Vines

Traditionally, trees have been used to shade and cool buildings. However, trees can take many years to grow to a size that is effective in providing these services. Few vine species have been studied for their ability to mitigate solar loads onto buildings thereby reducing the surface temperatures of walls. Vines on trellises have the potential to render similar cooling effects and can grow at a much faster rate than trees. However, a rigorous evaluation that compares the performance of a large number of vines taxa has not been conducted. This project seeks to demonstrate the growth rates and water needs of different vines and the impact of these variables on the ability to reduce temperature around structures in the various climates across the Western US.

This is a multi-state collaborative research effort to evaluate and monitor cooling effects, water use, and horticultural characteristics of vine plants across different climates and latitudes. The project utilized the Climate Ready Plants network to evaluate vines at five study sites located in the western U.S. states of Arizona, California (2 sites), Utah, and Washington. The project seeks to generate data, knowledge, and information needed to support growers and consumers in identifying vine taxa that are suitable for their climate.

Trial Site Locations

• Davis, California - UC Davis (UCD)
• Irvine, California - South Coast Research & Extension Center (SCREC)
• Logan, Utah - Utah State University (USU)
• Seattle, Washington - University of Washington (W)
• Tucson, Arizona - University of Arizona (UA)

Vines Trialed

While full results are pending, selected results have been formatted into brief, easy to read scorecards to provide an at-a-glance overview of how the plants performed during the trial.

Click here to view a list of all species evaluated & their locations (pending) |  Click here to view all the scorecards (PDF)