Question
Dear Expert,

I have an unique problem to where my neighbor's security light is directly on my property line.  The light is obtrusive and greatly disturbs my rural wooded yard in the back of my house.  My neighbor has agreed that I could erect a trellis or plant trees to help shield this light. The light is on a pole that stands approximately 20 ' in the air.  My question is what is the fastest growing, hardiest vine I can plant to quickly climb and help present privacy to my yard?  It would get mostly sun and I live in Southern Indiana.  The trellis would be two sided with each side being approximately 6 feet by 20' tall.  A tall order, I'm afraid  .  :-)

Answer
Hi Jeanie - well, that is a rather unique problem!  Obviously, what you want/need is probably an evergreen vine.  There are several options.  One is traditional English ivy.  It's fast-growing, tough as nails, attractive, and requires periodic pruning and pulling to make sure it doesn't spread via ground runners.  Another option is "Armand" Clematis (Clematis Armandii), which is a lovely and vigorous evergreen vine with large and glossy dark green leaves.  It produces abundant clusters of small white flowers in early spring.  The flowers are quite fragrant but it  is worth growing for foliage alone. Native to China, this variety of Clematis likes rich, moist, but well-drained soil and can tolerate mostly sun if its roots are shaded by annuals (or low-growing perennials). It's somewhat tricky to find at local nurseries, so you might check for a source online.  It might take a year or two to get established, but then it won't let you down! A third option is called Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), which sports attractive leaves and smells nice.  Sometimes it's sold as "Carolina Jessamine" - which has yellow flowers.  Some varieties have purple flowers.  Finally, I am going to drive lots of people nuts with this suggestion:  there is always Kudzu!  It's called "the vine that ate the South" and "Mile-a-Minute Vine" for good reason, but it might just be a bit too invasive for your purposes, although it will cover that pole in about a week.  I am not kidding.  The problem is finding it for sale, since it is on the national list of invasive pest-plants!  You could always dig up a roadside root crown and transplant.  But consider my more sensible, saner options first, please!  Good luck, Jeanie, and keep me "posted"  :)......