ACTINIDIA kolomikta 'Arctic Beauty' (Hardy Kiwi)   A twining vine which after some years develops a beautiful white overlay suffused with pink that marks most of the leaves to a varying degree, for a tri-color effect. For best coloration grow in sun, add lime, and go lightly with fertilizer. Small, fragrant white flowers bloom in late spring. Small, greenish-yellow edible fruits are produced in the fall on female plants if both a male and female are planted. To 12', or possibly longer. Can take 3-5 years to develop full variegation, but well worth the wait. Zone 4.

AKIBIA quinata Attractive, exotic-looking, compound leaves with five leaflets, each measuring 3ins. long. Leaves open with a purple cast and gradually change to a pleasing, deep green. A vigorous twining vine, capable of covering large spaces in a very short time. Becomes a solid wall of foliage, constituting an impenetrable screen. Curiously attractive, fragrant flowers are borne in April but are usually hidden by the lush foliage. Adaptable to sun and shade, wet or dry. Can sometimes become too much of a good thing and may require serious, periodic hacking-back. Luckily, it withstands any amount of pruning. Zone 4.

ARISTOLOCHIA macrophylla (Dutchman's Pipe) A vigorous, climbing, twining vine capable of growing 20 to 30'. The large 10" leaves are perfect for screening and, in the not so distant past, Dutchman's Pipe was the vine of choice for shading and curtaining front porches. Zone 4.

CAMPSIS (Trumpet Vine) radicans  Provides a wealth of deep orange trumpet flowers all summer. Dark green foliage becomes golden yellow in autumn. Attaches itself to walls without special supports. Can reach 30-40', but can be kept smaller by pruning in early spring. Thrives in the most adverse conditions but needs full sun for best flowering. 

CLEMATIS Treasured for their spectacular flowers. Give them moderately moist, well drained, rich, slightly alkaline soil.  Clematis prefer full sun to bloom their best, but need their roots kept cool. Clematis are grouped according to pruning methods.

Group 1: These Clematis flower on old, mature stems and usually require little pruning unless they outgrow their allotted space or become unkempt looking, in which case they should be cut back after the main flowering has ended.

alpina New Single, nodding, violet-blue flowers, 2ins. long. Blooms from mid to late spring with occasional flowering throughout the summer. Grows to 10ft. A rugged, smaller flowered Clematis suited to smaller gardens and containers, tolerant of part shade. Zone3.

Group 2: This group includes the early-blooming large-flowered cultivars, doubles and semi-doubles, and also bloom on the previous year's wood. Prune out dead and weak stems, and the remaining stems to just above the last pair of strong buds, at the terminal end of the stem. Some sources also suggest pruning back by half. Pruning should be done in late winter/early spring.

'Belle of Woking' New Fully double,very full, 4in. wide, silvery-mauve flowers from mid to late summer, grows to 8ft.  Zone 4.

'Blue Angel'   Sky blue flowers are lighter in the middle of the ruffled sepals. Very fine silky texture. Award winning. Blooms June and Sept., 8-13' long. Zone 4.

'Bourbon' New Vibrant red, 5-6in. flowers with showy yellow stamens. Blooms from June through early August.  Grows only to 6ft. Zone 4.

'Carnaby',(pruning group 2 or 3) New Single, 6-8in. wide, raspberry pink flowers whose petals display a bright pink central bar. Blooms from late spring to late summer and grows to 8ft. Best grown out of the afternoon sun to prevent flower color form fading. Zone 4.

Clair de Lune'     (formerly known as 'Blue Moon'). 6-7ins. flowers have a white base suffused with pale lilac which darkens at the edge of the petals and stunning dark anthers. Blooms June-August. Zone 4.

'Dawn' New Single, 6-8in., pearly-pink flowers with color deepening towards the margins and with a showy tuft of carmine anthers in the center. Blooms from late spring to early summer. Grows 10ft. high. Best kept out of hot the sun to prevent flower color from fading. Zone4. 

'Evifive',(aka Liberation™) New Single, striking, cerise-pink, 8in. flowers with a deep cerise central bar and showy yellow stamens. Blooms early spring to early summer and again in late summer. Earliest flowers are larger than those borne in late summer. Grows 10ft. high. Zone 4. 

'Evifour',(aka Royal Velvet™) New Single, 6in. velvety-purple flowers with a reddish purple central bar.  Blooms late spring to early summer and again in early autumn. Grows 6ft. high. Zone 4.

'Evitwo', (aka Artic Queen™) New Fully double, 7in., creamy white flowers are generously produced on both old and new stems from early summer until early autumn. Considered one of the most robust, double flowered Clematis. Grows to 8ft. Zone 4.

'Hakuokan' NewSingle, royal purple flowers with a large boss of creamy-white stamens providing great contrast. Tepals overlap somewhat and tend to incurve along their lengths. Grows 8ft. high and blooms late spring to early summer and again in late summer. Zone 4.

'Ice Blue'    Large, (up to 8ins. across), white flowers suffused with cool ice-blue. Blooms May-June and again in August-September. Zone 4.

'Lemon Chiffon' New Single, 6in., pale yellow-cream flowers with distinctly round edged tepals, giving the entire flower a soft round look. Blooms late spring to early summer and again in late summer. Grows 8ft. high. Best kept out of afternoon sun to prevent flower color from fading. Zone 4.

