Depends on how much upkeep you want/are willing to do. The Trachelospermum (star jasmine), in addition to being evergreen, is pretty much no muss, no fuss. Many of the others get leggy (especially in less than full sun), or are incredibly aggressive/sucker (like the trumpet vine), or need to be pruned or dead-headed with some regularity (the roses). So the whimsy is great if you have the time and inclination; if you have a large garden and/or are short on gardening time, you might want to go for the lower maintenance choice. Nice trellis, though!
ps one other thought might be Clematis armandii, which is evergreen, fairly vigorous, and likes partial shade. Has glorious white bloom once a year and the glossy deep green leaves are attractive the rest of the time.

I like Solanum jasminoides. Has a pretty white bloom and blooms throughout season.

That's a beautiful trellis. You two really know how to do it right.

In my experience, a mix of vines only looks good briefly, because the dominant vine swallows everything else up and you end up with a lot of dead plants.

The trumpet vines and honeysuckle are rampant growers here and I got a wad of foliage at the top of my trellis that was eight feet thick and bare dead stuff underneath. Way too much labor for me to prevent that-the pruning meant no flowers.

Akebia does not do well here so I can't comment on it. I drool over the pretty foliage, though.

Most clematis require year-round moisture to do well. I grow three different types, Madame Julia Correvon( a viticella type), florida sieboldii, and Bees Jubilee (a large-flowered clematis) none of which thrive because I cannot provide them with enough moisture and sun. So that's a consideration. If you want clematis, I would plant a few different colors there with no competing plants. I believe they don't care for root competition. It sure would be a spectacular display once a year if they do well for you.

If it was my garden, I would spray that trellis the same color as the roof and grow climbing roses on it in colors that will complement your house color- whites, pinks, reds.
What will go in front of the trellis? Is that where your patio will be, or is there room for a bed there? I picture a cascade of rose blossoms with some flowering shrubs planted out a ways in front of the roses. Perhaps ceanothus, or azaleas?

What fun. If all else fails, the jasmine is a lovely, green choice and it smells great. It would make quite a statement when it blooms, that's for sure. Great work, peachy.

Renee

While I was outside I realized my comment about the color of your trellis sounded critical. I didn't mean it that way.

I am suffering from slate-gray/black envy at the moment because my sister-in-law just got a new roof that color and painted her white patio roof to match. I'm smitten, and want elves to come here and do mine the same way.

Renee

Thanks for the comments and complements, everyone! I'm afraid I'm not any closer to making a decision yet though ;oP

Don't worry Renee, I didn't think your comment sounded critical, but I am one of those people who always balks at painting wood. We were planning on just letting it age naturally, like the redwood fence in front.

There will be room in front of the trellis for a planting bed, it's an odd spot though because it is where the septic tank and grey water system are. I needed to come up with something that would allow access to the three different covers, so I've decided to do a 'spiral garden' with a mulch path.

Here's the plan:
{{gwi:550374}}

Clematis armandii is an evergreen version completely different from the deciduous ones (which are much more well-known). Google it and take a look. Lots of good ideas; your own preferences should dictate what you do! Have fun!
Sara

Nice plan, Peachy. Can you grow Garrya Elliptica there? I have always wanted to grow that up against a trellis.
Renee

Clematis armandii and Garrya elliptica both look good, thanks for the suggestions!

The trellis is lined up due east-west, with the northern side facing our property and the southern facing the neighbors, I'm wondering if that will effect who gets to see more blooms? In the winter the sun will be shining on the southern side more, do you think that might mean a winter blooming flower will have a showier display for the neighbor than for us? I know that if I planted daffodils there the trumpet would be facing away from us. Might that be a reason to go for a summer display over winter? Or is it something I shouldn't worry about?

Star jasmine would definitely be a better choice for good foliage and flowers on both sides of the trellis. Other evergreen vines of similar easy growth and habit might include Clytostoma callistegioides, or Pink Jasmine/Jasminum polyanthum. While the Solanum jasminoides is especially fast and does bloom prolifically, in my opinion it looks a bit rangey and coarse after the first couple of years. You might also consider another summer blooming fragrant vine such as Mandevilla laxa, which could combine nicely with Star Jasmine and extend the summer bloom period. If you wanted some fast cover and outrageous color as a warm season annual vine, different color forms of Thunbergera alata can't be beat.

Be careful with the Garrya elliptica - it gets quite large (over 15' if happy). It starts slow but once established can really put on both height and breadth. There is a stand of 3-4 of them at a nursery around the corner from me that are at least that big and wide. They are stunning in bloom, very nice the rest of the year. Just make sure to give it enough space. I have never done well with Jasminum polyanthum - it gets enormous, ends up with very woody stems and much dead material inside. Works best in a very large space or when frequently refreshed. The scent is heavenly but I've found it too aggressive and taken out the two that I had. It continues to come up so I am still fighting it!

Clytostoma callistegioides is gorgeous, I might have to go with that one... I love the color of the scarlet trumpet vines but if lavender is better in the long run I think it's the one I should plant.

I wonder if it would look good to plant star jasmine on the shadier side and lavender trumpet vines on the sunnier side?

They'll all gravitate to the light so you'll end up with 'tweed', which is more or less what you started with in your first post!

It's been my experience that both Trachelospermum and Clytostoma are two vine choices that will bloom equally well on the shady side of a trellis as compared to most others. Distictis buccinatorius is a bit too rampant growing if you don't have lots of space.

Did the trellis picture go away? I didn't see one! Does anyone know if Star Jasmine in a 5 G pot already full and several feet tall can be planted successfully late Oct in Central Texas? (Zone 8) I'd also like tips on trellises..as I can't use a fence..would like it to cover as high as possible to screen a neighbors screeming LED all hight lights.

I'm allergic to Jasmine, and when we had a Jasmine vine, there was so much dead foliage that had to be removed that I decided to remove the entire vine. On one wall in Venice we had a passion vine, and during the summer we would get as many as 60 to 80 passion fruits a day, and so I bought a Juiceman juicer so that I could extract juice from them and freeze it. It also left a lot of dead foliage under it. We have creeping fig now, and it is much more manageable, but for us it mainly conceals a concrete wall. It does grow high enough to provide extra privacy, but I would not recommend it for a trellis.

Venice as in Europe? Or other...I've seen really beautiful established star jasmine on trellis here..so I know they will do well. Just not sure about planting in fall....

Planting in the fall, should be fine, Jacey, though check with the fine folks on the Texas Gardening forum to be sure.

I was given the thumbs down from head local horticulturist on this. Also told there is a hardy variety that will tolerate much cooler winter temps. So guess I will be waiting til Spring and hopeful to find that variety. Surprisingly, they also told me I'd have better luck with smaller starts of it. I had no idea....Seems to me a 5 G would be a much better way to go.