If you are looking for some plants that will grow quickly and cover up any unsightly fence, building, or wall in your outdoor space, then you have come to the right place!
Today we’ll discuss some vigorous climbers that can cover walls, fences, trellises, and arbors, transforming any plain structure into a stunning vertical garden!
Not only can they spruce up your garden, but they also offer shade, privacy, and even attract beneficial wildlife like birds and butterflies. If you are aiming to create a lush green wall, a vibrant floral display, or a mix of both, fast-growing climbing plants are the perfect solution.
We are going to cover the prettiest speedy climbers, highlighting their unique characteristics, growing requirements, and benefits they bring to your outdoor space.
Let’s get started!
1. Passion Fruit Vine
Plant size: 20-30 feet
Ideal settings: Sturdy trellises, fences, arbors, pergolas
Garden benefits: Creating lovely scenery and attracting pollinators
Hardiness zones: 9 through 11
The Passion fruit vine, otherwise known as Passiflora edulis, is a vigorous and fast-growing fruit vine plant that can add a tropical touch to any garden. It produces deeply lobed leaves and exotic flowers with vibrant colors.
It also produces delicious fruits that are known for their sweet and tangy flavor, so you are not only getting a beautiful plant that can add texture to your garden, but also delicious fruit!
These vines thrive in warm, tropical climates and prefer full sunlight exposure for at least six hours a day. They also require nutrient-rich and well-draining soil. Regular watering is necessary, especially during dry periods.
Passion fruit vines are generally hardy, although they might require some protection from strong winds and frost in colder regions. They might need hand pollination in areas with low pollinator populations.
2. Potato Vine
Plant size: 25 feet tall, 15 feet spread
Ideal settings: Covering walls, fences, trellises, pergolas, and porches
Garden benefits: Attracts birds, repels deer
Hardiness zones: 9 through 11
Potato vine is a lovely climbing plant that produces glossy, deep green leaves and clusters of fragrant white or purple flowers. The plant gets its name from the small, egg-shaped fruit that resemble potatoes but are not edible.
However, they can really make your garden look more elegant and dreamy!
If you want purple flowers, then get the Solanum crispum cultivar. If you want white flowers, buy the Solanum jasminoides.
This hardy plant can thrive in both full sun and partial shade. It prefers moist soil that is well-draining. Regular watering is required. Pruning is recommended to maintain a certain shape and encourage new growth.
3. Kiwi Vine
Plant size:12 feet tall, 5 feet spread
Ideal settings: Larger gardens, arbors, pergolas, fences
Garden benefits: Ornamental appeal, edible fruits, shade and privacy
Hardiness zones: 3 through 8
Here is yet another fast-growing climbing plant that can give you delicious fruit, and make your garden look more interesting!
Kiwi vine is known for its vigorous growth, twining vines, and attractive foliage. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, and typically have a vibrant green color. This is one of the best plants for privacy since they grow quite densely.
You can choose to grow a self-fertile cultivar such as Actinidia arguta ‘Issai’, or you can go for a more ornamental one that focuses on lush foliage growth instead of fruit production, such as Actinidia kolomikta.
The kiwi vine plant requires full sun for proper growth, although it can tolerate some partial shade. It grows best in a well-draining soil with good moisture retention. Add some fertilizer to encourage fruit production.
4. Spanish Flag
Plant size: 15 feet tall, 12 feet spread
Ideal settings: Containers, fences, poles, trellises
Garden benefits: Attracts pollinators, vertical decorations, seasonal display of flowers
Hardiness zones: 9 through 11
The Spanish flag, otherwise known as Ipomoea lobata, is an annual climbing plant that produces vibrant red to yellow flowers. These flowers have a tubular shape and create beautiful scenery during the blooming period.
This climbing plant prefers growing in full sun and well-draining soil. It can tolerate different soil types, including loamy or sandy. Deadheading spent flowers can prolong blooming.
5. Honeysuckle
Plant size: 10 feet tall, 5 feet spread
Ideal settings: Walls, poles, trellises
Garden benefits: Attracting hummingbirds, pollinators
Hardiness zones: 4 through 8
Honeysuckle is one of the best plants for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies. It features beautiful and fragrant trumpet-shaped flowers that come in a variety of colors, including yellow, pink, white, and red.
