Re: Problematic Pergola

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Hi Ben,

     Can't speak to grape (we are in Napa valley, so grapes were
     the last thing we wanted in our garden!) but if you decide to
     try something else, I would like to put in a plug for kiwi.

      We have a large pergola, on which we have tried various
      climbers for shade:
      - kiwi vines
      - roses (Marechal Niel, New Dawn)
      - wisteria
      - mandevilla laxa

     Of these, the most successful for shade (fastest, widest and
    densest) are the kiwi and wisteria. In my experience roses don't
    really provide good coverage for shade, and are hard to deadhead
    up on the pergola.

    Personally I prefer the kiwi over wisteria - which is stunning in bloom
    3 weeks out of 52 and boring the rest of the time. The kiwi provides
    really dense shade and has beautiful and interesting fuzzy curly vines
    and leaves (great in flower arrangements). An added bonus is lots of
    fruit in December, when other fruit is scarce.

    Your pergola looks large enough to support at least a couple of
    kiwis - you'll need at least one male and one female for fruit.
    (Warning: don't get carried away with too many females - or you'll
     be hauling hundreds of pounds of kiwi fruit to the food bank every year.)

Regards,

-- Irene.