You have enough space to have as many as you want. Heck, you could have a vina garden. I know that the red Dipladenia and violet/move Hf young clematis do well in my zone without much trouble (in containers) . The hf young reblooms many times (twice outdoors and once or twice indoors). The Dipladenia blooms all way to December when brought indoors. you are in a warmer zone so you have a much longer growing season. perhaps you could look around in your neighborhood and possibly the garden center to see what thrives there.

Tag your zone/region to get local views as well

Thanks getgoing! Are you in NJ?

And how do tag my zone/region? No idea!

I have been to our local nursery and they are generally helpful. I do look around my area but I generally don’t know what plants are which. Except bougainvillea! I’ll keep looking. Thx!

Yes, I am in NJ. When you created this thread you picked a few (upto 3) tags (for example- garden) before the thread goes up. You could search for and choose California as one of the tags. Good luck with your project. Let us know how it goes.

You have room for a few varieties just don't plant them alternately.

I am thinking Trachelospermum jasminoides for the area where the RV is parked. It does not have bold flowers but it makes dense cover. You will have to tie it at first, it does not have tendrils. It is not a water hog. Whatever you plant will need watered regularly until they are established.

Donnatrus, if you take pictures of vines in your area which you like the look of, we can probably identify them for you. Then you can go shopping with some names.

No one looks at a vineyard and calls it ugly or boring. As it is one yard and one fence, in my opinion, it would look better as one type of plant. It would be messier or chaotic looking, or harder to control if a variety of vines.

The first thing I'd be looking at is the vine habit. Some drape, some are fluffy, some have lengthy projections; they are all over the map. Since it is an open-air situation, it will, to a large extent, boil down to your personal preference, so long as the vine can be controlled.

Depending on the vine you choose, you might very likely not need one or even two per post. It would work but might be overkill per what is necessary. If the vine were campsis (another hummingbird magnet) for example, you might need one every 30' or so.

Mandevillea might look great, but I don't know its long term habit and have never seen it used as much more than an annual (for which it is outstanding.)

Usually, it takes a while (2 or 3 years) to get a vine to where it is "cooking" good. In the meanwhile, annual vines, grown from seed, can be used to fill their place. I recommend moonflower vine for that. I would stay away from 'Grandpa Ott' morning glory, as it is the weediest thing, with seeds sprouting forever after. (I have not had that kind of trouble with 'Heavenly Blue' morning glory.)

If you chose the right clematis you would have blooms for significant part of the year.

The plural of 'clematis' can be either 'clematises' or just plain 'clematis'. When I read the post, I assumed the plural form was intended. That an assortment of varieties that are early, mid & late season bloomers, rather like you plan a daylily, etc., garden.

And if that was my intent, I would have amended the statement to read "If you chose the right selection of clematis you would have blooms for significant part of the year."

It is hard to determine the writer's intent without specific clarification, especially in a situation like this where different interpretation is up for grabs.

Even in my cool and dull area star jasmine consistently has poor foliage color in full sun, clearly wants a north-facing wall. But your first filter will be the drought resistance requirement, something that tends to narrow down what climbing plants can be used quite a bit. And then even if you find a suitable choice that will work within that restriction the climbing habit means that there will be an ongoing need for diligent pruning and training, in order to get uniform coverage within the outline of the fence - it would be a lot easier to plant free-standing (self-supporting) shrubs next to the fence instead.

getgoing, it's often best to just ignore comments of others and post your opinions and suggestions, even if other posters comment on your suggestions. People seeking help will glean what they want from helpful suggestions and, hopefully, do their own research about what might work for them.

I have clematis blooming much of the year in the PNW, but they seem to do best with quite a bit of moisture and shaded roots, so I don't know how they perform in an exposed sunny CA location.

OP, there are a few thornless bougainvillea varieties, but the colors appear to be less striking than the gorgeous colors available with thorns. I'd probably plant bougainvillea and hire a gardener to deal with handling them when needed. :-)

Wow, thanks so much for all the ideas and suggestions! You guys are amazing.

