Thank you all for your input! Hubby and I are leaning towards the parthenocissus for the majority of the wall planted somewhere near the right (front) end. But I'm not sure which species would do well in my climate zone and in these conditions where the sun would be on that section for the entire day. Mine is fine with sun hitting it the entire day. If the leaves look scorched, water a bit more. Avoid P. quinquefolia (Viginia creeper) because it is too rampant. Named varieties of other species will be more tame. Expect a year or two to establish a good root system before the plant really takes off, but you should get some coverage the first year. Also, if those sticky suckers flake off, will the plant be at risk of falling off the wall? No. If some bit of the plant accidentally gets pulled off the wall, just cut that part off because it won't re-attach. A new bit will grow and stick on its own. Also, I'd still like to do one bougainvillea on the opposite corner. Anyone have tips for pruning to keep it the shape I want? Use a hedge trimmer and just shear it close to the wall. Bougies bloom on new growth, so new growth = flowers, so cutting back = more flowers, not less (within reason). Do not trim a baby plant too much. Let it establish. I'd like to have it climb up the wall at the corner and then most trail across the top section of the wall. In this situation where it will be attaching itself to the wall, how can I help direct its growth since there's nothing to tie pieces to as one would if growing on a trellis. Bougies won't attach themselves. You will have to install some strong wires or a trellis and use them to attach. Would also appreciate help on choosing a bougainvillea veiety suitable to this location/climate. I'm hoping "Orange Ice" will work because I really love the colors. A non-red color will be much less rampant and would be a good choice. Check on performance for that particular variety in your area--have you seen one growing in your neighborhood that looks good? Plant bougies in June or July when the soil is warm and do not disturb the rootball. Baby bougies are easily killed because the roots are so frail and brittle and need warmth. Established bougies are nearly impossible to kill. For planting slit the planting pot up, place the pot in the planting hole and gently pull out the pieces of the pot, leaving the roots as undisturbed as you can. Should I purchase online or would local nursery be better to ensure getting plants that are best for my area? If you have a good quality garden center nearby, that should be fine. Neither genus is particularly rare or hard to find.

I recently moved into a new home, and transported a datura in the bed of my pickup truck to the new place. Our new place is only 1 mile from our old place, and the only bad thing that happened was that some of the leaves wrapped themselves around the stems of a hibiscus that was riding alongside it. These leaves are now curled up on themselves, and have turned black. Should I cut these leaves off, or will that stress the plant out too much? Also, how much pruning does a datura require?

I've read this thread now three times over the past four years. I'm still trying to get rid of a trumpet vine I didn't even know I had when I moved into a lovely house with a mature garden. The previous owner must have gone nuts trying to pull the shoots - I certainly am! Like one of the posters above, mine is running along a decorative fence and trellis. I've tried digging deeper and deeper to find the source, found one (maybe?) and more just popped up in it's place!!!! To complicate matters, I 'think' I have some sort of root-boring pest. The year after we moved in on of eight large (12 feet maybe) lilac bushes quit producing and dying. The next year I pulled three out of the ground with my bare hands - no roots left! Is it the vine - or is it a pest? My rose vines have also died, and now, the remaining four lilacs - located about 30 feet away, are also dying. I'm down to two of the original eight, sadly. Now I have this barren space in my garden, and I am skeptically staring at it with about $60 of blueberry bushes waiting to be put in that same ground... Any advice on getting rid of this vine (and this pest) once and for all is desperately welcome!!!

Hi M I, Ouch! You dont just live in the middle of Coloradobut in the middle of the mountains! Its definitely cold, but it sure is beautiful out there! I love the overlook just east of Buena Vista that faces the entire Collegiate Range, and I stop for the view whenever Im going by that way. The planter boxes youre talking about would probably be big enough to plant vines in, but doing so would be pretty iffy, and I dont recommend it. The thing that kills plants over winter isnt the cold, its when they freeze and thaw and freeze and thaw over and over. And with ouror yourcold nights and then very warm, sunny days, the planter youre describing would probably be freezing and thawing repeatedly in winter, so you could never be sure they were going to come back the next spring. Watering in an above ground planter over winter would also be harder since it would dry out fairly quickly, but youd need to be sure you werent keeping it too wet either. Things planted in the ground have much more stable moisture conditions. Vines planted in the ground wont take up very much roomthe worst problem would probably be cutting through the existing roots to get them planted in the first place, but after that theyll just grow in around the roots of the other plants, and most of the foliage would be directed up onto the pergola. And I seriously dont recommend planting any of the invasive ones. I think youll regret it later if you do, and if theyre planted in among the lilacs and roses, it would be even harder to try to kill them off without damaging the "good" plants later. I would definitely recommend staying away from the first 4 I mentioned! I didnt think there were any table grapes that were hardy to z4, but if Davids right, I think that would be a wonderfuland deliciousidea! And I completely agree about the "Welchs grapes!" Concord arent especially good for just eatingeven the seedless onesbut they used to be considered the hardiest ones, so I kind of assumed that would be your only choice if you went with grapes. Ill be anxious to hear what varieties you have, David. And I didnt even know you could get shade cloth in pre-cut pieces, but I completely agree with David on using the shade cloth until your vines provide enough cover for you. Thats a much better idea than planting one of the "thugs" just to get fast cover. I can just about guarantee youll be MUCH happier down the road a few years if you do it that way. Regarding the Wisteria, Id be a little bit leery of that one, because back when I was in the green industry we sold quite a few of them, and every single year wed have a bunch of people coming in and asking why their wisterias never bloomed. We never came up with a definite answer, but as near as we could figure out, almost every year we were getting a freeze just as the buds were beginning to formbefore you could even see themand that killed the buds. I dont remember anyone ever coming in during those years telling us about how nicely theirs had bloomed. One thing I do agree with Steve on is that when they do bloom, theyre absolutely amazing! Among the most beautiful vines Ive ever seen! I used to commute to San Francisco, and the girl I stayed with when I was there had one growing over a LARGE arbor type thing leading up to her front door, and every spring it was really indescribably beautiful, but I think youre in the wrong climate here. But, hey, weve got lots of beautiful things here toosome of them are called mountains! LOL And if the flatlanders down here in Denver cant get them to bloom, Id say its even less likely that youd be successful out there in the hills. If anyone knows of a wisteria that does bloom here in the Denver area, I sure would like to hear about it, because ever since I saw a picture of one as a little kid Ive wanted to have oneand then decided to not waste the time after hearing from so many customers about them. At least I got to "experience" one for a couple years out in San Fran. Do let us know what you decide to plant when you finally make your decision, Skybird