We love the look of vines used for shade or privacy. They look great climbing over a trellis,creeping up the side of a Steel Building, or winding their way around porch posts. You can also plant them in the ground below your second floor balcony. The vine will make its way up and fall around your balcony like a curtain. If you plant one in the spring, by the end of summer it can reach heights of up to 30 feet!

1. Akebia Quinata Chocolate Vine

This vine doubles as a climbing vine and ground cover. It has dark purple dangling flowers and a spicy fragrance. It’s a great climber vine for shade.

2. Sweet Autumn Clematis

This vine grows like crazy, and reaches heights of 30 feet in only a few months. It has tiny white flowers and is tolerant of many different types of soil and sun conditions.

3. Hops

Hops is best known as being a key ingredient in beer. It has large leaves that provide good shade, and it has beautiful flowers. If you’re looking for a fast-growing vine, this one is for you! Hops can grow up to 12 inches per day!

4. Moonflower

This vine has beautiful white flowers that only open from sundown to sunup. It reaches heights of up to 15 feet, but you need to plant more than one vine to get a lush effect.

5. Wisteria Sinensis

This gorgeous vine looks like it came directly out of a fairytale! It has purple-blue flowers and climbs high into tree canopy. Be careful though, this plant is poisonous if ingested and can make you really sick!

Photos: Flickr, Sweet Memories 180, Christina’s Garden, Panoramio, Inside Wood Haven.

This DIY is perfect for people who are on a budget, but still want their windows to offer some privacy. It’s also great for renters, because the fabric peels right off the window when you’re ready to take it down, or just want a change! We’ve teamed up with Fairclaims Roofing to help give us some tip on this easy window privacy idea!

What you will need:

Fabric of your choice, water, cornstarch, scissors, ruler, a piece of paper, and a paintbrush.

Step 1:

Measure your window that you want to cover and cut out a piece of paper to the exact measurements. Iron your fabric to remove any wrinkles, and lay the paper flat on the fabric. Cut the fabric out to the size of the paper.

Step 2:

Mix equal parts cornstarch and hot water and brush it onto the window with a paint brush. Smooth out the fabric so it covers the window from end to end.

Step 3:

To remove, simply peel the fabric off the window and wash the window with warm water.

Photos and idea: Anna Belvita.