@Embothrium, what types of shrubs would you recommend? We thought vines for several reasons: stays narrow maximizing usable yard space, flowers, and we figured we have an existing ‘trellis’ with the cables. But we are open to other ideas! Anything that would reach high enough to cover the 4’ fence but also stay narrow? Thx!

@Olychick, I like the idea of hiring a gardener! But we tend to do everything ourselves unless we physically can’t. I will look into the thornless bougainvillea but also concerned about maintenance. They require frequent attention and was trying to have something with less maintenance. And thanks for your concern about clematis. My worry is that usually we have perfectly perfect :) weather here.. often 72 and sunny! But we do get hot spells in summer. And there is no shade at all. Very exposed. I could plant small plants along the fence line that are just 1-2’ tall to help shade the roots. What do you think?

@Yardvaark, thanks! So, I hear you about using the same plant...I was thinking that too. But do you think all the same color or could I mix up the colors of the same plant (not a rainbow but maybe white, light blue or purple)... subtle. What do you think? My vision is that eventually they would mix in. If that makes sense.

Also, @Yardvaark, any suggestions for smallish plants along fence line to go with the vines? And, I’ve had mandevilla for several years at a previous house in part shade and it was amazing. I just loved it. Was hoping it would do well here too.

One thing I’ve been thinking.. I’m a little nervous about the strong fragrance from jasmine. I love it but might be too strong for my husband.

I’m thinking mandevilla or bower at this point. But still not sure about clematis. Looks wonderful! but not sure.

Anyone experienced with Stephanotis floribunda or thunbergia (black eyed Susan)?

I grow the Thunbergia.....but it is an annual in my climate. Grows fast, blooms heavily over a long time and will attract butterflies and hummingbirds (although not their favorite ). But not exactly drought tolerant. Of all my containerized vines, I need to water this about twice as frequently as any others. And IME, the stephanotis has a much stronger and more carrying fragrance than does the star jasmine.

Thanks gardengal! Good to know about both. I definitely want drought tolerant. They will get water but as minimal as possible. Thx!

donnatrus, we're here in SoCal and have had some of the vines already mentioned...Mandevilla, Bower and Potato. For Mandevilla, right now we have Red Riding Hood but have also had the Alice du Pont variety. All these vines are great...and so pretty. It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'm kind of partial to the somewhat "lacy" look (IMO) of the Bower's leaves.

Thanks Cloebud! I’m definitely going to check out Bower vines at our local nursery!

All- anyone have experience with purple lilac vine?

Also, any suggestions for 1-2’ plants to grow along fence with vines?

Thanks!!

https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/31530/
https://www.centraltexasgardener.org/resource/rangoon-creeper/

For a long stretch of vines (which is essentially a hedge, here) analogous, or very mildly contrasting colors would work well.

I don't have any suggestions for underscore plants. Use what fits as it goes along. I wonder if there will be this space. A lot depends on the vine used.

I have lonicera sempervirens (yellow color) and it grows at least 15 feet a summer when I cut it back in the spring. It’s a hummingbird magnet. I have it on an arbor and it can take quite a bit of abuse and mishandling and “keeps on truckin”.

Star jasmine has a beautiful scent that is pleasant in an enclosed space, so outside, your husband should be fine with it.

Twining climbers of any serious vigor will soon bunch up at the top of the fence and grow broadly, unless consistently and diligently pruned into perpetuity.

And climbers that don't twine may also need to have each stem tied to the wires, in order to engage with the support, produce the desired coverage.

So I wonder if you are really going to get out there and do all this every year - you will not be able to plant climbers along that entire run of fence, have them turn it into a narrow and tidy wall of leaves and flowers on their own.

Both Lonicera sempervirens and mandevilla are vines that in my garden need less moisture than clematis, roses, or Thunbergia/black eyed Susan vine.

Thanks all! Again, great feedback and suggestions.

Embothrium, I hear you! And that is a concern. Maybe I can find a magic vine fairy to do this ;) but likely not so will be me! I am willing to prune and train the vines. But fast growing vines will be too much for a 4’ fence, I think. So I’m definitely looking for something slower growing so it’s manageable.

Based on my experience, star jasmine and mandevilla are fairly slow growers and were manageable for me in the past. But would love others thoughts.. do you agree with that?

