Native Plants

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Saturday - May 24, 2014

From: San Diego, CA
Region: California
Topic: Vines
Title: Vine for yard with morning sun in California
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Hi, What is a good perennial vine to grow on the front of our house? We would like a fragrant flower too. It will be on a wood support beam, helping cover some pipes we have there. It will be an east facing vine, thus only sun in the morning until noonish. Thanks.

ANSWER:

Here are some candidate native California vines that grow in or very near San Diego County. They are all perennials, most have fragrant flowers and two of them have edible fruit. The first three will grow in sun and part shade. The grapes prefer full sun but if your area has close to 6 hours of sun, that will probably be adequate.

Clematis lasiantha (Pipestem clematis) Here is more information from The Watershed Nursery.

Clematis ligusticifolia (Western white clematis) Here is more information from Yerba Buena Nursery which says that it is fragrant.

Lonicera hispidula (Pink honeysuckle) Here is more information from Las Piliatas Nursery and Mostly Natives Nursery who say that it is fragrant.

Vitis californica (California grape) has fragrant flowers and makes edible fruit. Here is more information from Las Pilitas Nursery and from Sonoma County Master Gardeners.

Vitis girdiana (Desert wild grape) also has fragrant flowers and makes edible fruit. Here is more information from Las Pilitas Nursery and Theodore Payne Foundation.

From the Image Gallery

Pipestem clematis
Clematis lasiantha

Western white clematis
Clematis ligusticifolia

Pink honeysuckle
Lonicera hispidula

Desert wild grape
Vitis girdiana