Attracting Lorries - unaturally

[aalf]

G'day all.

I have a pergola type setup in my back yard covering about 2 car ports in size.  We grow grapes over it mainly for the leaves.  The grapes are a bonus for us and big party celebration for the lorries once year.

Once the lorries are done the grape vine is starting to shut down for the year.  I want something else to cover the pergola ALL YEAR round.  The resident passionfruit just expired and I dont want another one.  The lorries don't like passionfruit.

So I want a shade creeper vigorus like a passionfruit but something the lorries will eat.  Maybe a kiwifruit?  Any suggestions?   And there is no room left to grow a couple of grevilleas.

 I need a combo answer shady edible vine that the lorries will go for.

[avinet]

I can't help you with an explicit recommendation - garden plants are not my strong point and we don't know where you live -  but my general recommendation would be for a nectar bearing flowering creeper.  That will attract Lorikeets just as Grevillea does.  I would suggest visiting a good local nursery that perhaps specializes in Native plants and see if they have any recommendations for your area.

The possible problem with Kiwi fruit is that the Lorikeets might not recognize it as food - not being something that they regularly come across.  Nectar bearing flowers are more likely to attract them.  Additionally there are plants that are potentially poisonous to birds - a good list of safe and unsafe plants is at www.eclectusparrots.net/safeplants.html - but note that this list mostly refers to plants that are unsafe if the foliage is eaten rather than nectar taken from flowers.

cheers,

Mike