Native Plants

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Wednesday - June 12, 2013

From: Bentonville, AR
Region: Southwest
Topic: Privacy Screening, Vines
Title: Vines for fence in Bentonville, Arkansas
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I have about 600 LF of 8ft high chain link fence I would like to grow vines on in Northwest Arkansas for screening. I would like some to cover quickly but be maintenance friendly. I heard alternating vines may be the way to go? Can you help with vine selection? Some color may be nice?

ANSWER:

Below are several possibilities for vines for your fence. They all either occur naturally in Benton County or in an adjacent county. Since I don't know exactly what all the conditions are at your site, you should read the GROWING CONDITONS on each species page to see that it is compatible with your site. You can see that there are semi-evergreen vines and deciduous ones, some with showy flowers and some with colorful berries or edible fruit. You could certainly mix the vines along your fence.

Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine) is semi-evergreen and hardy to zone 6 (Bentonville is in zone 6b). Here is more information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

Ampelopsis cordata (Heartleaf peppervine) is deciduous. Here are more photos and information from Aggie Horticulture and from Missouri Plants.

Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet) is deciduous and has colorful red berries in the fall. Here is more information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

Clematis viorna (Vasevine) is deciduous. Here are more photos and information from Carolina Nature.

Clematis virginiana (Devil's darning needles) is deciduous and fast-growing. Here are more photos and information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

Lonicera sempervirens (Coral honeysuckle) is semi-evergreen. Here are more photos and information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

Passiflora incarnata (Purple passionflower) is deciduous and fast-growing. Here are more photos and information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) is deciduous with colorful leaves in the fall. It is fast-growing. Here are more photos and information from Missouri Botanical Garden.

Vitis rotundifolia (Muscadine) is deciduous and produces edible grapes in late summer. Here are more photos and information from Floridata and Carolina Nature.

Vitis vulpina (Frost grape) is deciduous with grapes that sweeten after a frost. Here are photos and more information from Plants for a Future and University of Michigan.

Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria) is deciduous. Here is more information from Missouri Botanical Garden and Plants for a Future. This is the only native wisteria. If you decide on this wisteria, be absolutely certain that this is the one you are buying. Don't buy either of the non-native wisterias that you might find at a nursery—Wisteria chinensis (Chinese wisteria) or Wisteria floribunda (Japanese wisteria).