One of the hardest elements for a new garden designer is incorporating climbing vines. After copying English gardens and their use of interplanting , clematis with roses (and just about everything else), we are stumped. For the adventurous, there are some truly stunning vines that can be trained over doorways, up trees or even left to dangle from hanging pots. Here are some favorites to consider for your garden.
Grown for its distinctive, heart-shaped foliage. New growth is purple and matures to various degrees of variegation highlighted with splashes of pink. The flowers are tiny and inconspicuous, although they do have a slight scent. Female plants produce grape-like berries in the fall, but male plants reportedly have better variegation. 12 - 30' (Zones 4 - 8)
This April bloomer produces spicy scented, brownish-purple blossoms that hang like pendents. The foliage remains nice looking, with oblong leaves, usually grouped in leaflets of 5. It’s a very fast grower that clings by twining. Also comes in white (alba). 30 - 40' (Zones 5 - 8)
3. Asarina (Climbing Snapdragon)
A profuse flowering twiner that’s great in containers and spilling over walls. Although not a snapdragon, the flowers are very similar. Will twine around strings and trellises and can be cut back if flowering drops off. Can even be grown as a house plant. Red, pink, lavender and blue flowers with speckled white chins. 6 - 8' (Hardy Annual)
A native American plant much loved by the hummingbirds and butterflies. Widely adaptable to heat and cold and an especially good choice as a perennial vine for Northern gardeners. Since they can get quite woody, their weight requires a strong support. Mature specimens make for nice winter interest, although they do require some maintenance pruning to keep them flowering at their best. Flowering can take a few years to start. Orange, Red and Yellow Flowers. Can grow to 40' (Zones 5 - 9)
5. Cobaea scandens (Cathedral Bells, Cup and Saucer Vine)
Sweetly scented vine that attaches gently with tendrils. The cups are usually lavender or blue trumpets surround by a saucer or collar of green. They take awhile to start blooming, so it helps to start them early. For some reason, the seeds germinate better when placed on their sides. This makes them less prone to rot. Blue or white flowers. Can reach 20 ft. (Annual)
These are extremely slow to get started, but there is nothing to beat the sight of a mature specimen in bloom. Climbing Hydrangea is a deciduous vine that clings with aerial roots. It needs solid support, like a wall, fence or even a large tree. They produce the lacy hydrangea flower heads in June. The dried flower head and peeling bark give it winter interest. Worth the investment in time. White flowers. 10 - 80' (Zones 4 - 7, to 9 with afternoon shade)
An old fashioned vine that everyone remembers from childhood. Easy to grow and it will twin around anything that crosses it’s path. But they call it morning glory for a reason, and the flowers will close in the afternoon heat. Morning Glories are nice to plant with slower establishing vines. Will self-seed readily. Variety of colors. 10 -12' (Annual)
Photo: Courtesy of Shelby Snider. Used with Permission.
There are over 400 varieties of passionflower, most of which are tender tropical evergreens. Passiflora incarnata is a deciduous species that can actually survive a bit of freezing temperature. In fact, it’s native to the southeast U.S. It’s semi-woody, with large serrated and clings with tendrils. Like its cousins, maypop is prized for its complex and exotic looking flowers. Purple and white flowers15 - 20' (Zones 7+, Can be overwintered indoors)
9. Thunbergia alata (Black-Eyed Susan Vine)
A short, annual vine that grows well in containers. The small(1 ½") yellow and orange flowers often have a dark center, resembling black-eyed Susans. You can often find the plants sold in hanging baskets. While they do well in containers, a larger container or transplanting in the ground will encourage this vine to really take off. Yellow and orange flowers. 6' (Annual)
A late season bloomer, staring in July and going through October, Canary Creeper is a member of the nasturtium family. The 1" yellow flowers really do resemble feathery birds. The foliage is ver attractive, deeply divided palm-shaped leaves. A vigorous grower, but like its nasturtium cousins, it doesn’t really grab hold of anything. It does look good simply scrambling through other plants, though. Yellow flowers. 8 - 12' (Zones 9 - 10)
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