Climbing plants are a clever way to add some vertical flair to your garden. Maybe you want to hide a boring fence, need a bit of privacy, or just want to show off some beautiful blooms, well, there’s a climber for every situation!
Picking the right climber? You’ll want to think about your climate, sunlight, and what sort of vibe you’re after. Some will lure in pollinators with sweet scents, others are all about lush leaves or tasty fruits.
Here’s a rundown of twenty top climbing plants for trellises. Expect flowering vines, fragrant favorites, and even a few edibles, each one ready to give your garden a lift all season long.
1) Clematis
Clematis is a longtime favorite among climbing plants, thanks to its showy flowers in just about every shade, including purple, pink, white, red, blue. They bloom from spring into fall, so you get months of color and drama.
The vines usually reach 10–12 feet and use twining leaf stems to hold on. Clematis is easy to train onto trellises, pergolas, or fences, making it a flexible pick for any garden setup.
2) Wisteria
Wisteria is famous for its cascades of fragrant, lavender flowers in spring and early summer. It’s not shy, as this climber can shoot up to 20 meters tall and sprawl 10 meters wide, so it definitely makes a statement.
You’ll need a seriously sturdy trellis for wisteria’s heavy vines. It loves full sun and looks magical on pergolas, arches, or draped along a wall – hard to beat for sheer romance!
3) Climbing Roses
Climbing roses add a touch of romance and height to your garden. Their flowers wind up trellises, arbors, and fences, filling the air with that unmistakable rose scent.
There’s a huge variety to pick from, including different colors, shapes, and growth habits. Most types want full sun and well-drained soil, plus a tough support to handle their vigorous growth and heavy canes.
4) Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle brings sweet-smelling vertical displays to your garden if you give it something sturdy to climb. It’s energetic, and works great on trellises, pergolas, or fences.
With its delicate blooms and lovely scent, honeysuckle really does brighten up a space. It’s strong-growing, so make sure you give it enough structure to keep things tidy.
It also plays nicely with other climbers like roses, and its twirling growth adds a bit of whimsy wherever you plant it.
5) Trumpet Vine
Trumpet vine is all about bold, trumpet-shaped flowers in fiery reds, oranges, or yellows. It’s a fast grower, quickly blanketing trellises, arbors, or pergolas with thick, woody stems over time.
This is a plant that needs a strong support, so don’t skimp on the trellis and buy something strong and sturdy. Once it’s settled in, trumpet vine is pretty low-maintenance, ideal if you want coverage without a lot of fuss.
6) Passionflower
Passionflower brings an almost tropical flair with its intricate, otherworldly blooms and energetic climbing. It can stretch up to 15 feet, so it’s great for bigger trellises or vertical spaces.
It does best in full sun to part shade. The unique flowers are a magnet for pollinators and make your garden feel a bit more exotic.
7) Star Jasmine
Star jasmine’s an elegant climber with fragrant white flowers and the ability to get up to 20 feet tall if you give it something solid.
It likes full sun or partial shade and appreciates well-drained, organic-rich soil. Training jasmine up a trellis really brings out its best and turns it into a garden highlight.
8) Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is hard to miss, with its riot of vibrant, papery blooms lighting up trellises. In warm climates, it can reach 30 feet and needs full sun and well-drained soil to thrive.
It’s easy to guide bougainvillea up trellises, fences, or pergolas. As long as the soil pH is just over 6.0, it’s happy, and it’s impressively tough in dry conditions too.
9) Morning Glory
Morning glory is a speedy annual vine, flaunting trumpet-shaped flowers in blue, purple, pink, and white. The blooms pop open with the sunrise and usually close by afternoon, making a fun daily show.
Give them a trellis at least 6 feet high, as they’ll easily climb 10–12 feet. Plant them right at the base and help the vines find their way up early on for best results.
10) Sweet Pea
Sweet peas are classic climbers, famous for their fragrance and colorful blooms all season long. Their tendrils make them naturals for trellises, netting, or mesh.
