DEAR JIM: The afternoon sun gets intense, and I have no room for shade trees in my yard. I thought about building a trellis for climbing vines for shade to lower my air-conditioning costs. It this a ...

Have a bare fence in the garden that could use some sprucing up? An arbor over the patio that doesn’t get enough shade in the summer? A brick chimney that’s a little stark? Adding some vines might be ...

Need a little relief from the sun? Dress up your pergola with these gorgeous climbing plants that provide color, elevated ...

A. Consider three great plants that not only grow well in full to partial shade, they also actually prefer it. The first, climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris), is hardy to Zone 5. This deciduous ...

The first time I saw a climbing hydrangea, it was growing its way up the trunk of a majestic oak. I was smitten, and Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris also climbed its way to the No. 1 spot on my ...

Question: We'd like to fill in our long expanse of yard fencing with climbing vines. We are limited by 40-foot live oaks that cut off the sun but surely something works in the shade and heat! Answer: ...

Dear Jim: The afternoon sun gets intense and there is no room for shade trees. I thought about building a trellis for climbing vines for shade to lower my air-conditioning costs. It this a worthwhile ...

Question: We recently added a deck in our backyard which faces west, we live in Circle C (southwest Austin). The afternoon sun is intense so we're looking to plant something along our fence line to ...

Spring is not quite here, but the heat is. The combination of heat and drought make it tough for plants. Rains and cooler weather this weekend could be a pleasant relief if we don’t get severe weather ...