Are there other slow growers I should consider? I have researched all suggested :) and some are faster grieving which raises concern about maintenance.

Cloebud, I don’t know much about Bower vines but it’s a possibility... so wondering if you can comment about the growth rate/manageability compared to mandevilla? Thx!!

And does anyone know about lilac vines?

Thanks again!!!

Lilac vine = Hardenbergia violacea for anyone else who is wondering.

Hardenbergia was a fairly low water plant for me. I let it develop a main "trunk" and then spread the vines out horizontally.

Looking at your situation you are basically doing an espalier to begin with. Consider shrubs that are used for that purpose. Xylosma is one. Grewia is another but it grows fast so you may not want it.

donnatrus, both Bower and Mandevilla have been fast growers for us. They're both very showy. My suggestion is to check the bloom and foliage appearance for both to see what appeals to you. For us, I'd say the Bower was easiest to care for. Alice du Pont Mandevilla is pretty spectacular, but I actually prefer the smaller leaves on the Red Riding Hood variety.

I was also remembering a Cape Honeysuckle we once grew to cover a fence. That stuff took off like we couldn't believe. Very agressive!

Thanks emmarene9! Interesting idea.. never heard of that! I think I’d rather flowering vines but do need to ensure they aren’t super fast growing.

And chloebud, thank you! Great input re: Bower and mandevilla. And I looked into honeysuckle but might be too fast growing.

Trip to the local nursery soon.. too hot today!!

Thanks again!

In my experience in Maryland, Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle) is not an aggressive grower. It bloomed all summer and the hummingbirds loved it. However, another thing to consider is the weight of the vine at maturity. Lonicera might be too heavy on that fence. Weight might eventually become a factor for any vine that persists through the winter.

Thanks JL! Good point about weight. I do plan to stay on top of pruning so hopefully will be ok.

Chloebud or others: can anyone tell me if star jasmine attracts hummingbirds and/or butterflies? I assume bees but pls correct me if I’m wrong. And same for Bower and Mandevilla?

My nursery says star jasmine would be best. Slower growing than the others. And I do love it. But I love the big flowers of Bower and Mandevilla. Plus I want to attract hummingbirds at least. Part of this fence is right outside our 8’ kitchen window and I’m looking out the window a lot!

Thanks!!

donnatrus, I can tell you our Bower vines attract hummers like crazy. I've not noticed them as much with Mandevilla.

ETA - Star Jasmine will attract hummers, too.

The hummingbirds love my Major Wheeler honeysuckle(red blooms)

Progress update: Planting has begun! My back hurts but got 7 vines planted :). All star jasmine except 1 pink Bower on the end. Need 2 more jasmine. Then need some low (~2ft tall) flowering perennials for in between vines along fence and for the stretch of fence with no vines where we don’t want anything tall. So I’m thinking about catmint. But I’m worried it may attract cats (and specifically mountain lions). We are on the outskirts of town up in the hills. Does anyone have experience with catmint or can recommend something else/similar? I’d love purple or blue but I’m open to other colors. Any thoughts? Thanks!!

Nice work! Glad you got the Bower. :-)

Chloebud, thx! Yea, I really wanted more bigger flowers and more color but maintenance would be a concern. So a Bower on one end and eventually on the other end too! Plus flowers in front of the fence will help. Thanks again for your help! Oh, and the nursery said mandevilla likes some shade around here. Bummer.

donnatrus - Can you provide an update? Would love to see how it is starting to take off this Spring.

@Jlwestbrook, funny you should ask today. I was just out there. They aren’t doing great. Pretty much the same as when we planted them but a few brown and red leaves. I think starting to do a bit better. Seeing some new green growth on some. My husband fertilized. We’ll see! I’ll update again in a few weeks. Any thoughts/suggestions would be welcome!

donnatrus - Yeah, it is probably a bit early but they should start taking off i'd think. Thanks for replying, looking forward to seeing their progress.

If the situation shown in September is still in effect you should mulch them rather than trying to get good establishment out of plants sitting in bare soil.

