Thank you guys for all the ideas! I will have to do some further research and see what will work best. The roses are leading the way thus far (and I think my wife likes them too). The pergola gets pretty harsh sunlight all summer and into the fall where I am. temps get well above 100 most summers for extended periods of time. We are going to mulch a big area around the pergola and plant shrubs and lantana against the fences. I can get water to the vines or roses if needed, it's the heat that worries me. The pergola faces west, so it gets sun most of the afternoon. I plan on shutting down a few sprinkler heads, but already have a drip system set up, so I would only have to run a T to get water to the plants. I had some bower vines planted in another part of the yard, and they just never took off. It could be the clay soil, or the acidity, I'm not sure, but they have been there for two years with very little growth, but I love them. The trumpet vine is also a good idea and I cant believe I didn't think of it. My neighbor, who I know for a fact NEVER waters anything, has trumpet vines which have grown right to the back and left of the pergola from his side and up and over the fence. Will they climb up the pergola? The star jasmine is also a great idea. Thunbergia sounds great too, and I know I have seen it around my neighborhood. So many choices... ahhhhh. I do wonder if planting it and irrigating it right next to the pergola might rot the wood, but other than that, it's only the intense heat that I really have to factor in to this decision.

I had a St. Joseph's Coat climber years back. Vigorous and I loved that it had all different colors from red to yellow to orange. It had full sun and was disease-free. Look into using Neem Oil to treat your blackspot, rust, etc. I bet someone in the Rose forum could help you. Some of the English climbers might work for your 1/2-day sun location. I have a Cecile Bruner "bush" that has climbed to about 6 feet. It has repeat blooms. The Cecile Bruner "climber" will not repeat bloom. Getting about 8 hours sun on a trellis. No diseases so far. Delicate little pink flowers. Smells nice. Not very bushy/full.

Jackmanii is a great one to start with. My mom (a total nongardener) had one put in by a landscaper, and with her total neglect in clay soil it grew and bloomed every year until she sold the house. If I was visiting during the cold season, I would prune it for her and give it some mulch, but otherwise it was on its own. Great plant! The summer blooming plants are the easiest to my mind. The few clematis I've found to have issues have been the early large-flowered, though some have been trouble-free such as HF Young, Rebecca, and Piilu. One of my favorite summer bloomers is Mikelite, which starts blooming (just a few flowers) from a two year old quart plant in its first year in my garden. It blooms a long time; I have photos of it blooming from mid-June to mid-August, though it is most full from late June to late July. Here it is July 20, just over a month after it started blooming, and this is its second year in my garden. To get a large plant, it will be more expensive . . . I have also found around here that sources such as big box stores and other non-nurseries are more likely to only have type 2 prune plants, the early large-flowered varieties, since they are blooming when many folks are looking for some color to plant. I've found plants in big box stores are more likely to be mislabeled or unlabeled. I have looked, but here they aren't less expensive than the few I've found in nurseries, but I live in an area with not a lot of choices.

It appears that 3 of the 4 Samoan seedlings sprouts are making some progress with new growth. Don't know why but the 4th one of them seems to be near death, almost completely browned out. :( I've read the strong sun/heat can crack the husk too much and cause the plant to have a reduced resistance to the environment. Maybe sunburn, overwatering, underwatering? Maybe 100% success rate is asking too much. If it dies, I think I'm going to replace it with a Satakentia liukiuensis rather than another coconut palm.