The "evergreen even in the dead of winter" requirement is going to be the clincher. There are VERY few vines for your climate zone that will remain evergreen.....certainly NOT the Dutchman's pipe, Silver lace or clematis! You might find Lonicera sempervirens, a native honeysuckle, more closely approximates your requirements but it is unlikely to be very evergreen in a zone 4/5 and the berries can be toxic if consumed in quantity (as is the case with nearly all types of honeysuckle).

If you can eliminate the evergreen requirement, then you open up the possibilities. But an evergreen vine for your situation is going to be extremely difficult to find.

I was afraid that might be the case. I know very little about vines, but I included the evergreen requirement because I want to cover a chain link fence and I don't want to look at brown, leafless vines on a rusty fence in the winter.

Let me pose 2 follow up questions. First, if a vine is not evergreen, will it be brown and leafless in the winter? Or am I misunderstanding the terminology? Second, would it be easier to identify a vine if only the first two requirements (evergreen and non toxic) were in place? These are really the 2 big ones, I could potentially be flexible on some of the others.

Thanks again,

Scott

I've seen evergreen euonymus around here used to cover both chain link and wooden fences. Does it grow where you are? If so, it might be wgorth a try.

Scott, the choice is yours alone, but if you could drop the toxicity requirement, many more choices would open up. And I would suggest you do this. It seems to me people are getting more and more paranoid about a very remote threat-that of "poisonous" plants. Very, very few plants that you will ever come in contact with are actually "poisonous" as that word means capable of acute, fatal effects. Very, very (very) few. Somehow, in today's world, such concerns are all out of proportion to any actual threat. I'm not sure why this is happening but I've got some ideas.

In any case, very few plants will ever cause any issues with toxicity. How often do your kids or pets go out and just munch down on some vegetation out n the yard?

Yeah, that's about what I thought! Virtually never.

Scott - yes, the alternative to 'evergreen' - holding foliage in good condition throughout the winter - is no leaves or dead leaves on a bare, woody vine.

Although I come from an area where I am reluctant to suggest English ivy (Hedera helix) for ANY purpose, that is one of the few possibilities that would be both hardy and might remain evergreen through winter. However, ivy attaches with rootlets rather than vining but will eventually - in a suitable climate - cover just about anything. It would also prefer a situation something less than full sun but IME, can grow anywhere. If allowed to flower and berry, the fruits are toxic but not to deer or birds. And flowering is a factor of the age and height of the plant - with ivy, it is not a foregone conclusion :-) Ivy also tends to be a very desirable habitat for rodents - rats - especially in any sort of urban or semi-urban setting.

Euonymus fortunei, wintercreeper, is not really a vine but it does possess the ability to climb if planted close to a vertical surface, like a fence. Neither the wintercreeper nor the ivy are likely to cover a chain link fence very rapidly and both are considered invasive species in certain parts of the country. But these are about the extent of truly 'evergreen' vines that will grow in your climate.

Thanks again for all the great input. I had also considered, and rejected, English Ivy and Wintercreeper due to their toxicity. While I don't think my kids would sit down next to the fence and start eating, I have absolutely no doubt that they'll touch the fence, rip off leaves, etc. I see that English Ivy can cause skin reactions from touching, and considering how dry it is in Denver, which is tough enough on your skin, plus the fact that my kids are fair-haired and already have sensitive skin, I would prefer to avoid this.

That said, while Wintercreeper is listed as being toxic if ingested, I haven't seen anywhere that it would cause a skin reaction if touched. Can anyone confirm this? While I don't especially like the idea of planting an invasive species, I do know it's fairly common in my area and my guess is the weather will keep it from spreading too quickly. After looking at some pictures I think I might even have a Wintercreeper relative planted on my property, it does stay evergreen and hasn't gotten out of control.

If someone can confirm that Wintercreeper won't cause skin irritation if touched that may be a winner. What does everyone think?

Phytodermatitis - or a skin reaction from touching specific plants - is by no means a for sure issue :-) It depends a great deal on one's specific sensitivity and the plant in question. FWIW, neither English ivy nor wintercreeper have ever resulted in a skin reaction with me and I've worked with both plants many, many times.

In your situation it comes down to a risk/benefit analysis - these are two of the most reasonable evergreen vines for your climate. I would not necessarily consider the slight potential of a skin reaction being the determining factor of what would work for my landscaping purposes or not. Who's the parent here?? Just tell the kids to stay away from the plants. Most of us have had kids present during our gardening careers - and while it's great to be cautious, there comes a point when being over-cautious is counterproductive. As Tom mentioned previously, very few plants offer serious enough toxic implications to be excluded from a garden with children.

And at the risk of offending you Scott-not my intent-kids learning about some little aspect of this world through direct experience is not a bad thing. You're not always going to be able to protect them from every little thing......so maybe a vine in the yard is not too harsh a lesson to have them learn on their own. Just my opinion-I've raised two boys, with varying degree of success between them (in a way) so I think I've learned a thing or two.

Had a friend who I hadn't seen in ages bump into me once. Ended up spending some time with he and his wife and her son. Well, they lived in what is known as a "wooded lot". That is, their house had been built in formerly wooded land and the backyard was still largely so. Well, the parents didn't let "Austin" play in the woods. When I inquired why the hell not, I was told "well, you know...poison ivy and stuff"....or words to that effect. When I asked if there was any poison ivy present, neither adult had a clue. And as typical modern American young adults, I was not at all surprised that they would not be able to identify this plant that so controlled them. I consider this unbelievably sad and bad parenting-first of all to deny your kid the greatest place to play there could be, and secondly, to also deny the kid the opportunity to learn a little something.

But I digress, as is my nature. I'm not equating your situation with that one, but just food for thought I guess. I too have never experienced any contact dermatitis from any ivy nor wintercreeper. I'd rate the likelihood of that happening as quite remote.

I planted evergreen euonymus in front on my side of a neighbor's chain link fence and it has since grown up the fence, as woodyoak said. You'll probably have to weave the long stems in and out of the fencing, but it will work. That stuff goes everywhere!

Molie

My experience has mostly been that I needed to protect the plants from the kids, not vice versa.

Hah! You nailed it there Floral!

I'm glad someone revived this thread, I had forgotten to let everyone know the outcome. After some discussion with my wife we have decided to plant purple wintercreeper. It sounds like this is our best option for an evergreen, non-toxic vine. Thanks again to all for your helpful input!