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Climbing plants are a great way to bring height and visual interest into a garden. They grow upward along fences, trellises, and pergolas, filling empty vertical spaces with greenery and colorful blooms. As they spread across these structures, they can turn simple garden features into beautiful focal points.
These plants also have practical uses in outdoor spaces. Many gardeners grow them to cover plain walls, soften hard surfaces, or create a bit of privacy from nearby homes. Over time, a climbing plant can turn an ordinary fence or pergola into a living backdrop filled with leaves and flowers.
Many climbing varieties produce striking blossoms, seasonal color, and dense foliage that adds texture throughout the garden. If you want to add height and natural beauty to your outdoor space, here are 15 climbing plants that grow well on fences, trellises, and pergolas.
Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a tropical plant celebrated for its lush, colorful bracts and vigorous growth. It can be grown as a vine, shrub, or ground cover. While it flourishes in full sun and requires regular watering, it’s surprisingly resilient in deterring squirrels.
Bougainvilleas are ideal visually standout vines that can transform pergolas and other structures into exotic focal points. Available in shades like bright pink, bold red, and vibrant purple, they thrive with full sun exposure, well-drained soils, and heat – growing 15–30 feet annually.
Clematis
Clematis has striking, vivid purple flowers. This perennial prefers full sunlight and requires moderate watering.
Clematis produces magnificent bounties of colorful blooms that provide stunning vertical accents. Most grow to impressive lengths of 10–20 feet.
Mandevilla
With beautiful pink, red, or white flowers that last all summer, Mandevilla thrives in full sun and requires some shade in the hottest climates. It’s a tropical vine often grown as an annual in cooler areas.
Mandevilla adds sultry color and vertical drama to garden beds, walls, and pergolas. It can grow 10–20 feet annually in the right conditions.
Black Eye Susan
The vibrant yellow petals and dark centers of Black-Eyed Susans make them a striking addition to any garden. They’re a visual treat and a favorite among bees for their plentiful nectar.
This fast-growing annual vine produces abundant golden-orange flowers with dark brown centers from midsummer through fall. The blooms provide splashes of color over trellises, fences, and arbors. When grown in full sun with average soil fertility and moisture, it can reach lengths of 10 feet tall in one season.
Virginia Creeper
This fast-growing vine is great for covering up unsightly walls and is adaptable to various soil types. It grows well along trellises and fences.
Honeysuckle
An excellent choice for attracting wildlife, honeysuckle thrives in most conditions, preferring full sun and soil enriched with organic matter.
This high-climbing woody vine produces beautiful hanging clusters of brightly colored, tubular flowers in summer that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Most varieties are hardy in zones 4-9 and can easily reach 30 feet. Some types have wonderfully sweet fragrances.
Climbing Roses
Climbing roses are classic, beautiful, blooming flowers for any garden wall or pergola. Available in a variety of colors, they’re a great way to add pops of color to your yard. This plant needs well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight.
They bloom abundantly in late spring and into summer. Most climbing roses need at least 6 hours of sun and good air circulation to thrive. They can grow to 10–15 feet and work well in zones 4-9.
Sweet Pea
They are known for their potent fragrance and beautiful colors ranging from pink and white to deep blue, making them a delightful addition to any garden. Best planted in spring from seed, they flourish under full sun to partial shade and prefer cooler weather, often wilting by the hot summer months.
This climbing annual thrives in cool conditions and part shade. It grows rapidly to 6–10 feet when supported by a trellis or fence.
Moonflower
The moonflower opens its large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers at night. It is ideal for moon gardens, where its fragrance intensifies after dark.
This annual vine grows rapidly to 15 feet in zones 10-11. It can come back year after year as a perennial in warmer zones. Give it full sun and fertile, well-drained soil.
Wisteria
With its stunning drapes of lilac-blue flowers, Wisteria is a fast-growing vine that requires significant support and patience as it takes years to establish.
Jasmine
Jasmine’s star-shaped flowers fill the garden with their sweet fragrance for months. This rapidly growing vine is perfect for covering walls or fences, or can be trimmed into a fragrant hedge.
It grows quickly up to 20 feet, tolerating heat and partial shade. Star jasmine thrives in zones 8-10.
Climbing Hydrangea
Climbing Hydrangea loves the shade and boasts creamy white flowers throughout the summer. Its heavy vines need sturdy support and grow slowly, requiring patience as they establish.
It can grow up to 40 feet, making it ideal for multi-story houses. Hardy in zones 4-8.
Climbing Azaleas
Growing climbing azaleas involves training these plants to climb. Azaleas are known for their vibrant spring blooms and, in some varieties, foliage that remains attractive year-round.
They thrive in slightly acidic, well-drained soil and are suitable for sunny and partially shaded areas. The soil should be rich and well-drained for growth. These climbers are hardy in zones 5 to 9, accommodating a range of climates from warm to cold.
Morning Glory
True to its name, Morning Glory blooms open in the morning sun. This pretty vine is an excellent choice for climbing on fences and trellises.
A classic fast-growing annual, the morning glory vine boasts a spectrum of cheerful flower colors, including vibrant blue, red, pink, and white. It thrives with full sun exposure and can quickly climb 10–20 feet using twisting tendrils.
Boston Ivy
Boston ivy is a rapidly growing vine. Plant it in moist, well-drained soil, and it can thrive in full sun or shade.
This iconic ivy cultivar is known for its excellent adherence and ability to climb walls. It is the signature covering on Fenway Park’s historic Green Monster wall in Boston. It has rich green foliage in summer that turns bright shades of red and orange come fall. When established, Boston Ivy can reach 40–50 feet over time.
