Open Trellis Wall (circa 2013)

The pergola's 2x2 slatted top didn't provide much shade, and all three sides, east, south, and west were open. Trees had not yet filled in, so it was incredibly hot. I designed an open lattice "wall" with a doorway on the east side where morning sun poured in (great in winter, unbearable in summer. I hired someone to build it even though I wondered how they were going to handle the curved edge of my round patio. Bo, the guy I hired called in a friend to help him with the challenge.

Best picture I have that shows the design clearly. Young Hyacinth Bean Vine planted on trellis.

I wanted an airy feeling with maximum view to the garden, so my design featured cedar lattice for the top half and cedar 2x2s forming open squares on the bottom with an arched doorway. Unfortunately I lost many pictures around this time so I don't have any of the work in progress, but you can see the finished product.

Hyacinth Bean Vine at the end of summer, but flowers are on the other side. You can see how well it covers.

The first thing I planted for quick shade was Hyacinth Bean Vine (shown above). It grows fast and produces beautiful purple flowers that turn into seed pods, so it reseeds itself. The bottom stalks were at least an inch thick. I kept it for two or three years but grew tired of pulling down the dead vines each year (it's not evergreen). I planted a Star Jasmine, an evergreen with small white flowers and a sweet smell, but it suffered from freeze damage in the winter and didn't take off like I hoped, although I've seen some that look great.

I settled on Cross Vine because it's a native evergreen that puts on a fantastic show around March-April. It's not invasive but does need some clean up as the inner vines die. I now have it growing inside the patio under the roof and it drops dead flowers. It's worth the mess.