Q: I am in the process of buying a rather ugly rock house and had thought I’d use creeping fig to redeem it, but I’ve seen a lot of it in Atlanta this spring that is dead from the cold. What can I use instead?

A: Creeping fig and Confederate jasmine are two of my favorite vines but they do occasionally get zapped by cold weather. Consider ‘Tangerine Beauty’crossvine or American wisteria; both will need some system of support and training. Or you could build a big trellis and let them climb that instead of the actual stones in the wall.