ugly ol' car shed needs help - trumpet vine?

I read trumpet vines are obnoxious invaders and that's just what I want to cover this thing... I swear I am considering kudzu, but even I am not that crazy.

Does anyone have pics of what you have used?

Thanks,
Linny

My neighbor has something like that and the canvas covering rotted away years ago .. I finally talked her into planting luffa so it could grow over it .. she did, but would not cut off the tops of the plants when they were about 2 feet high so the secondaries would start growing. It ended up rather sparse, but where it is thick it's quite pretty. The extra added attraction is that you get luffa gourds in the fall you can make into luffa sponges.

Here is what it looks like thick.

The gourds.

The nice thing about it is that it won't get away from you.

This message was edited Sep 12, 2010 9:06 AM

Gosh, makes me wish it was canvas so I could have the gourds. but it's metal so I'll have to settle for something climbing up the poles.

I'm studying vines on www.namethatplant.net, as well as our vine forum.

Surely I'll be able to come up with something.

Thanks,

Linny

It actually doesn't have to go over the top .. just keep it trimmed .. You could also plant some morning glory or your trumpet vine with the luffa to climb over the top.

MG's will climb right over the car(not sure what you call it) shed. Grape vines will go right over the top too.

The only problem I see with something going over the top is hot metal .. it might deter some plants.

If they get growing early in the year the roof won't be that hot and the vines will shade out the roof after that. Something like a muscadine grape vine will grow like crazy. If you make sure they have some string to climb up or something to attach to I don't think heat would be a problem. Not sure what exactly would happen???

I'd try cross vine (Bignonia capreolata). Mine has grown very easily along a fence and I have part trained to go over a storage shed. I'm using metal poles and it doesn't mind it at all.
I don't give it any extra watering and it MAY get fertilized once a year. It's native, evergreen and is covered in pink trumpet shaped blooms in the early spring,
Here's a pic.
Barb

Thanks, Barb - beautiful.

CoreHHi, muscadine vines are all over the place. Probably would be easy to get them going.

Thanks, Linny

Either one would work well. And in the winter, the grape vine is still very interesting even without leaves.
Decisions, decisions - get going'!

I would go for a Jasmine of some sort.

Begonia - one vine that is a rapid and semi evergreen vine is Akebia - aka Chocolate Vine - at my old house it grew about 15' a year and spread like crazy - I finally found one here in Sumter at the Ace Hardware of all places!!! I had gone to several local nurseries who looked at me like I was nuts when I asked if they had any - even had one be so rude to say that's not a plant you must be remembering wrong...my BF says I should take the tag from it and go tell them "here - the vendor is on it too in case you'd like to stock it" LOL

Rednyr, the images on Google are spectacular. I will call my nursery today.

Thanks,

Linny