climbing plant suggestions for full shade

We just put up a large arch trellis I got at a garage sale.($2.00 still in box) the only place it really worked was in complete shade. Any ideas for kinds of plants to grow on it?
Lyn

I've planted several this year in dappled shade (morning sun only)......both climbers and I'll keep you posted how they do. One is moonflower, the other is cup & saucer vine.

Hydrangea petiolaris is shade tolerant, but won't bloom well without at least some light. Gets pretty big.
I like the smaller version (h. petiolaris Brookside Littleleaf) which is altogether smaller plant with much daintier leaves.
There are also a couple new variegated cultivars (I don't have any experience with them).

Kiwi vine also is shade tolerant, but the beautiful leaf variegation is better w/ more light.

Schizophragma is another consideration.

Lots of buds on the moonflower.......hope they open. I've been told the deer love 'em but, so far, the deer that go through our woodlands have so much other stuff they've been "polite"............LOL enough to leave mine alone.

There are several clematis that will grow and blossom in full shade.. I have Roguchii (sp) it loves the shade. It get very pretty blue bell shaped flowers. You should ask at the clematis forum for other names of shade clematis.. If you would like. Have fun.... Is it total shade? We have several of the autumn clematis they grow very well in shade. They may not blossom so well but the do go wild in the shade. If I had a start I would send it to you. Ronna

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will check into the clematis especially. I have several but none in all shade. This is pretty much total shade. I'll check out the moon flower to. Is it hardy this far north? I do have the Autumn clematis.I may try to get a start from it to try there also. We will be gone most of July so probably will wait until fall to try to get anything going so the neighbors don't have to water so much while we are gone.
Thanks again to you all
Lyn

English ivy will grow in complete shade, and is evergreen. Also, the many varieties of vining euonymus will do just fine in deep shade (Moonshadow, Gaiety, Emerald & Gold, Canadale Gold, etc. as well as plain ole' green Euonymus vegetus).

I was just looking for a climbing plant for my shady area (about 3 hours of morning sun before it slips into full shade). I'll be following this thread, too. I'll have to look into that shade clematis.

Anyone have experience with climbing hydrangea? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/147/

The moonflower is an annual and has bloomed nicely with just morning sun.

Climbing hydrangea is great for shade. I have one on the north side of my home and it's just fine. Japanese beetles do enjoy chewing on it, so treating with a systemic is advisable. They do take a few years to get adjusted, then grow quickly. They also do nicely growing up trees. There is a Japanese variety, I think it's called 'Moonlight' with more fine, silver-colored foliage. Both are very hardy.

I love climbing hydrangea.
I like the small-leafed cultivar even better ('Brookside Littleleaf').
But both are beatiful choices.

I have had two climbing hydranges for three years now. They are doing awful!!! I do not know what Im doing wrong.. But Im really not happy with them. Ive seen georgeous photos of them. But not mine :( I should rip them out and put something else there. But I paid twenty dollars a piece. Really no where else to put them. Oh well. Weve all made mistakes right? Ronna

Ronna, I've given up trying to figure out why certain plants thrive or fail.
I've killed plenty. In fact, I don't even want to think about my dismal success percentage.
I try strange plants with reckless abandon. Most are a fiasco.
But those that thrive are such a thrill, I think it's worth it.
I do love the climbing hydrangeas.
Mine aren't great, but hope springs eternal that they'll someday get there.
When you see the great specimens at formal gardens (Mo Bot Gardens, here),
it makes it worth the effort.
I say 'Try, try again'.

Oh I know but I sure do not like to see a plant struggling either!!! Or me struggling with why arent you flowering??? AAWWW!

Ronna, key word is patience :) It takes 3-4 years for them to get established and usually 5 years before they're off and running! When I look at my pathetic 2-3 year old vine, I just try to keep the mental picture of the beauty I saw years ago of the 'climbing' hydrangea that was planted to ramble along the top of a rock wall. Just remember those "gorgeous photos" and keep that "vision" in your head when you get frustrated :)

Well this is the fourht year for it being in this spot. So maybe huh? Or just give it away. Don't know yet. Ronna

I'll take it Ronna if you deliver...

Doug

Glad I found this thread! I have a very shady corner, actually almost all of my yard is deep shade/woodland. I need something to climb, in a corner but not damage masonry (no ivy). :) I'll be keeping my eye on this thread. This is the corner that I am talking about, I would also LOVE to find something that will grow under two gi-normous pine trees (bare spot in front). This pix doesn't really show how shady that area is because I had to lighten it so things would show up.

rcn48 is dead on with the patience thing. My H. petiolaris is 5 yrs. old this year. It was very slow growing until this year then it just rocketed up and around the oak tree where it is planted. It shot up at least 6' this season alone and some of the laterals have nearly encircled the trunk of a huge old oak tree. I will have to prune some of outward facing laterals next spring.

