I have a similar application: I just finished a stone retaining wall with a 7' wooden fence which is inset 12" from the wall. The fence faces east - this is the side for which I am interested in covering, behind the fence is a yard, so soil is abuntant on that side. I was looking for something "tame" to soften the look. Star Jasmine was a thought, but I'm told its tendrels are a bit uncontrollable. Creeping Fig seems to have too dull of leaf for what I was seeking. Monterey Bay Brush Cherry seems to have nice folliage, but I'm told the stock gets very large and trimming it to 12" would not be adviseable. Sizzling Pink Fringe Flower is very attractive, but I hear it won't climb to 7' heights. From what I've read, it appears a well behaved option would be the Green Spire Euonymus or perhaps the Green Tower Boxwood - perhaps with the Purpleleaf Wintercreeper at the base, "spilling" over the stone wall caps. Any suggestions? is the Green Spire Euonymus a good choice? How long would one expect it to grow to 7' heights?

G.M., I think any ornamental sweet potato would adequately shade the clematis roots. However, last year I had both Blackie and Margarita (and some others as well) in containers (couldn't plant them in the yard-turned-pond) and they climbed both a trellis and a chain link fence. They did look pretty, but might try to climb and compete with your clematis. On the other hand, maybe they'd look good climbing together. The Sweet Autumn Clematis is the only really late blooming clematis I know of, generally blooming for me from late August through early September...maybe about 3 or 4 weeks of bloom. The others are spring to summer bloomers as Caroline mentioned above. I did notice our forecast has changed again and I like the new one more than the old one (if it is accurate!). I gues I'll just continue to watch the weather and do the should I plant/shouldn't I plant argument with myself for the next few days. The 22 tomato plants that I put in the ground yesterday DO look deliriously happy. I guess they are ready to spread their roots and grow. The wind has been beating the tar out of them all week, so I have had to keep a close eye on them to make sure that they didn't windburn. You can add any organic material to your beds to improve drainage and revitalize them. I like to add a little compost, a little composted cow manure, and some pine bark fines (the most finely shredded bark mulch you can fine, whether pine or not, will work). At Lowe's they usually have bagged mushroom compost, which is great, and I prefer the Black Kow (Cow?) manure they sell in bright yellow and black bags. It is 100% manure, whereas the law only requires bagged manure to contain 10% (!) manure, so many other products have a minimal amount of manure and lots of cheap, useless filler. I like pine bark fines as they break down a little more slowly and help feed the soil longer. (You want to avoid working big chunky mulch into the soil as it ties up nitrogen as it breaks down.) If you can't find finely shredded pine, you also can use finely shredded hardwood. I've even used finely shredded cedar and it didn't seem to have any adverse effect. I am watching Megan's forecast right now and it sounds like a cloudy, dreary weekend....but at least we don't look like we're going to freeze. Today's high (63) is lower than it was when I woke up yesterday morning (68). I'm off to get some mulch today for the beds that are already planted. I don't like to mulch them too heavily until the soil warms up to 70, but I do need to mulch them lightly today or I will be pulling weeds soon. And, by the way, I am too sore to do much in the garden today too. I guess you and I need to do a pre-season gardening workout to prepare us for the planting season. Caroline, I hope the moonflower seeds sprout for you. I love, love, love the flowers and they are worth the wait! (Not only are they slow to germinate, but they also are sort of late to bloom....but worth it!) I read an article many years ago in Southern Living about a groom who built a sort of open-air chapel on family land for his wedding. (It looked sort of like the framing of a building. So, I guess it really was a huge open-air trellis built to be covered with vines. The wedding was held "underneath" the trellis.) Then, he planted it with moonflowers. I think he planted some a year before so he could time when they would open. THEN, for their August wedding they timed the start of the ceremony so the flowers would oh-so-dramatically open just moments before the bride made her trip down the aisle. Can you imagine how perfectly lovely it must have been? (I hope they stayed married, 'cause a man like that sounds like a keeper!) Dawn

Hi Flora & Woodyoak, Thank you for your comments & suggestions. It helps me to plan correctly for next year. This year, we planted a morning glory. ItÂs blue flowers compensate for its lack of fragrance. It has reached the top of the arbor. At the sunny side of the arbor where the New Dawn is, my wife had the brilliant idea of fixing small pots of cascading geranium (Pelargoniums), which gives the impression of a climbing rose! Our New Dawn is slightly fragrant. I planted it because of itÂs blush rose color and itÂs vigor. No one has been attacked by the thorns yet! My ideal rose would have been Zephirine drouhin, but for some reason ours, refuses to flower. I like the idea of sweet peas. I am going to give it a try next year. I am not sure of sweet autumn clematis on the arbor. It would be smothered! I thought they were best to cover fences. I dismissed Rubromarginata for the same reason. I thought of Betty Corning but it seems to be slightly fragrant. I am not sure of honeysuckles. I have an orange one, but the flowering season is short (4 days) and sparse. I might be convinced if you know of any with a reasonable flowering time and disease resistant My nursery has John Clayton, Goldflame and Major Wheeler. What do you recommend?

You are such a Negative Nelly! Every comment you make about any gardening situation is to first point out all the potentially negative aspects one might encounter. Will grow too big, not hardy enough, damaged by insects or diseases, etc., etc. Gardening must really be a huge, disappointing chore for you!! All gardening requires some effort on the part of the gardener. Why you think maintaining a vine on a dead tree is going to be so much more complicated or more of an effort than maintaining a vine growing on any other trellising or support system is a bit of a mystery. btw, since citrus is not inclined to grow well in much, if any, shade at all, it is not surprising it was suffering in proximity to the redwood. But a more shade adapted vine, if given other necessary care, might fair very well.