Thanks Embothrium. Yes, agree! I have a pile of mulch waiting to spread but wanted to plant some other flowers first. Maybe I should spread the mulch now then I can always move it to plant, then move it back. ??

Yes, I would mulch now and just pull aside mulch to plant. You will need a bucket to put soil into when you dig holes since you don’t want it mixing with the mulch. The mulch will help keep moisture and soil temperature more even.

I bought some fruitless olive trees. So cute. I cannot recall if the leaves are deciduous or evergreen

Good news! Our jasmine are finally growing and looking really good! I put mulch down and that seems to have definitely helped. Plus it’s warm. Hot actually. I think that’s woken them up. I’m so excited to see a few flowers already and lots of new growth. Thank you!! I’ll keep you all posted :)

Next up: We ordered edging for along the mulch, then will fill in the grass with seed or sod. Any recommendations?

Plus will plant some flowers along the fence in btw the jasmine. Yay!!

Hi all, our jasmine was doing really well in April, May and most of June. Lots of new growth and flowers. Then a few started not to look so good a few weeks ago. Here’s a pic of the worst one which has brown, yellow and even red leaves. And another pic of the 2nd worst. Some still look great. Any idea if this is water related or disease? And what I should do? Thanks!!

Probably water, as conditions can dry very quickly in the heat for not-yet-established plants.

Thanks Yardvaark. They all are getting the same water... I checked. So it’s interesting if that’s it. I’ll increase a bit and see how they do. This one (the worst one) has always been a little different from not long after planting. Wonder if it’s just defective!! But there’s 1-2 others that aren’t looking great, so... hmmmm.

How long does it take for them to be considered established?

Thx!!

Re the star jasmine: too much sun maybe? I'm in the Pac NW but summers, even here, with relentless sun, are not kind to star jasmines. There is a lot more humidity on the east coast in the south, and things do well there because they generally have plenty of rain and humidity in summer. Jasmines also like shelter. Windy situations are not the happiest for them. You did well to mulch them. After this growing season they should be well established. One thing about the brown leaves: sometimes leaves do this on evergreen things just as the plant is making a branch there. Look for signs of new branches and more leaves - that is a natural occurance then, and nothing to worry about.

how wide is your bed by your fence? you mentioned planting catmint (Nepeta). That plant sprawls when in bloom, and can get very wide - so be sure you don't buy the giant nepeta, which sprawls 4-5 feet. You do have to cut back nepeta when it's done flowering each time.

What other flowers are you considering and what is your color range that you like? i think you mentioned white, blue, and purple. What other flowering perennials have you considered? you said you wanted low maintenance so ideally, that would be something you don't have to deadhead constantly. . There are some amazing salvias that would do well in your climate. Salvia patens has pure royal blue flowers; ' cambridge blue' is sky blue, rare colors in flowers - not sure what zones they need but worth checking out. Hummingbirds love salvias. Salvia guaranitica "black and blue" is stunning!

Or you could plant asclepias and attract butterflies. i adore lantana, which here is an annual but in the Caribbean grew as a woody shrub and bloomed constantly - i guess they are considered invasive down south so it may not be the best choice for your area.

Here's a nice article about salvias:

https://gardenerspath.com/plants/flowers/how-grow-salvia/

As other have said, until things are established you will need to keep them watered. i used to live in the carribean - no water there - we used our dish water and bath water, bailing out the bathtub, to water our plants! nothing was wasted.

I am again suggesting the butterfly pea (clitoria ternatea). Nice blue flowers, supposed to be drought tolerant, takes heat like a champ. I have one blooming right now in a small pot, started from seed last fall. They are supposed to be fast growing but probably not where I am..

greatcate I realize this is an old post. You mentioned Major Wheeler. I have one to plant and am wondering how exactly it vines. I want it to be ‘lush’ along a 16’ l x 4’ h cattle panel. Should I Plant it in middle of panel or on one end to full length of panel? And will it twine on its own or will I have to train it?

Re the star jasmine: too much sun maybe? I'm in the Pac NW but summers, even here, with relentless sun, are not kind to star jasmines

Yes: the discoloration of the star jasmines is the exact same full sun effect I warned about upthread.