Replacement for Silver Lace Vine

This spring I planted two silver lace vines in two different locations on the south side of my house. Both plants wilted, turned yellow and died. Do you have any suggestions for a replacement?

Silver Lace vine (Polygonum aubertii) is hardy in zones 4 to 7 or 8 and grows well in full sun or shade. It also tolerates dry shade. It is a vigorous grower that can either take over an area or be short lived in northern regions. Extreme heat and drought may have led to this plant's demise. Make sure the plants are watered thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are moist but crumble. Once established they are more drought tolerant.

Or try growing trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) or Dropmore scarlet honeysuckle. Both these plants have blue-green leaves and tubular orange red flowers all summer long. Both are susceptible to aphids but trumpet honeysuckle seems more resistant to powdery mildew.

Trumpet vine and American bittersweet are larger vines that tolerate difficult growing situations. You need a male and female bittersweet plant to have the ornamental fruit. Trumpet vine and American bittersweet are fast growers that will need regular pruning to keep them in bounds.