X Post: Vines that will not harm mature Red and Pin Oaks?

I posted this on the Vine forum but have not received any replies:

I'm planning for Spring and could use some suggestions. I have three mature red & pin oak trees in my back garden. They have been trimmed by a previous owner so that the lowest branches are at least 30 ft. from the ground, therefore there is quite a lot of trunk to look at. I have started perennial beds at the base of the trees, but would like to plant a vine on the trunks to give more vertical interest and texture. I enjoy planting to attract birds and butterflies.

Do you have any favorite vines that you can recommend? It is important that they not be invasive, nor destructive to the trees though I would prefer that they be self-clinging. I'm in Zone 7, the trees receive Western sun, though the base of the trunks would receive Part Sun to Dappled Shade. I already have Bignonia capreolata growing on my house and several clematis elsewhere on the property. I cannot decide whether to stick with the same theme or try something different... What do you think?

You might also post this in the trees and shrubs forum. Those folks are great and since alot of them are big oak fans they will not steer you wrong.

Dahhhhhhhh. Forgot I was in that forum. Excuse the brain lapse.

This message was edited Dec 10, 2006 4:54 PM

I know a lot of people hate it, but I have Virginia Creeper on some of my trees and I think it looks good. The berries are good for the birds and in the fall it has the most brilliant red color. Some people are allergic to it but it doesn't bother me. You might also consider the native Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens).

There's another option out there you might want to consider because it's a good climber with branched tendrils that have twining tips that help it attach well. Thicket Creeper (Parthenocissus vitacea). P. vitacea is often overlooked. It is a close relative to Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) although I don't find it to be nearly as ascertive and I have both here. I have been using P. vitacea to cover some habitat brush piles because it simply doesn't take off for the sky as does P. quinquefolia. Both display brilliant fall color and both are said to produce berries favored by at least 35 species of birds to inclue thrushes, woodpeckers, vireos, and warblers. It's indigenous to your state and is not docmented as being invasive anywhere I can find. Now mind you, you probably won't get to see many of the pretty berries because it seems the birds pick Thicket Creeper and Virginia Creeper berries clean as soon as they ripen.

You can tell the two apart because I believe P. quinquefolia has pads at the ends of its tendrils while P. vitacea does not.

The climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) is a classic plant. It will continue to climb for your lifetime. This plant develop "limbs" in that it will climb vertically as well as extend branches horizontally along the length of its stem, giving much more value in three dimensions.

The large lacecap flowers are an absolute treat in early summer, and this vine also exhibits exfoliating bark with age. What else could you possibly want...besides a testimonial from a satisfied someone with exactly the same starting conditions you have. Take a look:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/147/index.html

Others that might interest you are the Schizophragma group. They are similar in flower appearance to climbing hydrangea, but they remain vertical against what they climb and don't produce the outreaching branches. Read about them here:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/148/index.html

I bought a Japanese Hydrangea Vine (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) from Lowes this past summer specifically because it was allegedly not overly aggressive. It had been my intent to train it up and over a little trellis that had a dead skeleton of Wisteria sinensis on it. I destroyed the Chinese Wisteria because I had originally purchased it as Wisteria frutescens and later learned it wasn't so I needed to try something new. That something new was the Japanese Hydrangea Vine from Lowes. I have hopes that the S. hydrangeoides will perform well there. I'd like to try one Asian Climbing Hydrangea somewhere. Maybe train it up a fireplace chimney. Don't know much about training that one.