Coral honeysuckle - lonicera sempervirens - immediately comes to mind. The "native" one is very satisfactory but there are also named selections, such as "Major Wheeler", which many gardeners prefer.

Most of the sempervirens are in the red/scarlet color range. "John Clayton" is yellow, but with your white arbor, the red would really stand out. A bonus is that honeysuckle is a favorite of the hummingbirds.

Here in Florida, my coral honeysuckle is evergreen but I also grew it when I lived in zone 6. Of course it wasn't evergreen there, but it definitely didn't require any special care to survive the winter. I've read that the low end of its range is zones 4-5.

Be careful not to get the Japanese honeysuckle. Even though it is a known invasive, nurseries still sell it and less informed customers buy it because of its fragrance. The coral, unfortunately, isn't fragrant.

Another possibility is hyacinth bean vine (lablab purpureus). This is an annual so you would start out with seeds. The foliage is dark green with red undersides and the flowers are purple. The bean pods are red. Again, this will draw the hummingbirds.

You only need a few seeds for year one; thereafter the pods on your plant will supply you with more seeds than you'll ever need for the next year, etc. The seeds are "large" (they look like a black and white bean) and are easy to plant. If you want to give this one a try, you might check the "Seed Exchange Forum" here; someone probably has seeds they'd send you for a SASE.

Good luck with whatever you choose, June

Hi June,

Thank you so much for the suggestions. I will definitely look into these options. I like the coral honeysuckle as an option. It would definitely look stunning against my white arbor. Thanks again.

-Bellarosa