What can I grow on my new pergola?

[Stroan]

We've just replaced a dodgy patio with a new deck and pergola. It's partially shaded but gets full sun from about 1pm onwards.

I would like to grow climbers or trailing plants all over it for big impact and some lovely cool shade. Ideally flowering but I know I might have to wait until next year. However, they have to grow out of planters. What could work well? I have clematis at the opposite end of the garden but they took years to finally show off!

I also have a long thin wooden planter that I'm going to place between the pergola and the fence. I'd like to grow some taller plants in it to offer a tiny bit of screening from the neighbours, anything that grows to about 40-50cms would be ideal. I'm happy with either greenery or flowering plants, but it could get shady there if the climbers on the pergola get established. Any recommendations?

If tall plants wouldn't work, I've thought about growing ivy down from hanging pots and some fragrant herbs in the planter.

(Please excuse the absolute mud pit that my garden now is! The lawn is the first on the list for attention.)

Perennial wise -
Definitely a clematis, that will be really easy to train. A climbing rose in a big pot too? Although that will take a few years to get established and train properly.
You could also get a jasmine if you like the scent? Or a honeysuckle, although again with honeysuckle it will take a while to get going properly.

Alternatively you could use annuals and swap them around each year for variety - Black eyed Susan is worth a go if you like orangey peach tones and so is tropaeolum. You can also use the tropeaolum leaves in salads. 🍃
Sweet peas would do well but need to put deep roots down so you'd have to invest in some tall-ish planters.

A climbing rose always looks lovely and Zephirine Drouhin is one of a few types which have no thorns so won't try to attack you when pruning.

For a rose try banksii lutea - a rambler with no thorns, might take 2-3 years to get going but grows fast once established and flowers early with small pale yellow flowers all over. You could then grow some clematis to scramble through it and flower later on.

Grapes? Kiwis?

Kiwi, grapes, cherry, peas?

Jasmine grows relatively quickly and the scent is beautiful.

If you'd like dramatic colour you could put a Virginia creeper in. Stunning red and bronze leaves.

We are thinking about a pergola covered in white wisteria, it hangs so beautifully! It grows slower than the lilac shades though apparently.

Chocolate vine? Mine took really quickly, is really pretty and smells gorgeous.

I wouldn’t do roses. There’s very few that are ever green and you’ll just have tatty looking sticks in the winter. I just pulled mine up this year and the huge thorns on the Alberic Barbier variety I had were annoying.
I’m just trying a new clematis on mine. I have a lovely evergreen jasmine in my fence but it grows very densely and might ruin the effect of the wooden structure ( unless you want it to look like a secret den).
Like the idea of a chocolate vine.
Lovely pergola!

Other annuals to try - Mina lobata (name changed now, maybe Quamoclit lobata or Ipomea lobata?) - has spikes of flowers that start yellow and shae through orange to red, so you alsways have all three colours on each spike. Dolichos lablab - like a purple runner bean plant with purple flowers followed by big purple bean pods.

Grapes? Or you could acquire a Bukhara fleeceflower? I bought one and kept it in the pot the first year. The next year I put it in full soil and helped it stretch onto the rabbit hutches' roof. Very easy-to-guide plant, with too many white flowers to to count I think I bought the wrong one though, it's supposed to have a sweet lingering smell, but I haven't noticed anything yet