Most vines are too heavy for a trellis. The first natives that popped to mind were Clematis virginiana or ligusticifolia. These are not tiny but lighter than most. Both are white.

Weight isn't the primary issue. It's actually a pretty sturdy trellis...and I don't really care if the vine damages the trellis, as it serves no real function currently. My parent's house has an old trellis enclosing a square area...I think it used to be to hide clothes lines or something. I figure we should get some use out of it.

My parents have many vines (ivy, trumpet vine, virginia creeper, poison ivy) but none seem inclined to climb the trellis. The ivy just goes through it to the sunny area inside, the trumpet creeper hangs out in the shade to the south of it.

I'm looking for a twiner or vine with tendrils that can wrap around inch wide slats and who's desire to climb up outweighs it's desire to ramble towards a sunny spot.

This post was edited by edlincoln on Sun, Nov 2, 14 at 17:29

Clematis can't climb a trellis with inch wide slats unless you give it a finer set of wires or strings to help it out. It wraps its leaf stems (petioles) around the support, so the support has to be relatively narrow.

I don't know if Lonicera sempervirens will climb your trellis or not. It's a native honeysuckle that climbs by twining its stems around its support, but mine is on an iron trellis with relatively narrow rods. I've seen photos of honeysuckle on wooden trellises, but I don't know if they needed encouragement or tying up to climb the wooden support.

I second the C. virginiana suggestion. You might need to train it (tie it to the trellis at first or weave it through the slots), but it has taken off on our trellis.

I just noticed the inch-wide slot issue so it might not work. Ours is much thinner.

This post was edited by tps-report on Sun, Nov 2, 14 at 17:52

Cucumbers or luffa squash would grow well there. Just sayin'. Cukes are so easy to find when they are trellised. I would do an old fashioned climbing rose if I wanted flowers.

All vines need some training. If you really prefer a native you could use Menispermum canadense ( Moonseed) Suckering could be an issue. Climbing Hydrangea attaches by rootlets but is slow to establish and not native. Aristolochia (Dutchman's Pipe), Polygonum aubertii (Silver lace vine) and Wisteria are other options. The clematis will work. All vines need to be managed to a degree. My favorite vine is Actinidia kolomitka "Arctic Beauty".

Zackey- ("Cucumbers or luffa squash would grow well there.") I agree with you . I just always think in terms of perennials. lol! Climbing rose would be awesome too.

Climbing hydrangea gets huge, but is happy in part to full shade. If your structure isn't really solid, don't try the hydrangea. They do best on masonry walls, tree trunks, etc that are solid enough to support the weight. There are a couple of selections with variegated leaves, and they have both nice flowers and a clear yellow autumn color. I have one on a tree and one on a concrete retaining wall.

Silver lace vine is invasive in some areas, so check before planting.

One of the native Wisteria like W. macrostachya "Blue Moon" or one of the cultivars of Wisteria frutescens might be better than one of the Asian Wisterias which have a reputation for spreading rampantly both through seeds and roots.

Have you considered just taking down the structure? Since this is your folks' house, will you be around enough to give the vine some guidance?

I'm trying grape vines, but they are slow and I understand they are a lot of work to prune. Climbing roses also sound like a lot of work.

I did catch some pea-relative spontaneously climbing the thing this summer...either a weed, or one of the Apios Americana I tried to establish survived after all. Any perennial legumes that would be candidates?

tps-report: Weaving hasn't got the trumpet vine or ivy to climb this thing.

zackey: Gourds are an intriguing idea. Are there any perennial gourds hardy in zone 6?

Peren.all: My Mom likes hydrangea. Ornamental gourds are an interesting idea.

nhbabs: Taking down the structure would be admitting defeat.

The strength of the trellis isn't really an issue, nor is too much shade...there is plenty of sunlight inside the structure.

You did hit the nail on the head. I won't be around to provide guidance. Hence I don't want to pick anything that requires too much training.

Updates: So, the Apios Americana did spontaneously climb the thing, but hasn't seen to come back this year. I tried planting a climbing rose this year.

good call on the climbing rose.

Glad to find this thread as I've been trying to grow Cardinal Climber up a wooden trellis with slats an inch and a half wide, and just posted a message about it this morning. Boy have I realized that it just is not going to happen. The poor thing is so frustrated that at one point it twisted around itself. It just doesn't seem to want to twine around these wide slats.

Can anyone recommend something I could read on this subject, maybe with descriptions of vines and their twining habits?