Beautiful Climbing Vines for Your Garden

By Southern Living
January 30, 2020
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Attractive vines are a surefire way to add interest to your garden. Climbing vines can reach up walls and fences, scramble up trellises, and many provide pretty blooms and seasonal color as well as pretty green foliage. Depending on the species, vines use different methods to climb the garden surfaces they come into contact with. Some vines twine, which means their stems twist, forming tight coils that help them climb. Other vines put out tendrils that grow outward and grasp onto surfaces such as walls and trellises. Still others are true climbing vines that grow against flat surfaces, adhering tightly to walls and fences, climbing as they go. Many climbing vines have aerial rootlets that affix their stems to surfaces, while others have little discs—specialized suctioning features on tendrils that grow from their central stems. Read on to learn about more climbing vines and check out our best advice for growing them.
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Bougainvillea

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(Bougainvillea sp.)

This plant produces vibrant fuchsia blooms and can be trained into a climbing vine, tree, or shrub.

Find it in the Southern Living Plant Collection.

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Carolina Jessamine

(Gelsemium sempervirens)

The state flower of South Carolina, this pretty vine is easy enough to add to your landscape design and can be trained on trellises and arches as well as columns and posts.

Learn more about jessamine.

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Clematis

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(Clematis sp.)

This fast-growing vine produces a wide array of showy flower forms in many colors and shapes.

Find it in the Southern Living Plant Collection.

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Climbing Hydrangea

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(Hydrangea petiolaris​)

This hydrangea species can climb to 60 feet or more and produces pretty white blooms and heart-shaped leaves.  

Learn more about hydrangeas.

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Creeping Fig

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(Ficus pumila)

This quick climber requires shearing to keep it looking tidy when it’s attached to walls and fences.

Learn more about creeping fig.

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Honeysuckle

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(Lonicera sp.)

The fragrant flowers of honeysuckle vines give off a sweet perfume. They’re rapidly growing vines that need some attention to keep in check.

Learn more about honeysuckle.

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Ivy

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(Hedera sp.)

This vine, which can spread horizontally as well as vertically, is a popular choice for covering walls and adding a touch of stately design to historic homes.

Learn more about English ivy.

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Morning Glory

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(Ipomoea sp.)

Related species that make pretty vines to plant include moonflower (Ipomoea alba) and sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas). Morning glory (Ipomoea nil) produces big, showy flowers.

Learn more about morning glory.

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Star Jasmine

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(Trachelospermum jasminoides)

This vine is widespread throughout the South and produces small, deeply fragrant flowers also loved by bees.

Learn more about star jasmine.

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Wisteria

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(Wisteria sp.)

The telltale woody stems and abundant, fragrant, drooping purple blooms are hallmarks of wisteria.

Find it in the Southern Living Plant Collection.

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