Flowering Vines

The first things that come to mind when considering flowers for the yard are hanging baskets filled with trailing fuchsia and flowerbeds of pansies and petunias. But what about climbing plants? Flowering vines fill dull spaces with delicately twining green leaves and spectacular blossoms and are easier to grow than you think.

After spending too much time indoors, we all itch to get closer to nature. Plants bring life to the yard, and there is nothing more romantic and whimsical than a wall of climbing plants or a trellis of cascading flowers.

They fill the air with a sweet, floral scent and captivate the imagination. While vining flowers seem overwhelming to grow and maintain, many of them are quick-growing plants that are non-invasive and demand very little of your time and effort to thrive.

It all depends on the type of vine you choose for your outdoor space, whether it is a perennial or annual, and the growing conditions for your area.

Landscaping Your Yard with Flowering Vines

So, you decide to try flower vine gardening but aren’t exactly sure where to start. With so many choices and planting ideas, that’s completely understandable. We’ll help you choose the ideal vine for your area and pick the perfect spot in your yard to plant it.

Are there Different Types of Vines?

There are a wide variety of vines, many with flowers, and those that only grow foliage. Some even prefer growing along the ground and are an excellent option for ground cover.

Evergreen vines keep their green foliage all year round while deciduous plants lose their flowers and leaves at the end of the season. Flowering climbing vines use different ways to creep and grow over structures.

Twiners, such as wisteria, wrap around formations, while sweet pea uses delicate tendrils that reach out and grab hold of nearby objects for support. Clinging vines, like the trumpet vine, have aerial rootlets that act as a sort of suction cup for climbing.

What are the Benefits of Growing Vines with Flowers?

Flowering vine plants are the perfect form of camouflage for covering unsightly structures and walls with natural beauty. When growing along a fence, these vines provide backyard privacy and offer moderate protection from wind.

In addition to these practical uses, climbing plants look gorgeous while growing over arbors and trellises and create a backdrop to garden beds.

Besides the beauty these plants offer the yard, they also attract many pollinators and birds. Hummingbirds love honeysuckle, passionflower, and trumpet vines, while butterflies favor Dutchman’s pipe, Virginia creeper, and clematis vines.

Should I Plant Annual or Perennial Vines?

One of the most important questions to answer before purchasing and planting vines is whether to get annuals or perennials. It comes down to personal preference and space.

A perennial vine is an excellent choice if you own your home and look forward to plants growing back year after year with very little help from you. On the other hand, annuals grow faster than perennials and are a good option if you require a quick privacy fence.

Where is a Good Place to Grow Flowering Vines?

The first step in determining where to grow your plants is to make sure they are suitable for your growing zone. Check and compare the USDA hardiness zone of the plant to your area to pick the ideal vines.

Most climbing flowers love growing in full sun, so choose an area of the yard that receives at least six sunshine hours a day. It’s also essential to pick a spot that accommodates the mature size of the vine.

Finally, consider the purpose of the vine and pick the right plants for the job. Is it going to be a privacy or camouflage vine, or is it solely for decoration?

Clematis (Clematis x jackmanii)

This showy vine is a treat to grow, not only because it’s a colorful display of flowers, but there are so many varieties that it’s easy to find a favorite. Clematis is one of the spring blooming vines that grow in a range of colors from blue and purple to pink and yellow through fall.

The fragrant flowers of this perennial attract birds, and the vine reaches a height of 3 to 20 feet or more. Clematis is hardy in zones 4 through 9, is low maintenance, trouble-free, and is one of the sun loving vines.

Passion Flower (Passiflora) – Exotic Flowering Vines

If you’re looking for a unique flowering vine with a tropical and exotic feel, the passion flower is a perfect plant. The flowers only open for one day, but their captivating blue, purple, white, pink, yellow, and red colors continue filling the vine from spring through fall.

This low maintenance vine is ideal for a natural privacy fence, growing 20 feet tall and spreading 30 feet wide. The fragrant passion flowers attract birds, and the vine is deer resistant. It thrives in sunny locations and is hardy in zones 6 through 10.

Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)

This large deciduous climber hangs by aerial roots and produces masses of purple, blue, pink, or white flowers in flat clusters. They are fragrant, grow all summer, and have heart-shaped, rich green leaves that turn golden-yellow in the fall.

Climbing hydrangeas are very effective wall climbers, with a mature size of 50 feet, and require no pruning. These low maintenance plants grow in hardiness zones 4 through 7 and tolerate part shade.

Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea glabra) – Woody Vines with Spectacular Flowers

The woody vines of these small landscape bushes contain thorns and have eye-catching purple, orange, pink, red, pink, yellow, or white flowers from early spring through fall. With proper support, they are simple to train across trellises or for growing casually as ground cover.

Bougainvillea vines are strong and sturdy, growing 8 to 20 feet or more. They are low-maintenance plants that are drought tolerant and draw birds to the area. They require full sun and grow well in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera)

There are a few different honeysuckle types, and all of them have fragrant flowers in shades of orange, red, pink, white, and yellow.

