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I have an ugly aluminum patio roof. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the house or neighborhood. It's too expensive to replace so I thought I could grow some vines up it's poles and roof. Add a bit of beauty to distract from the ugly white aluminum.

Does anyone have some recommendations on vines to grow? I suppose the biggest issue is the shear size of my patio roof. Not sure if there are large enough vines that could cover the whole thing. Pictures included at bottom. Each pole is 10.5 ft high. The roof is about 12x25 feet. Quick facts:

  • In Southern Texas, Zone 9b.
  • Area is well irrigated for lawn but prefer drought tolerant species.
  • Soil is clay with ~7.2 ph.
  • Patio is west facing, gets alot of full sun
  • Prefer flowering species if possible.
  • Must climb 10.5 ft just to reach roof.
  • Bonus points for native species.

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  • That doesn't look like it will take much weight, and any vine large enough to cover the roof area will be pretty heavy over time - it may not cope with it. How much sun does it get?
    – Bamboo
    Commented Jul 11, 2017 at 0:47
  • At least 8 hours a day during the summer.
    – Ifrit
    Commented Jul 11, 2017 at 0:50
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    I think you'd better check with the construction people responsible to see how much weight it will take - the other problem I foresee is that aluminium gets extremely hot in direct sunlight, and that might well be too hot for a plant's foliage.
    – Bamboo
    Commented Jul 11, 2017 at 0:56

1 Answer 1

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With the caveat that you need to check how much weight that structure will bear, Trachelospermum jasminoides (confederate jasmine) should cover the area very well. It's an evergreen vine with fragrant white flowers during summer; but, it is a twining climber, and it will need something to twine around to get up to the roof, such as trellis or wires. Once it reaches the roof, its unlikely to just grow across it on its own, especially as the surface may be very hot when in full sun. You may need to place more trellis across the surface, with a gap of an inch or so between the roof and the trellis, so that the plant has the best chance of covering the roof, but most plants want to reach up vertically rather than grow horizontally - they usually need regular training and tying in to achieve that, and that roof does not look strong enough to bear the weight of a person.

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