Hire a Vine, They Work Hard
A third type, including the climbing hydrangea, Boston Ivy and Virginia creeper, actually holds on to rough surfaces by either forming rootlike holdfasts (hydrangea) along the stem or producing a calcium carbonate "glue" (ivy and creeper) at the ends of tendrils. These perform best on solid surfaces such as masonry walls and rough board fences. None of the vines that are available for employment in our zones are thugs that ruin masonry or pull down porches like some of the opportunists hardy only in the South.
The next factor in the job description should be the amount of light the applicant will have to work with. Where there is ample sun, most of the flowering vines can be employed. Clematis are especially prized for their flowers. There is a wide selection of varieties that are hardy in zones 3 and 4. We even have a clematis specialist in zone 4. Donahue's in Faribault is a major wholesale supplier to garden centers and nurseries. They have a retail outlet there, but no mailorder. A clematis would be a superior employee to greet guests at your front yard lamp post or mail box or to cover an arch or pergola in your garden. They can form a shady curtain on the hot, sunny end of a porch with a trellis to climb. These employees are sure to please. There are three different recommendations for pruning clematis based on the bloom season of the variety you buy. Be sure you ask when you purchase or look it up here.
Another bloomer that should be used more often is the trumpet vine, Campsis radicans. In the lower Midwest and the South it can be a vicious weed, but here the climate makes it behave in a civilized manner. It may take several years to become established well enough to bloom, but once it does, it is beautiful and very long-blooming (late June through most of September). Though tough winters can cause lots of damage, a well-established plant will not miss flowering since it regrows vigorously and blooms on new wood. In fact, cutting off the seed pods as they form can even make the vine bloom more profusely for the rest of the current season. Trumpet vine climbs by rootlike holdfasts similarly to the climbing hydrangea. I loved this plant where it was a weed and I love it even better where it
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