They want to climb and in my opinion are best used that way.

they cannot climb if they do not grow.

They only want to climb in their juvenile form and if given something to climb onto.....otherwise, they tend to grow more as shrubs and in my area, are almost always seen trained in that manner. Shrubby adult forms - like 'Emerald Gaiety' - seldom flower or set seed so are far less likely to become invasive than juvenile vining forms.

Lack of any growth in 2 years would seem to indicate that growing conditions are not satisfactory. As the plants are not fussy about soil or light conditions (other than wanting good drainage), I would look at root development. Girdling or circling roots can impede growth as can lack of water during establishment. Once well established, the plant is quite drought tolerant.

these have been in good soil & have good drainage. most are in full sun & a couple are slightly shaded in mid afternoon. i'll dig them up in the spring & look at the roots. one of them is still potted & it has grown. I've moved it into larger pots as it grows. if the roots are balled I take it I should separate them? & you say these won't flower much? I read otherwise somewhere. i'm not doubting you, it's just disappointing as I thought these would help pollinators including my own honeybees.

these were planted in the fall of 2017.

From MOBOT: " Flowers are sparse, and sometimes do not appear. " Most other sources state inconspicuous flowering to none.

Might be planted too deep - crowns are not visible and it looks like a generally overwhelming planting site, heavily dominated by trees and their litter.

Will in fact have been making new shoots every year otherwise they would be dead - seeming lack of overall size increase would either involve misperception or loss of branches. Consistent with this second occurrence being part of the situation plant in second shot appears to have a discoloring portion on the bottom right corner that may be on its way out.

Yes, the planting site looks gloomy and, as Embo said, they're neck deep in soggy leaves. Mine only flowers sparsely and it covers a six foot high stone wall for about twelve feet. It's snail paradise.

2 years ago ... when I planted them.

==>> i would have dug them up after the first season of little growth ... i dont know why you gave them a second year ...

dig them in early spring.. bare root ... and figure out what the problem is.. and let us know ...

an otherwise healthy version of this plant.. should be near impossible to kill ... so just do it.. and dont worry about it ... whats to lose???

ken

as I mentioned above I plan to deal with them properly in the spring. as far as why I hadn't done so earlier it was a combination of A.D.D & other priorities. my garden was really neglected this year because I broke an ankle in June. I had to hire a grandson to help me pull honey off my hives. as far as the shrubs they are not crowded & the leaves are a recent development resulting from a recent storm that knocked all the leaves off of my neighbor's oaks & landed them in my yard.

Ken, I wouldn’t gig up a plant that was alive but not enlarging in one season that’s when it’s sleeping. Even next year it’s only creeping. This baby could still leap!