I have an outside patio which is very sunny in summer, having no shade. I'm going to build a simple pergola out of bamboo rods and want something to grow up it. The obvious would be grapes, but I want something that'll grow as quickly as possible that isn't Ivy. Another option I though about was roses.
I live in the south east with a damp maritime climate, the area has unrestricted sunlight for most of the day and the first face to be planted will be south facing.
What options are there and what would be quickest?
>>1947 A climbing rose might work, but a normal type of rose grows a bit slowly I would think.
I would cover it in some type of peas or beans - they climb brilliantly and you will have a nice crop to boot. If you don't like the way it ends up, it will all die off at the end of the season.
>>1947 As the poster above mentioned, roses tend to grow relatively slowly so they aren't the quickest but the end result is spectacular. It will require training around twice a year or so, though, since they have a habit of bushing out. If you left it for a few years for whatever reason, you'd likely return to a vaguely pergola shaped rose thicket.
Also be sure that your construction is very sturdy if you go for roses as the finished plant will be quite heavy, much heavier than grapes. Peas and beans are best if you want quick results and apart from giving you a crop to harvest, their flowers are quite charming to boot. The only downside is that you have to clear their straw out of your structure at the end of the year. They, too, require some training though as they send out seeking tendrils looking for other things to grab on to, but they adjust and grab on to whatever you wind them around very quickly.
Plant some actual bamboo as well, it will look nice with the pergola, grows fast and is the final boss of survival plants, almost worthy of an IT'Z thread.