There is a varigated cultivar called 'Firefly' as well as another varigate whose name I can't remember. I ordered 'Firefly' from Wayside gardens and got the species. I called and complained. They sent a replacement again labeled 'Firefly" and again it turned out to be the species. Why-Oh-Why I continue to order from these people I'll never know. If anyone knows of a source of a true 'Firefly" I'd be grateful to hear it.

I looked for you but couldn't find anything. Hydrangeas.com has a variegated one though.
http://www.hydrangea.com/shopping/start.php
They have good reviews in the Watchdog (the name is different but it's the same place)
http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/450/

Why Thank You doss! I had never come across this particular source before. Us zone 5'rs are making our lists for next year's aquisitions. The varigate and the Schizophragma hydrangeoides 'Roseum' are the 2nd and third additions - so far. ;>) (First is a new cherry tree from Monrovia - Angel’s Blush® Flowering Cherry/ Prunus serrulata ‘Taizo’)
They will be my last vines because I will out of trees for them to climb on. My one and only trellis is already occupied.

That's a nice thing you did.

Glad to be of help. Those two seem like wonderful choices - just a little different and only your gardening friends know that they are rare beauties. :-) I love having something a little different too. I"ve got climbing hydrangea seemannii across the fence in my back yard and it's so fun to know that you won't likely see it anywhere else.

Couldn't find a photo of your cherry but the double blooms sound wonderful.

snapple, Forestfarm is showing it available: http://www.forestfarm.com/search/closeup.asp?PlantID=hyan061 'Mirranda' is probably the other one you're thinking of - there are several companies listed on Plant Scout showing this one: http://davesgarden.com/products/ps/go/79957/. I'm so upset with myself - I planted 'Mirranda' two years ago, forgot I had planted it along the fence and didn't keep it watered through the drought last summer :(

ooooh. I like this one!
http://www.hydrangea.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=4&=SID#MOREINFO

I would like to see it here (this pic is deceptively sunny, it was taken around 7:30am and it only gets morning sun for about an hour)

rcn48 - Thanks for finding my long sought after 'Firefly'. There's no doubt that Forest Farm will ship a true one. I so darn glad to have that plant.

Snapple, does your h petiolaris self-cling to the oak?

Yes. It will cling to any rough surface. It will not cling to a smooth privacy fence. It is slow to attach the first year, but after that no problem.

Snapple, I'm probably the only gardener in America with a non-blooming wisteria.
It's not for lack of vigor. It's huge. Climbing up an old established oak. Probably 40ft tall by now, maybe taller.
Despite it's rambunctious growth, it has literally had only one or two racemes of flowers in it's entire 10yr existence.
My wife threatens to chain-saw it to the ground every year. I've been preaching patience so far.
But I'm about ready to let her pull the plug on it and replace it with something much nicer.
If it doesn't bloom this spring, it's out of here. In which case, I'll replace it w/ a hydrangea petiolaris.
I doubt the hydrangea growth will be as rampant, so will likely remain within the shade cover of the oak.
It's slow growth may test my patience as well.
Do you have much experience yet w/ the variegated h petiolaris varieties? Are they vigorous?

Weerobin, Just wanted you to know that you are not the ony one with a non blooming westeria. I have had one for probably 20 years and never had a bloom. I have tried all the things the magazines say and still no blooms. I even moved it and spit it up. It grows huge but still no bloom. I got it from my BIL's which blooms like crazy. Just wanted you to not feel alone!
Lyn

I had a wisteria that bloomed it's head off. Go figure. It was hard pruned every year after flowering. The pruning began the second year and it bloomed in its third year. And I mean hard pruned. Back to laterals less that 2-3 feet, plus those new whips were headed back a couple times after that until mid July. If you can safely get to the top cut it's head off, and take a whack at everything else you can on the way back down. If you have any patience left do it two years in a row. There is no need to be kind to a wisteria. I had a Japanese wisteria which climbed clockwise. It out grew by weight the metal support for the base. It was trained as a standard with an umbrella shaped top. A bad storm caught the "umbrella" and blew the whole thing down bending the metal support stake - a 3" metal pipe. It was not salvagable and I didn't have the gumption to start the whole thing over. The root produced suckers for years. Some as far away as ten feet from the old base. This makes me want to try again. It was gorgeous when it bloomed. You just can't be shy with the pruners. I would use an 8' 4x4 in the ground about 2-1/2 feet.

As for the varigated H. petiolaris I havn't grown one yet. I tried to add 'Firefly' last year but Wayside Gardens twice sent me the species mis-labeled as Firefly. Another DG'r gave me a much more reliable source for the varigates and next spring I will get one. (Forest Farm.) The varigates are reported to be slower growing.