What kind of vine would you plant?

How much sun does the fence get?

How well do you like your neighbor?

If only money grew on vines! Seriously, something that bears fruit like raspberry or blackberries would be nice.

I have honeysuckle in a few different places around the yard near fencing... man, the fragrance when they flower is heavenly... better than a funeral home

Morning Glorys grow very fast and are vines. They also have colorful flowers and can fill a chain link fence quickly from seeds. I've had great luck with them without a single second of attention.

I love love love morning glories.

http://www.google.com/images?q=morning+glories.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=ISMDTIzQFsKBlAfg8-WhCA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CC8QsAQwAA

Clematis is also a good option - magnificent flowers with a very different look.

And if you don't mind the maintenance, a climbing rose might work well. However, like the raspberries, thorns are often an issue.

Sweet peas grow fast, have wonderful flowers, a subtle fragrance and you can actually eat the peas after the flowers bloom. They love to wind themselves along a fence. Oh - and if you don't want the pea pods to grow, just deadhead the blooms and they'll continue to bloom all summer long.

If you are willing to go with tall flowers instead of a vine, hollyhocks and tall garden flox (which have a terrific aroma) could be considered. Here's a link to other tall (36" or higher) perennials: http://www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/tall-perennial-flowers.html

There are also some good tips here: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg1115005227277.html

In answer to a couple questions:
Ohiokimono - lots of sun
Estioney - screw him.

thanks all - Im considering morning glory or honeysuckle. Heck, both maybe?

also might look at trumpet vines

A trumpet vine makes an excellent addition to the yard. Think about putting a nice trumpet vine in one corner, morning glory in another and either raspberries or honeysuckle along the fence. Raspberries make for excellent eating, and the brambles are very difficult to penetrate.

Huneysuckle brings in Humming Birds. Nice smell too.

Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans, can be invasive.

According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens it is a high maintenance, agressive spreader. Best to avoid this one.

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B840

Try a Dutchman's Pipe vine. Aristolochia tomentosa. Perennial,fairly easy to grow and manage, attractive but requires consistent moisture.

While I was growing up, the neighbors had a trumpet vine & it always looked nice. I don't think they had to put a lot of maintenance into it, but I was a kid so maybe I just wasn't paying attention?

(Their house wasn't always the most greatly maintained, so I guess I'm just assuming the vine was low maintenance b/c I can't imagine them having dealt with any high maintenance plants.) :)

Then again, I grew up in the country. If the vine spread a little bigger than they intended, it wouldn't have had the same consequences as on a city-sized lot.

holland - I have a back fence row where I wouldn't mind finding a nice flowering vine to grow. The utility easement runs behind my fence, and that area tends to be overgrown with weeds. A nice flowering vine might mask that a little. Our soil is almost entirely clay, and the area near the fence sometimes accumulates a little water if there's a ton of rain. (Otherwise it drains okay.)

I'd prefer something perennial, if possible, so I'm not constantly replanting. Any suggestions? Would that Ductchman's Pipe you suggested above work?

Clematis jackmani have beautiful purple flowers, and the Boulevard Clematis bloom in May and August.

A well behaved vine that tolerates both sun and partial shade is the Variegated Kiwi vine - Actinidia kolomikta. This is a variegated cultivar that is quite beautiful. They are dioceious, meaning you need a male and a female to produce kiwi fruit. The fruit however is very small, almost grape like, and has no fuzz. Yes, they are hardy here. Most folks don't grow them for the fruit but for the foliage. The male plant has the best variegation, sometimes pink, white and green. The leaves get pink tips when the vine starts to flower. The flowers are inconspicuous. You won't notice them unless you look for them. It does grow fine in clay soil. It won't grow in standing water. As long as your clay does drain you shouldn't have a problem. They do take about three years to get established. After that they are trouble free and well worth the wait.

A more vigorous vine, but a bit easier to control than Campsis radicans, is the Chocolate Vine - Akebia quinata. Unfortunately it is considered invasive in certain areas. I have one and have to be on the alert for "runners" escaping into the neighbors. If you live next to a wooded area or anywhere where it could escape it behaves like Kudzu. Darn thing is really attractive to look at but requires constant vigil to keep it where it belongs.

Either the Dutchman's Pipe or the Kiwi vine should grow for you mom2. In your clay situation I'd probably go with the Kiwi vine. Just be patient until it gets established. It won't be an overnight sensation.

The Chocolate vine is quick and gorgeous but could make enemies of your neighbors. If you live next to a natural area do NOT plant this one.

thanks for all the info -

'nother question now. Where do you go to purchase these vines? I dont get to greenhouses very often, but the few times Ive been, I dont remember seeing anything like that

Personally, I love English Ivy. It'll grow fast, cover everything you want it to, and it's available at any greenhouse. Very classic looking, although it doesn't have floral blooms like the others mentioned here. And if it gets into a spot where you don't want it, you just pull it up.

morning glorys can be grown right from seed. Just follow simple instructions and add water. They'll grow soon. I would imagine any other greenhouse place would have vines you want.

Well, morning glorys are nice until they overtake your yard and your neighbors' yards with their seed droppings. Your neighbor might get a bit annoyed with the morning glory by the end of the summer and definitely by next summer. Mine likes to dramatically pull morning glory seedlings when I am in the backyard. I respond by dramatically asking about the stray cat she feeds and houses in her garage that pisses in my yard.

Holland: Thanks for the link to the botanical gardens.

estioney - seeing as how my neighbor saw fit to put up a privacy fence so that his supports are facing my yard, and thus leaving about 4" between my fence and his for weeds to grow in, I really dont give a rats ass if morning glorys get a little invasive thru his fence!!!

Why not take down your fence?

Another vote for Morning Glory's. My dad use to have them on his fence/divider and loved seeing them bloom.

Billy: Why did the neighbor put up a privacy fence in the first place? Didn't he bother to talk to you about it and see if something could be worked out with the chain link so as not to create an eyesore?

From Holland: Chocolate Vine - Akebia quinata... behaves like Kudzu...

Whatever you do, don't get into anything that behaves like Kudzu. I've been down South where this plant has gotten loose and ruined entire sections of forest. It spreads everywhere, very quickly, and once it gets its roots established it's almost impossible to get rid of.

I vote:
Trumpet, Honeysuckle, Raspberries, Morning Glory, in that order.

Billy I have the exact problem with my other neighbor. You can permit the morning glory to invade his yard and use weed killer and your rake to contain it on your end. That might be what I have done.....

For the discriminating gardener I recommend these online nurserys. I've used all of them repeatedly.

Actinidia kolomikta - Kiwi Vine - Perennial. Hardy and beautiful.

http://www.forestfarm.com/product.php?id=128

http://www.gardencrossings.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=1598&davesgarden

http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Vines/vines.htm#VINE1030

http://www.romencegardens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=3

Dutchman's Pipe Vine - Certainly more interesting than the humdrum Morning Glory. Grown from seed as an annual.

http://www.logees.com/prodinfo.asp?number=R1253-2

Trumpet Honeysuckle Vine (Can takes 3 to 5 years to flower while getting established in some cases, but worth the wait)

Nearly Native Nursery
http://208.112.41.251/PlantsDetail.cfm?this_sort=Category,CommonName&offset=501&ID=645