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler has red flowers from midMay until hard frost, with the largest flush early in the season but enough flowers to attract hummingbirds all summer until they head south in autumn.

IMO a great plant.

Personally, I would delete the requirement of "evergreen." It severely limits the choices, and mostly to vines unsuitable, and doesn't seems necessary. Thick, brushy, leafless plants can look nice in the winter.

Yardvaark, you are right. I guess I was thinking how scraggly the Wisteria looks in the winter here. For such a spot on the wall, I would hate for it to look yucky like that. I also guess I didn't realize that Jessamine had such a short blooming season. I think I don't mind trading the evergreen requirement for long blooming season. I have some Camellias that are pretty much blooming all year long ! I do have some Moon Flower seeds and a large variety of Morning Glory seeds that I have recently started inside .

A thornless flowering Quince, A large blossomed Camellia , Confederate Jasmine , are just some examples of where my mind is going. I've never been a big fan of honey suckles. I know the Confederate Jasmine is small petals, I prefer the big ones like a Peony though.

So a year ago I was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer at age 34. It sucked. I had the radiation and chemo and it was hard and sad especially for my husband and 3 young kids. While I was sitting in that damm chemo chair I told myself if I got through it, I would add more life and beauty to the world. I felt dead during that time and all I wanted was to bring Life and growth and help heal and cultivate. It took a year for me to feel " normal " after treatment and I am so far still cancer free :) I have thrown myself into landscaping my yard .So this is my motivation for this project. I hope maybe that helps explain what I am trying to go for and why I seem to zeroed in on big flowering things ! I am not as worried about failing a few times, I am more worried about never trying at all!

Sorry to hear about your cancer diagnosis & congratulations on prevailing.

If I said moonflower, I meant to say moonflower vine as they are different.

A few years ago I tried what was sold as 'Grandpa Ott' morning glory. The color was OK but I was much disappointed because the flowers were small & it was a nothing special bloomer. It looked like the morning glories that grow wild along the railroad right-of-ways here. Worse, I pulled up seeds of it for the next five years even though plants were never allowed to grow again. The seeds have cockroach-like durability and surviving power. Heavenly blue is all around better.

Sounds like you've been through the mill, Cairo. While you're mulling over the options, a row of giant sunflowers might amuse the children and be easier to do this first year. Cheap and cheerful. Are they old enough to sow their own and run a competition? And birds will love the seed heads later.

No, there are perennial Helianthus, but I'm talking about the big headed annuals, Helianthus annuus cultivars. The ones you name are annuals. I don't think you need any advice. Sunflowers are fun plants, not high class landscaping. Just let the kids choose what they want and plant plenty. A mixture would look great. They can even eat the seeds at the end of the season as well as giving them to the birds.

Babs, my coral honeysuckle came with me from SE Texas.

It is a Native on our farm there.

It has been growing here on the side of Mt Taylor about 7,000 ft for more than

20 years. It has always been an evergreen, never once has it lost its

leaves in winter.

It blooms from April till late Nov.

What about Lady Banks Rose?

Lady Banks would be far to vigorous for the space .... not to mention three years too late for the OP .

Haha! True. I am buying Lady Banks for a metal fence in NC and was just looking at this old discussion.