Explore Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Can't find the answer in our existing FAQs, submit a question to Mr. Smarty Plants.
Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.
rate this answer
Monday - May 28, 2012
From: houston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Planting, Vines
Title: Need an evergreen flowering vine to cover a fence in Houston, TX.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
Looking for an evergreen flowering vine to cover my fence. caveat? one part of the fence is within 5 feet from the air conditioning unit which blows a lot of hot air, the area takes a day or two to dry after a bad rain (though we haven't had many these last few years), and its in partial shade. i am drawn to coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) but i am unsure if it would survive under these conditions..ANSWER:
Coral Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens (Coral honeysuckle) could be a good choice. From its NPIN page you can see that it can grow in sun to partial shade, has low to medium water use, and is heat tolerant. The plants that are closest to the air conditioner may require suplemental watering to make up for the drying effect of the hot air.
For other choices, lets go to the Native Plant Database and use the combination search. Select Texas under State, vine under General Appearance, and perennial under Lifespan. Check Part shade under Light Requirement, moist under Soil Moisture, and Evergreen under Leaf Retention. Click the Narrow your Search button and you get three more choices.
Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine) vigorous climber
Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina jessamine) flowers, leaves and roots are poisonous
Smilax smallii (Lanceleaf greenbrier) see these two links for more informatiom (#1); (#2)
More Planting Questions
Taking bluebonnets to Anchorage AK from Sealy TX
June 10, 2010 - Moving to Anchorage Alaska from Texas and I am bringing bluebonnet seeds to plant there. Will the moose eat these plants/flowers?
view the full question and answer
Transplanting trumpet creeper in Prairie City, IA
August 22, 2011 - I have a Trumpet Creeper that I would like to transplant. How do you do that?
view the full question and answer
Transplanting Virginia creeper
September 02, 2008 - I have a large Virginia creeper plant approximately 15 feet in length. Is it possible to transplant the whole thing without killing it? If so how do I care for it after it has been moved? Thank yo...
view the full question and answer
pruning crape myrtle (ugh, non-native)
March 05, 2012 - We would like to plant a Dynamite Crape myrtle in front of our front window. They grow 20' to 30'. Can I trim it each year to about 15' to 20'? Should we plant it approximately 5 feet from the ...
view the full question and answer
Growing Conditions for Yucca cernua
October 22, 2011 - Nodding Yucca or Yucca cernua:
I bought many lovely plants at the Wildflower Center sale on Friday, among them, a Nodding Yucca or Yucca cernua. 24 of the 25 plants I bought are already in the grou...
view the full question and answer
 |
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. Mr. Smarty Plants wants you to be his Facebook friend. Click the Facebook icon to add yourself to Mr. Smarty Plants list of friends. |
