Shade Plants for a Lattice Fence

Clinging Vines

• Clinging vines climb with aerial rootlets or sticky holdfasts. Shade-tolerant varieties for lattice fences include the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), a fast-growing, native vine hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 to 9. It thrives in partial shade and produces black-blue berries. Trumpet vines (Campsis radicans) grow well on lattices and tolerate partial shade. These deciduous vines grow quickly to 40 feet long. They bloom from summer through late fall with large, orange-red blossoms favored by hummingbirds. Trumpet vines are hardy in zones 4 to 9.

Twining Vines

• Twining vines climb by twisting and curling themselves through latticework. Recommended species include hops (Humulus lupulus), a fast-growing twiner that blooms with aromatic, light-yellow flowers from summer through fall. Hops grow to 20 feet long, thrive in partial shade and are hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8. Coral or trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) also grows well in partial shade. This twining semi-evergreen grows quickly to 25 feet long and produces red, coral and yellow flowers followed by red-black berries. Honeysuckle prefers moist soil but tolerates drought and is hardy in zones 6 to 8.

Climbing Shrubs

• When given support from a lattice fence, climbing shrubs grow both out and up. Fatshedras (Fatshedera lizei) have glossy evergreen foliage and climb to 5 feet tall. These shrub-vine hybrids bloom with green-white flowers in autumn They prefer partial shade and are hardy in USDA zones 7b to 10. Several rose (Rosa spp.) varieties grow up lattice fences, including the Graham Thomas (Rosa “AUSmas”), an upright shrub that climbs from 4 to 8 feet tall. It blooms from summer through autumn with aromatic yellow blossoms. The Sally Holmes (Rosa “Sally Holmes”) climbs to 12 feet and blooms from spring through fall with clusters of white flowers. It tolerates shade, heat and drought.

Perennials

• Perennials add seasonal color when grown against a lattice fence. Plant perennials that bloom at different times for season-long blossoms. Shade-tolerant varieties include the spring-blooming bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia), an 18-inch perennial hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Bergenias produce dark-pink flowers in early spring and prefer partially shaded, moist sites. Astilbes (Astilbe x arendsii) also grow well in partial shade and moist soil. They grow to 4 feet tall and bloom in summer with red, pink and white blossoms. They are hardy in zones 4 to 8, as are Japanese anemones (Anemone X hybrida), which bloom from late summer through fall with pink and white blossoms. They grow from 2 to 4 feet tall and prefer partial shade and well-drained soil.