vine for hiding ac/heat pump

Hi. Does anyone know of a vine that would work well to mask our heat pump (a/c heat combo unit)? I was thinking of building a few large, narrow planter boxes with a trellis at the back, so the plants could be moved if the unit needed service. The air around it obviously gets a lot of movement, and can be colder or hotter than the general air temp, depending on the season. I like akebia, but I don't know how delicate or sturdy they are as far as wind, etc. I'd love any suggestions. Thanks!

How much sun does the area get? Are you looking for quick-growing annual vines or perennials?

The area is full sun. It would be close to the back of the house, which faces almost due West, and the house is white (ugly!) vinyl siding, so that would reflect light back onto the plant too I guess. We don't have a lot of landscaping that we like here yet, the back yard is pretty bare except for some pots and our tomato patch, so I'm mostly trying to put any $ spent into perennials, and it is warm enough here (7b) that lots of things make it through the winter ok.

It's an annual but blackeyed Susan vine grows fast and you should be able to grow it in pots. I put some on a trellis in my south-facing flowerbed last year and it was very pretty. When it died back for the winter, I never got time to go pull it out. Well, surprise, it came back from the roots this spring along with numerous volunteer seedlings. BTW, I tried to start some inside with bad results so I took the rest of the seeds out and direct sowed them. They came up fast and were very healthy. Even if you decide to replace it with something else later, planting an annual vine now will give you more time to shop around and find something you really like that will do well were you need to plant it.

You likely are considering this, but you will want to make sure the vines aren't so close to the heat pump (and thick) that they inhibit the circulation of air. When the cooling mode is on, if the hot air can't be dissipated into the air quickly it can make the compressor work harder, making your electric bill higher but even worse wearing out your compressor before its time.

Thanks for your thoughts! Would about 2' away be far enough do you think? if it wasn't anything too dense?

Could you put the screen just on ONE SIDE of the heat pump so the heat could escape the other direction? If so, 2 feet would prob. be OK. As you say, it depends on how dense the vine gets to be. The heat may also keep the plant from looking good. I don't know how hot it gets where you are.