Evergreen, flowering vines for zone 7a?

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

We moved into our new house this summer and the chain link fences on both sides of the yard were largely covered with lush greenery (see photo). However, now that fall is upon us, I have discovered that most of those vines were not evergreen (they are mostly Porcelain berry, which I'm sure is going to be hell to remove), and now I'm staring at bare chain link fences. I'd love to plant something perennial and evergreen in the spring that will provide year-round privacy. Beautiful flowers would be a bonus!

I have been scouring the forum for suggestions and thus far I have identified Bignonia capreolata as a possibility, although it sounds as though it may not be evergreen in a harsh winter up here. There is already a lot of English Ivy lurking in various places around my yard, so perhaps transplanting some to the fence area would be an easy fix. Gelsemium sempervirens also looks lovely. Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Featured Answer

NHBabs z4b-5a NH

9 years ago

Actually, Gelsemium sempervirens Margarita should be hardy for you - there's a Rhode Island gardener (6b) who has posted photos of its winter blooms on the New England forum. It has survived in my garden for 4 years, but has not done well; while Margarita is hardier than most Gelsemium sempervirens, my zone 5a is too cold for it to be happy. I may try it in a pot so I can give it some winter shelter.

I found that Lonicera sempervirens 'Major Wheeler' retained some of its leaves for me last winter which was an unusually warm one for central NH, though usually it drops them all in late fall/early winter. Mine still has flowers on it now, though we have been having hard freezes for 5-6 weeks, so it might well bloom in winter for you. Mine blooms from some time in June until late fall with the most blooms in early summer, but it continues to push flowers on new growth. I don't know if all Lonicera sempervirens do this, but Major Wheeler is a very long bloomer.

I'd start working on removing the ivy if possible.

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Comments (11)

NHBabs z4b-5a NH
9 years ago
I'd avoid the ivy as it can be difficult to control and is invasive in some parts of the country.

Here are some links from the clematis forum on evergreen vines in your zone:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/4139399/evergreen-for-zone-7?n=3

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3935500/evergreen-clematis?n=7
dbarron
9 years ago
Lonicera sempervirens (native coral honeysuckle) is often at least semi-evergreen in Z7. It sometimes manages to push out flowers in winter too.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
I think your options are somewhat limited :-) The Bignonia is unlikely to be evergreen in your climate and the gelsemium will be of marginal hardiness, as will be any of the common evergreen forms of clematis. And I cannot in good conscience recommend English ivy anywhere!!

I think your best solution would be one of the selections of Lonicera sempervirens, trumpet honeysuckle. This is a native plant, quite cold hardy, attractive to hummingbirds and should be at least partly evergreen in your climate.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks everyone! I just googled the trumpet honeysuckle and it is lovely, so I think I'll start there in the spring and see how it goes. Given the sneakiness of English Ivy, it may end up on my fences by spring if I like it or not!
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
The reference to Gelsemium sempervirens flowering in the Winter piqued my interest and raised suspicions. NHBabs could you link to the picture on the NH Forum? I could only find one which appeared to be growing indoors. We can't grow it over here, despite winters much milder than NH and when I Googled it it seems to flower in June. I wonder if it was actually Jasminum nudiflorum if it really was blooming in the winter?
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Floral, here's the photo that made me think it blooms in winter, though this was late December of a quite mild winter here in New England:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3580557/strange-weather-odd-photo?n=10

Here the same poster, Bill_RI (zone 6b,) shows G. sempervirens Margarita at peak bloom in late April and there are other references to it starting the main bloom in early April.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2038306/show-us-your-gardens-a-photo-thread-april-2012?n=28
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
The first photo does indeed show Winter Jasmine ie, Jasminum nudiflorum, as I suspected. Later in the thread the OP names it as such. But the second, taken in April is Gelsemium sempervirens, so the June bloom period I found on line is clearly not accurate for that region.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley) thanked floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
9 years ago
Thanks for clarifying, floral. I clearly didn't read carefully.

Would the Jasminum nudiflorum also be a possibility for the OP?
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Is really not a vine at all but a very laxly growing shrubby plant. So it doesn't really "vine" or attach to fence or trellis but could certainly be trained to sprawl on one :-) And it is not evergreen.....winter flowers appear on virtually naked stems/branches.
biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you - I will look into the Margarita! In the meantime, I spent some time "excavating" along the fence line today, just to see what was there. The vast majority of the current vines originate in my neighbor's yard, and I'm fairly certain they're a mix of Porcelain berry and Virginia creeper, plus possibly other stuff. However, when I raked back all the layers of leaf mold, I also found lots of English Ivy growing along the base of the fence (at least the one on the north side of the property). Nice to know it can grow under cover . Once spring rolls around, I'll clean that area up a bit more thoroughly and see what can be done. I'm not sure I'll be able to convince the neighbors to do anything about the Porcelain berry. Their entire yard is a huge mess so I fear there will always be weed creep...