Star jasmine blooms profusely and smells wonderful, but only in the spring/early summer.

@tozmot how fast does Star Jasmine grow? Would the vine naturally find the tree and crawl up the trunk, or would it need training?

First thing insurance company will ask is if the tree is alive or dead. Tree fell on one end of my DD’s house. She could prove tree was alive via pictures of green leaves on branches and statement from arborist. She received the $78,000 it took to repair damage. Dead tree amount would have been $0.

It doesn't grow super fast at the beginning but then it goes crazy. I have to ruthlessly cut mine back every year. It reaches for something to grow on so you shouldn't have to train it. It has a habit like ivy, putting out those little fingers to hold on. Here's mine growing on a chain link fence on the right, wood fence and as you can see on the top left, reaching for the roof. This came from two small vines from Home Depot. It does get some sun, not sure if it would grow this much in full shade. Blooms on new growth, so you need to cut it back to get the best flowering but it will grow several feet a year, easily. It also reaches into the tree you an barely see at the right of the photo.

Trumpeter vine, in zone 5 it grows very quickly

@Diane Trumpeter vine is nice and grows very fast, but it has the reputation of being really aggressive. If I let my guard down that thing will jump the fence and climb all over my neighbor's Redwood trees (which might actually be spectacular, assuming I can get their agreement).

@tozmo1 So putting some rough numbers on this. How many months of growing slow, and from that point on it is growing how many feet per year? Do I overcome some of this by buying a larger mature plant?

I planted it in early summer. so it missed its most prolific growing in the spring. The first year was slow but I'm in 7b so my winters are longer and more harsh than you have so it got off to a slow start the first spring it was planted. The second spring it was planted, it grew quickly and now goes crazy growing about 3-4 feet a year in every direction. A more mature plant will have more vines, each will grow prolifically so that might give you faster coverage.

The main cultural limitation will be how much effect the redwood is having on the planting site. With a lot of fast growing climbing plants needing good conditions to produce that fast growth.

Also what is causing the orange to die? The redwood? Or another problem with the spot, like a honey fungus infestation? Such considerations can determine results from a new planting.

Finally whenever a climbing plant is placed so as to cover a failing tree when the tree comes down later - perhaps due in part to the weight added by the vine - then another fine mess can be the result.

It’s very difficult to grow plants under a redwood tree. The competition for water and diminished sunlight does not bode well for anything you try to grow there. Why keep a dead tree? I strongly suggest taking it out.

I'll leave deciding whether or not to plant an vine up to you. One other vine that I love is Clematis Autumn Joy. It blooms profusely in the fall and dies back completely in the winter. There's been years when I have not been able to cut back the dead growth of prior year, and the vine climbs on the dead growth and covers it. When I do cut it back, it's cut back to about 1 foot above ground, and then it spends all summer growing like crazy, about 20 feet. The blooms are incredibly fragrant. It does prefer sun, so not sure if it would work for this or not. Here's mine at peak blooming in Sept. This was cut back to about 12 inches at the base in January. This was in fact, a volunteer from a plant across the yard that I bought. I never water it but originally it grew over a climbing rose that I did fertilize at the beginning of the season so now I fertilize in March.

@Embothrium The orange tree is right under the redwood and does not get enough sun. I stopped watering it years ago. Some of the branches are dead. It's on the way out. It is not so huge that the prospect of it falling in a storm is a terrible thing.

@tozmo1 I made note of Clematis Autumn Joy. If possible, I would like to find an evergreen vine. But I like that this one grows 20 feet in one season.

If you're talking about Sweet Autumn clematis it's extremely invasive in my area. Seeds about everywhere!.

I had Sweet autumn clematis and it can eat a house. Not only that but it attracts beetles. It's really pretty when it blooms, but it is very invasive.

The orange tree is right under the redwood and does not get enough sun. I stopped watering it years ago

As suspected. You're not going to be able to stick a new plant into the same situation and expect it to grow rapidly and thrive - there are reasons why large conifers frequently do not have much growing beneath them. And when a tree with a climber all over it topples then you have the tangle produced by the vine's stems greatly increasing the level of bother involved with cleaning up.

Location is apparently so shady even a citrus is going south because of it. Unless the shade is not actually the core issue. Either way there is something that is making it a tough spot - any new plant stuck there will be faced with the same challenges.

Growing a vine on a dead or dying tree is not as much of an issue as some make it out to be

'Some" is talking about the fact that there is quite a difference between a fallen tree (or shrub, as in 12'-15' tall) and a fallen tree with the stems of a vine all through it. After that it is a matter of how much of a bother an individual person would find dealing with such a combination.

You are such a Negative Nelly! Every comment you make about any gardening situation is to first point out all the potentially negative aspects one might encounter. Will grow too big, not hardy enough, damaged by insects or diseases, etc., etc. Gardening must really be a huge, disappointing chore for you!!

All gardening requires some effort on the part of the gardener. Why you think maintaining a vine on a dead tree is going to be so much more complicated or more of an effort than maintaining a vine growing on any other trellising or support system is a bit of a mystery.

btw, since citrus is not inclined to grow well in much, if any, shade at all, it is not surprising it was suffering in proximity to the redwood. But a more shade adapted vine, if given other necessary care, might fair very well.

It's a regional thang y'all. In Memphis it's called Autumn Joy 'cause we are joyful! From someone's Pinterest (not mine). Share the joy. :-)

@gardengal48 China Blue Vine / Sausage Vine looks very interesting. I want to separate a new patio from the rest of the yard by a trellis and this might be a great plant to put on that. I could put purple on one end and white on the other end, and let them grow towards each other.

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris may work for you. It grows about 50 ft. , likes shade but needs some watering. Here is a link:

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris

Susan

I have a climbing hydrangea and it is quite the plant. I think it would get to be too heavy for what the Op has in mind. The branches are pretty substantial.

Hydrangea anomala petiolaris looks very nice, but it looks so substantial that I imagine it attached to a fortress or old European castle. I am going to study it more.

The hydrangea is a great plant but not what I think you want for this purpose. It can become very heavy and the weight could take down a dead tree. And "profusely flowering" may be a bit of a stretch....it can take a number of years after planting (5-7, maybe more) before this climber flowers at all and any 'profusion' will be with very mature, established plants. And it is not evergreen.

Definitely worth growing if you have the right site and space but I doubt this is it.

I would try ivy,or Sweet Autumn Climatis.

The dying tree to be used as a climbing frame is a fifteen foot orange. Practically a shrub. Issues such as insurance and damage when it falls aren’t going to be important. Anything as vigorous as ivy, climbing Hydrangea or SAC could swamp it. A less rumbustious Clematis might do the job. Given that the orange is evergreen albeit dying and furthermore is beneath redwoods it might be hard to establish anything there. But why not just get a cheap Clematis and give it a go? Maybe a C cirrhosis cultivar. Evergreen and winter flowering. Easy to hack back if/when the tree finally gives up the ghost.

Sometimes you just have to try stuff out.