Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - June 21, 2008
From: Des Plaines, IL
Region: Midwest
Topic: Vines
Title: Vine for a trellis in Illinois
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I live in Nortrhern Illinois and am trying to keep my garden as native as possible. I would like to grow something on a trellis in part sun. It looks like a regional clematis is a possibility, but do you know of any others?ANSWER:
You can find a list of vines for your area by doing a Combination Search in our Native Plant Database and choosing 'Illinois' from the Select State or Province option and 'Vine' under Habit (general appearance). There are also other characteristics you can choose to limit your search results. You will find on the list that there are 5 species of clematis vines native to Illinois:Clematis crispa (swamp leather flower)
Clematis occidentalis (western blue virginsbower)
Clematis virginiana (devil's darning needles)
Any, or all, of these would be beautiful on your trellis. Here are some other favorites that would go well there:
Bignonia capreolata (crossvine)
Centrosema virginianum (spurred butterfly pea)
Lonicera sempervirens (trumpet honeysuckle)
Passiflora incarnata (purple passionflower)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria)
More Vines Questions
Unusual vine in San Diego County, California
May 12, 2012 - Dear Mr. or Ms. Smarty Pants,
I came across an unusual vine winding through a young Zumaque growing off the edge of a mesa in San Diego (coastal sage scrub). The small (fingernail-sized)leaves rough...
view the full question and answer
Late emergence of passiflora incarnata hybrid in Austin
April 11, 2010 - Two years ago I planted in my clay soil garden a variation on native passiflora incarnata; the passiflora Elizabeth (a cross between passiflora incarnata and passiflora phoenicia)because I hoped it pr...
view the full question and answer
Vine for Patio Wall in D.C.
June 03, 2013 - I have a concrete patio wall 4 feet tall and 9 feet long in Washington, D.C. The wall runs east to west and there is a patio above it. I am looking for vines to cover it so that I would not have to lo...
view the full question and answer
cultivating the invasive Passiflora incense
July 16, 2014 - Hello! I have been collecting passiflora for a while now, recently I purchased a "P. Incarnata" from a local nursery where I have gotten a few other species to grow along my herb garden recently. No...
view the full question and answer
Flowering vine that will bloom in East Texas in March
October 08, 2008 - What kind of flowering vine will bloom at the end of March in New Caney, Tex. 77357?
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |