I need a fast growing flowering vine to cover my new pergola.?

i have a new very strong perola and want to cover it in flowering vines. however i don't want to wait forever for it to be covered. i live in south central pennsylvania, not sure what zone that is. i would like something with bright colors and big beautiful flowers.

I need a fast growing flowering vine to cover my new pergola.?
OK, here is what you need to do - If indeed your pergola is nice and strong and built of materials that are gonna last a couple decades at least, find some permanent vines that you really like and get those started this year and in the meantime you can plant some annual vines to satisfy you until your perennials are big enough to take over. I have to recommend putting in a wisteria vine as one of your permanent vines. The bloom time is short (3 weeks tops) but if you could see my blue one this year you would understand why I am pushing them. Hundreds of 18" to 20" racemes of gorgeous sky blue flowers and the fragrance is heddy and powerful. You should absolutely consider getting some climbing roses too. I have several I can recommend for hardiness, disease resistance, and excellent blooms: 'Climbing Joseph's Coat, Zepharine (pink), and Climbing Don Juan (red)'. Clematis are hard to beat for flower power. They come in an unending array of colors and would be great for covering the posts of your structure but probably wouldnt give much shade as they do not spread as much as other vines. I would tell you to stay away from the 'Sweet Autumn Clematis' as it produces a lot of seeds and can become a huge weed problem. I like honeysuckles too but if you are going to be spending time under your pergola they would probably attract too many stinging insects, hornets love them. As for annual vines, here's a quick list of some that could fill the void until your perennials can stand alone: Cypress vine, Morning Glory, Cardinal climber, Thunbergia(Black Eyed Susan Vine), Corkscrew vine, Moon flower. One more perennial that I must suggest because it may be perhaps the queen of all climbers is Climbing Oak Leaf Hydrangea, like the wisteria, it too will test the stoutness of your structure. You have to see the long term picture. Get some permanent plants started. Don't focus solely on immediate impact. You can have both. The best of luck to you!
Reply:Try Star Jasmine. I have planted several and they reach 20' in about 2 years, stay green all year and smell fabulous when in bloom. It has tendrils that will grab on so not much else is required except some prompting to grab the right spot, is easily trained and not messy. Bougainvilla is beautiful, (think Hawaii) grows VERY quickly but most likely will not survive winter. The upside is that since it does have such a fast growth rate, I plant it every spring and it covers the patio by mid July. Check your climate zone first before you decide on anything.
Reply:Try a nice mix. There is a nice evergreen Clematis (evergreen in Ga that is). I can't recall the cultivar now.



My favorite vine is the Akebia quinata. It is evergreen and hardy to -20 degrees. It flowers pink or white in the spring. I've seen one here that is 30' long draped around a patio on wire. I've seen it mixed with a climbing rose or a Clematis for a very nice effect since it blooms earlier.
Reply:I'm partial to clematis, moonflower and cardinal vines. The moonflower vines grow very quickly here in the South but I would think they would be fine there for summers. HGTV has a short article with suggestions at: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_vines...
Reply:Sweet Autumn Clematis smell great too



http://images.google.com/images?q=sweet+...
Reply:Star Jasmine is very good for the purpose, also Potato vine
Reply:Morning Glories.. Moonflowers.. I love Clematis, it's pretty quick, too!
Reply:not sure if morning glory is right for the area but it is very aggressive here in So Cal.
Reply:morning glories grow fast