Set up your trellis before planting to avoid root disturbance. Sweet peas want sturdy support as they can get pretty tall, and they like full sun or part shade with soil that drains well.
11) Boston Ivy
Boston ivy’s a fast-growing, deciduous vine that’s happy climbing up trellises or walls. Its three-lobed leaves turn fiery red and orange in autumn, bringing great fall color to the garden.
While it can scramble up on its own, Boston ivy does better with a trellis or some kind of support. Pair it with evergreens if you want some winter greenery, since it drops its leaves in the cold months.
12) Black-eyed Susan Vine
Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) is a quick climber, and it can hit 3 to 8 feet in just one season. Its twining stems are perfect for trellises, fences, or pergolas.
Look for cheerful orange or yellow flowers with dark centers, blooming for weeks on end. It’s easy to care for and brings a splash of color to patios or garden beds.
13) Cucumber (edible climber)
Cucumbers love to climb and do especially well on trellises. Growing them up saves space and lets air move around the plants, which is always a good thing.
Pick vining varieties (not bush types) for trellis growing. Their tendrils will latch onto supports, making harvests easier and keeping fruits cleaner and straighter.
14) Grape Vine
Grapes are classic climbers, using tendrils to weave their way up trellises, fences, or any vertical structure, even though their stems are a bit flimsy.
You’ll need a strong trellis to hold up the heavy grape bunches and keep air and sun reaching the leaves. That’s key for healthy, productive vines.
There are plenty of trellis styles to choose from, from simple wires to more elaborate wooden options, so pick what fits your space and taste.
15) Ivy (English Ivy)
English ivy is an old standby; a hardy evergreen with glossy leaves that stay green all year. It’s happy from USDA Zones 5 to 9 and handles anything from full sun to deep shade.
Space plants 12 to 18 inches apart so they don’t crowd each other. Ivy’s a natural on trellises, walls, or garden structures, quickly turning blank spots into lush, green features.
16) Sweet Autumn Clematis
Sweet Autumn Clematis is covered in small, white, star-like flowers from late summer into early fall, right when other plants start winding down. It’s a fast grower, often reaching 20–30 feet per season, so it’s great for quickly covering trellises or fences.
Happy in sun or part shade, it wants well-drained soil. Heads up: it can be invasive in some places, so check local rules before planting.
17) Dutchman’s Pipe
Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) is a robust, deciduous climber with big, heart-shaped leaves; some up to a foot long! The overlapping foliage creates dense coverage on trellises, arbors, or fences.
Look for quirky pipe-shaped flowers in late spring to early summer. It climbs by twining around sturdy supports, making it a good pick for shady, leafy retreats.
18) Passionfruit Vine
Passionfruit vines are energetic climbers, using fine tendrils to grab onto trellises, fences, or whatever’s nearby. These tropical growers can stretch up to 10 meters, offering dramatic, lobed leaves and their signature fruits.
They get heavy as they mature, so a strong support is a must. Plant them in a sunny spot and use sturdy wires or beams for the tendrils to wrap around as they climb.
19) Scarlet Runner Bean
Scarlet runner beans bring a mix of ornamental beauty and tasty harvest to the garden. These climbing vines burst with vivid red flowers, luring in pollinators and hummingbirds, and they’ll scramble up trellises, fences, or just about anything you give them.
They can shoot up to 6 or even 9 feet tall in a single season – pretty impressive! Alongside those bold blooms, you’ll get edible beans and pods all summer long, if you’re paying attention.
20) Clematis ‘Jackmanii’
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ is easily one of the most popular choices for trellises, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why. This vigorous vine throws out loads of deep purple-violet blooms through much of the summer, adding a burst of color and a little drama wherever it climbs.
It gets around by twining its leaf stalks around anything it can grab, and can shoot up to 10 or even 20 feet if you let it. Try to give it about an inch of water each week, and if you remember, a monthly dose of balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer from April to September is usually enough for optimal growth and plenty of flowers.
