I'm doing something like what is suggested below. The roof over my porch is
too high to shade the windows and it gets so hot plants on the porch
actually burn to a crisp!

I bought two welded metal garden art forms (that look like the branches of a
bush) and placed them in front of the porch. On them I planted rambling
roses - Albertine
http://www.heirloomroses.com/express...at=17&item=266
They covered the forms and are drooping over beautifully within one season!

On the same side of the house, on the wall without the porch I ran steel
strand in a narrow W pattern from ground level to eaves, and on the strands
I am growing climbing roses - Portlandia
http://www.heirloomroses.com/express...t=13&item=490.

Other roses that grow like gangbusters and are very hardy:

Darlow's Enigma
http://www.heirloomroses.com/express...at=17&item=171
It is a vigorous grower, blooms all season and the fragrance is superb - a
real bonus.

Paul's Himalyan Musk
http://www.heirloomroses.com/express...at=17&item=264
I'm growing this up a tree and in it's first season it grew about 15 ft!

One benefit of using roses, of course, is that you can capture the heat in
winter. If you go the rose route I recommend Heirloom's own-root roses. They
are hard to kill!

Karen


"hermine stover" wrote in message
...

One solution is to construct a free-standing trellis next to the wall
and grow the vines on THAT, because some vines do damage structure.
I believe you will find that such a planting, or ANYTHING which
screens the house itself will have considerable benefit in lowering
the heat load.