Some varieties grow best on arbors and gazebos, while others are happy growing along a fence. They produce sweet nectar that hummingbirds and butterflies love.

Honeysuckle is heat tolerant and withstands wind and salt. It is a deciduous vine that prefers full sun. It is hardy in zones 4 through 9 and grows in abundance, reaching 40 feet or longer.

Wisteria (Wisteria Sinensis) – Sturdy Vine with Pendulous Flowers

This ornamental vine grows with twisted branches and gnarled trunks and has some of the most fantastic and fragrant flowers. The purple, blue, and white clusters dangle from the vines and look striking on a garden arbor or trellis.

This vigorous vine has a twining growth habit and grows 25 feet or more, depending on the variety. It is deer and drought resistant, and the sweet scent of the vine attracts butterflies. Wisteria is hardy in sunny areas of zones 5 through 8.

Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)

Trumpet vines are a hummingbird’s delight with their tubular-shaped flowers of bright orange. They are self-clinging woody climbers with shiny, dark green leaves and a floral display of colored clusters at the bends of branches throughout the summer.

These deciduous vines grow vigorously and effortlessly with aerial roots and are quite hardy. Trumpet vines grow 20 to 40 feet in height with a 5 to 10-foot spread. There are no serious disease or pest problems with this vine, and they grow best in zones 5 through 9.

Morning Glory (Ipomoea) – Annual Vine with Flowers

This vigorous twining vine has a constant display of colorful flowers in tones of blue, white, pink, orange, red, and purple, depending on the type.

Its heart-shaped leaves grow with ease over any structure, and the blossoms are a favorite among many pollinators. Morning glories grow 3 to 20 feet tall and spread 5 to 20 feet.

They grow easily in just about any condition as long as they get enough sunshine. These low maintenance flowers are fast growing climbing plants. Some varieties self-seed for more growth the following year.

Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

Sweet peas are easy-to-grow annuals with red, blue, white, or pink flowers that are highly fragrant. The vines are effortless to train up a trellis or arbor and even grow smoothly along the ground. Removing the spent flowers encourages season-long color.

This delicate looking vine loves full sun and quickly grows 3 to 20 feet in height and 8 feet in width. They are excellent cut flowers with a fringed butterfly appearance and sweet scent.

Climbing Rose (Rosa setigera) – Old Fashioned Garden Vine

Climbing roses are popular vines for old fashioned gardens. They come in an array of shapes, sizes, and colors, each with a unique fragrance. Some have petite pink flowers while others have large, showy blossoms of white.

These roses have long canes, adapted to growing along gazebos, fences, and arbors. They are deer resistant and perform best in sunny areas. Climbing roses are hardy in zones 4 through 11 and draw birds and pollinators.

Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

These evergreen vines have glossy, dark green oval-shaped leaves and produce sprays of vibrant white flowers on wiry twining stems. The star-shaped petals fill the air with a sweet fragrance.

Star jasmine vines grow well on privacy fences and spread laterally, reaching as much as 20 feet high. These climbers are hardy in zones 8 through 10 and flourish in full sun or part shade. They are disease and deer resistant and drought tolerant.

Mandevilla (Mandevilla sanderi) – Tropical Vines with Showy Flowers

This tropical vine has large, trumpet-shaped flowers in tones of white, pink, or red in the spring and early summer. Mandevilla is often mistaken for Dipladenia and is reminiscent of hibiscus in appearance.

These vining plants are annuals, and they love growing in sunny spots. These easy growers fill the area with color all season long. Mandevilla vines reach up to 20 feet tall, are low maintenance, and deer resistant.

Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata)

If you’re a chocolate-lover, then the chocolate vine is the climbing plant of your dreams. This vine has a spicy chocolate scent in the spring with wine-red flowers that give way to sausage-shaped seed pods and bright green foliage.

This excellent climber provides quick cover for walls, fences, and trellises and is also useful as a ground cover plant. Chocolate vines spread 6 to 9 feet and grow 20 to 40 feet in height. They are semi-evergreen and hardy in zones 5 through 9.

Moon Flower (Ipomoea alba) – Vine with an Exotic Night-Time Fragrance

This fascinating vine has heart-shaped leaves and huge, pure white flowers that open in the evening hours and die the following morning. They fill the evening air with a sweet and exotic scent that draws night-time pollinators.

Moonflowers are hardy and vigorous growers that self-seed without being invasive plants. These vines are one of the easiest annuals to grow and are perennial in zones 10 through 12. This stunning garden plant grows 10 to 15 feet and spreads up to 6 feet.

Vines give the impression that they take a long time to flourish and are challenging to maintain, yet these climbers are some of the easiest plants to grow.

Their colorful flowers fill spaces with ease, their foliage adds appeal when not in bloom, and pollinators such as hummingbirds absolutely love them.

Flowering vines disguise an unsightly area of the yard while filling the space with fragrant and stunning displays, so why not share our flowering vine guide with the flower-lovers in your family on Facebook and Pinterest?