They have twining vines and require sturdy structures for climbing, such as walls or trellises.
This plant thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers growing in moist soil that drains well. It is a hardy plant that can adapt to different soil types. Regular watering is necessary, especially during extended periods of drought.
6. Akebia Quinata
Plant size: 30 feet tall, 6-10 feet tall
Ideal settings: Fences, pergolas, trellises, walls
Garden benefits: Unique fragrances, attracting pollinators, privacy and shade
Hardiness zones: 5 through 9
Akebia quinata, otherwise known as Chocolate vine, is a semi-evergreen climbing vine plant with unique and intriguing flowers. It produces palmate leaves and small, chocolate-scented flowers that have a deep purple or reddish-brown color.
Lots of pollinators, like bees and butterflies, have a sweet tooth and would absolutely love these chocolate-scented flowers!
If you have a smaller garden, then the Akebia quinata will probably need some managing since it requires a lot of space to grow and spread.
When it comes to growing requirements, this plant prefers full sun or partial shade. It can adapt to different soil types and tolerate drought once established. However, it should be watered during extended periods of drought.
7. Sweet Peas
Plant size: 6 feet tall, 2 feet spread
Ideal settings: Containers, borders, fences, trellises
Garden benefits: Attracting pollinators, cut flowers, vibrant colors
Hardiness zones: 2 through 11
Sweet peas are fast-growing plants that produce delicate fragrant flowers in a variety of colors, including pink, purple, red, and sometimes white.
The wide range of Sweet Pea colors available allows you to create visually stunning displays in your garden. Sweet peas produce tendrils that allow them to climb and cling to structures.
These plants thrive in full sun, although they can also tolerate some shade. They require soil that drains well and is rich in organic matter. Regular watering is also required to keep the soil evenly moist.
8. Cobaea Scandens
Plant size: 10-20 feet tall, 1-2 feet spread
Ideal settings: Arbors, trellises, fences, walls
Garden benefits: Attracting pollinators, adding visual interest
Hardiness zones: 9 through 10
Cobaea Scandens, commonly known as the Cup and Saucer Vine, is a fast-growing climbing plant known for its unique and dramatic flowers. The vine produces bell-shaped flowers that resemble a cup and saucer, with deep purple or greenish-purple petals.
Cobaea Scandens climbs with self-twining tendrils and can be grown in gardens, on balconies, or in large containers if provided with adequate space and support.
This plant grows best in full sun and well-draining, nutrient-rich soil. However, it can tolerate some shade as well. Regular watering is necessary to keep the soil moist. These plants are known for their rapid growth, so frequent pruning is required.
9. Trumpet Creeper
Plant size: 40 feet tall, 20 feet spread
Ideal settings: Trellises, arbors, fences
Garden benefits: Attracting hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies
Hardiness zones: 4 through 9
Trumpet creeper is a vigorous climbing plant known for its showy trumpet-shaped flowers. These flowers usually come in orange or red, giving your garden that exotic tropical touch.
The flowers also do an amazing job attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
This fast grower will quickly spread and cling to walls or fences with its aerial roots. The dense foliage of the vine provides privacy and acts as a natural screen when grown on trellises or fences.
Trumpet creeper is a hardy plant that can tolerate various growing conditions, including different soil types and drought. However, regular watering is required during the first year of growth.
When it comes to light requirements, these plants grow well in full sun, although they can tolerate some partial shade as well
10. Vitis Cognetiae
Plant size: 50 feet tall, 20 feet spread
Ideal settings: Trellises, pergolas, walls, or other support structures
Garden benefits: Striking autumn foliage, privacy and screening
Hardiness zones: 6 through 9
Vitis Cognetiae, also known as the Crimson Glory Vine, is a fast-growing climbing plant adored for its stunning autumn foliage. The plant produces large, heart-shaped leaves that turn vibrant shades of red, orange, and purple in the fall.
It also produces lovely flowers and small berries that are not edible. The plant can be used to create aesthetic entrances, shaded seating areas, or provide privacy in the garden.
This plant prefers growing in full sun or partial shade and nutrient-rich soil that drains well. This hardy plant can tolerate some drought, although it requires watering during the first year of growth.
I hope you found this article helpful and interesting.
Until next time!