'Miss Bateman' Pure white flowers with chocolate-red stamens bloom so heavily in May-June that the foliage is obscured. Will rebloom more modestly in Aug.-Sept. Compact, 6-8'. An old favorite, with good reason.

'Mrs. George Jackman' New Creamy white, semi-double flowers 7ins. across with broad, overlapping tepals that form a satiny white disc. Blooms late spring to early summer and again from late summer into early autumn. Grows 8ft. high. Zone 4.

'Yukikomachi' New Single, pale lavender flowers, 8ins. wide. Tepals have a central bar of white that softly melts into the surrounding pale lavender. Grows 8ft. high and blooms late spring to early summer and again in late summer. Zone 4. 

Group 3: These species and cultivars flower in mid-summer on current year's growth. Prune hard in very late winter/early spring to just above the first pair of buds closest to the ground (about 12"). If greater height is desired, you can retain the lower woody framework and prune to just above the base of the previous year's growth.

'Blekitny Aniol', Blue Angel™ New Single, lovely, pale rosy blue flowers, 4ins. wide with delicately crinkled edges and attractive yellow stamens. Grows 12ft. high. Blooms early summer to early autumn. Zone 4.

'Comtesse de Bouchard' New Single, 6in. mauvish pink flowers with tepals deeply grooved and ruffled around the edges. Yellow stamens form an attractive large boss in the centers of the flowers. Grows 8 ft. high. Zone 4.

'Galore'™ New Single, 3in. purple flowers with attractive yellow anthers.  Very free flowering, blooming July through Sept. and highly disease resistant. Grows to 10ft. Zone 4. 

'Hyde Hall' New Single, 7in. off white flowers, occasionally with green or pink tinges. Tepal edges are slightly ruffled and chocolate brown stamens provide nice contrast. Blooms to May - June. Grows to 8ft. Zone 4.

'Paul Farges',(aka 'Fargesioides') New Single, small white flowers 2ins. wide with a prominent boss of stamens.  Flowers are held well above the foliage on long stalks. Grows to 20ft. and blooms form mid summer to autumn. Useful for covering large swaths of fences. Zone 3.

terniflora (paniculata) (Sweet Autumn Clematis) Clouds of small white flowers on panicles, Aug.-Oct., attractive seed heads, strongly scented, vigorous, 15-18'. (Can actually be pruned using any of the methods.) Zone 5.

'Viola' New Single, 5in., deep, bluish violet flowers with prominently contrasting off white stamens. Very free flowering from mid summer through late summer. Grows to 10ft. Zone 4.

viticella 'Betty Corning' New Single, nodding, bell-shaped, mauve/blue flowers, 2ins. long and slightly scented.  Very free flowering from early summer through early autumn. Grows to 10ft. and makes a good choice for through large shrubs and climbing roses. Zone 3.

viticella 'Purpurea Plena Elegans' New A unique appearing clematis, with fully double, dark magenta rosettes 2ins. across borne on long stalks. Grows to 13ft. and blooms from mid summer to autumn with flowers undergoing interesting structural change as they age. Zone 3.

Non-climbing Clematis:

integrifolia A nonvining clematis with fragrant, nodding, 1½", blue, bell-shaped flowers in late summer. Grows to about 3', and can be supported but perhaps is best grown rambling at will. Flowering occurs mid to late summer, followed by plumey seed heads. A fine plant that deserves to be grown more. Hardy to Zone 3.

HYDRANGEA anomala 'Firefly' New prides corner

HYDRANGEA anomala petiolaris (Climbing Hydrangea)    One of the finest and most artistic vines. Showy fragrant white 6-10" flowers in June-July, exceptional climber, peeling brown bark attractive in winter. Glossy green foliage until late fall, does well on north and east exposures. Does not need support to climb trees or walls, clings by root-like holdfasts. Zone 5. In photo at right, petiolaris is growing on our venerable white pine. We're not sure whether the tree is supporting the vine or the vine supporting the tree.

LATHYRUS latifolius (Sweet Pea) Perennial sweet peas are vigorous vines that can be used to climb fences, trellises, or rock walls. Blooms for a long time in summer in shades of red, pink, and white. A bit informal, but undemanding, rugged and quite lovely. 4-8', hardy to zone 3.

'Red Pearl' Long lasting red flowers on vigorous 3' vines, May-July.

'White Pearl'  Same as above with white flowers.

LONICERA (Honeysuckle) Showy vigorous summer blooming vines, easy to grow in most soils, best flowering occurs in full sun with moist soil. In part shade flowering period will be shorter. 

periclyminum 'Serotina'

sempervirens (Trumpet Honeysuckle) 'John Clayton' Excellent repeat yellow bloom June-Sept., compact, great red fruit set. Zone 4.

'Major Wheeler'

x heckrottii Goldflame Honeysuckle

PARTHENOCISSUS tricuspidata 'Robusta'  One of the best vines for clinging to stone and brick. Robust grower with shiny green leaves. Leaves are about 4" when fully mature. Foliage turns bright red in fall. To 60'.

POLYGONUM aubertii (Silver Lace Vine) 20-30', a vigorous grower, with absolutely gorgeous, foamy white fragrant sprays in late summer and fall, excellent for covering fences and buildings, tolerates most soils. Zones 4-8