Shade

Hi everyone
 
Since we try to spend as much time out of doors as possible, shade in the summer is a prime requisite. We built a pergola from heavish timber and either had exceptional luck or intuition to choose Thumbergia grandiflora and Passiflora descasneia for the main protaganists.
 
These two plants between them have, inside a year, given us dense shade over a structure 10ft x 10ft. But not only that they are quite the most exquisite plants you could have in that situation. In our opinion that is.
 
Thumbergia grandiflora races in all directions and so far has been in flower for 11 months of the year but Autumn is its 'forte' when it festoons itself with its large trumpet shaped lavender blue flowers. Some appeare  in singles at the axle of each leaf, but not content with that it sends out from mature leaf joints or sometimes sends out terminal shoots which slowly uncurl. Each shoot  has more than 30 flower pairs on it. This gives our sitting area the feel of the 'hanging gardens of Babylon'. It has no scent, but that is all it lacks. We think that it can surprise us know more, and then it renews its efforts and cascades with more flowers. It did get burnt by our one night of 0C last winter, but soon recovered and set off in all directions again. One extra entertainment is that following our first winter rains the seed capsules explode. If you are in a direct line it can be a painful experience.
 
Passiflora descasneia is almost its equal. Large glossy bright green leaves are just whats needed to set off the deep sombre green leaves of the thumbergia. The large red/purple flowers last only a day each, but there are always so many of them. these two plants slug it out on the top of the pergola and give us the shade we crave.
 
Although they are sufficient themselves, we also grow the annual Mini Lobata which manages to rise above them all and give a fine show with its cream through to red flower spikes. Maurandia barclayana clothes the lower reaches, and the ground area has pithy at each upright. Hardenbergia violacea also fills in along the edges, and gives us its deep purple flowers in the depths of winter. There are of course many more plants in this area, but I would dearly like to know how everyone else has solved the problem of shade.
 
Please post some stuff, in particular does anyone successfully grow Thumbergia mysoriensis.
 
regards to all   Janet
 
Richard & Janet Blenkinship
Crete
 
j*@otenet.gr
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