Thanks so much!

Congrats on getting your new fence up. I know it is much more expensive, but have you considered planting shrubs instead of a vine? It's much less work in the long run if you plant the right shrubs. Iceberg roses get six feet tall and if you shear them after bloom they get dense. They grow fast and don't cost much- I got mine for $3.47 at Home Depot.

The three things to avoid in a vine are
1) a vine that will root itself or reseed (ivy, morning glory)
2) a vine that will shade itself at the bottom, so that it defoliates and just has a big wad of growth at the top and dead stuff beneath (Chinese jasmine, trumpet vines)
3) a vine that needs to be sheared or pruned more than twice a year (almost all of them)

When you take all of that into consideration, your options are more limited. My top pick for chain link is star jasmine, trachelospermum jasminoides. It stays green all year and is less of a maintenance nightmare.

Some other questions: Are you sure the clematis grows in your zone? I have never seen one in Southern California. Which trumpet vine are you considering? The red one was too much for me to keep up with, and I trim 316 feet of ivy-covered chain link (!) four times a year, so you can imagine how much trouble the red trumpet was. Pandoreas grow up and do not cover chain link well. I have never seen a silver lace vine here- in New Mexico, yes, but not really here in So Cal. Maybe there's a reason.

Good luck and have fun shopping.

Renee

Patty S.