Shade cover suggestion - growing on a pergola

[Mr_Yan]

So I'm in the early stages of design on this one but looking for ideas.

The patio I am building will be along the south side of my house without any shade trees to cover it. Come July and August this won't be a patio so much as a griddle in the afternoon which would be a waste. For this I am planning on building a pergola or arbor over the seating area for the patio. I plan on having an open top rather than a solid roof on it but will probably do some type of curtain for the first few years.

I would like to train some vines up and across the top of this in addition to the other landscaping I will put around it. What vines could anyone suggest?

I'm in a moderate winter area, we tend not to get too cold but do average 80 or so inches of snow a season.

Grape is the first that comes to mind. I'd let it run kind of out of control and take over the upper flat top of the pergola. My guess is it would only require a few hours a year of hacking back pruning maintenance. By also letting it run out of control I don't expect to get fruit from it which is a concern as grapes can be very toxic to dogs.

Virginia Creeper does come to mind but I don't think I want the sucker gripper anchors biting into the wood of the arbor.

Wisteria could possibly be an option but I've never seen it spread and create a mat like grape can. I've always seen it in photos either trained out in an orderly border or having completely climbed and choked out a tree.

 

[Meadowlark]

Grape...definitely

 

[Tetters]

Wisteria may become a problem, and is very difficult to get rid of if it becomes a nuisance. I would leave out the grape in this situation.
We are talking about an area to relax in. A seating area like this is for resting in. I would grow scented honeysuckles and rambling roses, choosing the varieties with the sweetest scent. Add clematis - there is one for every season. Plant those deeply. The roots love some shade, while the flowers and foliage charge off looking for the sunshine. The bees will be busy there, but they'll leave you alone and concentrate on the flowers. Grow lavender too, and have a water fountain nearby.
Your wife will love you for your efforts!

 

[Tetters]

Initially some of this stuff might help to give the plants a start, and the plants will grow around it.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Thanks @Tetters

From the little I know of clematis I think I'm at the north end of where it likes. I find search images of it taking over gate arbors and the like but I've never seen it around here other than as a specimen on a small trellis or fence. It just doesn't get taller than me.

Climbing or Rambling Roses. We actually have one left over from the previous owner. It's not doing well. I just read and watched info on David Austin Roses (Brit site) and it looks like it will take longer and be far more work than I want in this case. The search images I found also don't show pergolas covered to the level I want where it shades the patio under it. Oh yeah, those things have thorns. I don't like pokey and sharp things growing in the garden.

Now honeysuckle and trumpet vines could be a serious contender for more investigation.

I'm leaning to grape as I know it takes off around here and will cover the area I want.

The pergola I am planning will be about 9 feet tall and have a "roof" area of 20 feet by 12 feet. I hope to shade a sitting area under it so we can enjoy the patio rather than roast on it.

I do know grape, honeysuckle and trumpet vines can all be pythons that take everything over.

 

[Tetters]

I had another thought about your pergola Mr Yan. How about this plant?
Commonly known as the mile-a -minute vine. Fallopia baldschuanica - and if I spelt that right it's a miracle! It is very rampant, but will do the job quickly, and just needs regular clipping to keep it in bounds.

 

[olly-buckle]

I have seen Mile a minute, or Russian vine, recommended as a way of getting rid of a tree with a preservation order on it, it grows like stink and suffocates everything. I know of an entire row of garages and a railway embankment covered in it in Balham. I would be cautious, a bit like introducing Japanese knotweed I feel.
There are an awful lot of different clematis, I would be surprised if there isn't one that is more suitable for your area, same goes for honeysuckles. Sean Regan has wisteria beautifully trained through his pergola, he seems to put a fair bit of work into it though, and it is so slow to get there.