Allowing the right types of climbing plants to trail and creep over walls and fences should help soften their appearance. It should also allow them to blend in with their surroundings all throughout the year. Lush vines possess the ability to cloak any blemishes or less-than-appealing repairs on structures, effortlessly concealing even the most jarring artificial elements.
Grown for their stunning features and their capacity to spread in a vertical and highly textural manner, vines are some of the most versatile types of flora. Many fast-growing species can produce extensive, dense stems with seemingly weightless foliage and gravity-defying blooms. When they are trained to thoroughly grow over chain-link or picket fences, they can serve natural screens. Some types can successfully be cultivated over multi-story walls, camouflaging them in greenery.
Not all types of trailing plants have adaptations for latching onto bare, flat facades. Some may need the support of a trellis or wire, around which their stems may manually be woven. The best self-climbing vines for walls and fences are those that naturally produce twisting tendrils and aerial roots with adhesive pads. These allow them to latch onto steep structures as their stems trail ever closer to the sun.
1) Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
This popular vine is named ‘Boston ivy’ due to its tendency to grow over university buildings in Boston, Massachusetts. In the lush, wild forests of its native range, it quietly weaves its shoots over the trunks and branches of towering trees, massive shrubs, and rich substrates. Its heart-shaped, tri-lobed leaves adorn the landscape with attractive shades of light to deep green. These are borne on shoots with a knack for masterfully scaling walls and fences.
A botanical acrobat, this trailing perennial is equipped with tiny adhesive pads. These function much like thousands of Velcro hooks, securely fastening the stems onto textured surfaces. Conquering vertical heights with grace, a well-established Boston ivy specimen can boast a maximum height of 50 feet (15 meters)! Its mat of intertwining stems and branches creates an insulating surface that can benefit both the vine and the structure it covers, keeping interiors cool.
Able to thrive in full sun to partial shade, Boston ivy is a remarkably adaptable species. This highlights its potential to aesthetically enhance structures in a wide range of environments. However, this also raises concerns about its potential to become invasive. With a tendency to escape cultivation and compete with native vegetation, this ambitious vine may require frequent pruning and overall maintenance.
2) Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Set apart by its palmate and compound leaves, typically comprised of 3 – 5 leaflets, the Virginia creeper is a prolific climbing plant. Throughout its native range, it flourishes in a wide range of ecosystems. These include woodlands, rocky hillsides, chaparrals, and riparian forests. It has the remarkable capacity to spread over practically any type of vertical surface it encounters. Hardier than the Boston ivy, it may occasionally be found weighing down telephone poles, power lines, and short trees.
Some intriguing adaptations of the Virginia creeper include markedly strong adhesive pads and relatively aggressive aerial roots. These allow its stems to grow to heights of up to 100 feet (30 meters) in areas with optimal conditions. Full sun exposure and well-draining substrates may encourage its rapid spread. Resilient, its stems can tolerate both natural and mechanical disturbances. They may also survive through brief droughts.
When walls and fences are covered in this species’ thriving stems, they are transformed into living tapestries with year-round interest. In fall, they become awash with warm hues of burgundy to deep red. The bare, intertwining stems retain visual appeal through winter. Come spring, new leaves should develop just in time to cloak underlying structures and keep them cool through summer.
3) Common passion flower (Passiflora caerulea)
Called the bluecrown, blue, or common passion flower, P. caerulea is a valuable species with ornamental and medicinal uses. Frequently cultivated as a vigorous wall climber, it has deliberately been introduced into many subtropical and tropical regions around the world. It is best known for its strongly scented and pulpy fruit, which, though edible to humans, can have an unpleasant taste when raw.
This captivating vine’s unique flowers can be perceived as natural masterpieces. The intricate, multi-lobed blooms look as though they’ve emerged straight out of a tropical-themed dream. With their complex array of vivid-colored filaments and tendrils, they can turn walls and fences into exotic art installations. Scented, they unfailingly attract bees and flies in summer.
Compared to the self-climbing vines listed above, the common passion flower has more refined environmental preferences. It thrives best in areas with south-facing or west-facing exposure. Full sun or partial shade is tolerated as long as the roots are situated in well-draining yet frequently moistened substrates. Though the shoots are self-clinging, largely due to the presence of twining tendrils, they may initially require additional support.
4) Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)
Unrivaled in its elegance as a trailing vine, the climbing hydrangea is a fine choice for fences and walls, especially those that could use a natural touch. This woody plant naturally makes its way up trees, over shrubs, and along the surfaces of rocks. Its stems, which are capable of climbing upward due to the presence of aerial roots, grow to lengths of up to 50 feet (15 meters). Though they can tolerate full sun, they are best situated on surfaces receiving morning sunlight and afternoon shade.
This charismatic creeper is best observed during mid-summer, when its clusters of blooms contrast their backdrop of lush, heart-shaped leaves. The inflorescences are composed of two types of flowers – tiny, fertile blooms, which are concentrated on the center of each bouquet, and sterile blooms, which are larger in comparison. When the fertile blooms are pollinated, they develop into capsules with wing-shaped seeds.
Though this botanical mountaineer is able to gradually make its way up walls, it may be more suited to surfaces with perforations or additional supporting structures. Its climbing rootlets function as its very own makeshift carabiners, but they may not be as tough as those of other self-climbing vines. Gardening ties can be used to securely anchor dense stems.
5) Trumpet vine (Campsis radicans)
Named for its trumpet-shaped blooms, the trumpet vine is a stellar component of deciduous forests, dense woodlands, and productive riverbanks throughout its native range. This vigorous grower is also fondly referred to as the hummingbird vine. A member of the Bignoniaceae family, it is known for having a relatively aggressive spreading habit in structurally diverse environments. Despite its potentially invasive nature, it is often recommended as an alternative to non-native vines.
The main stem of a well-established trumpet vine can quickly grow over nearby plants and creep toward the rooftops of buildings with heights of less than 30 feet (9 meters). As you can imagine, it may effortlessly spread over fences by sending out more horizontally-oriented stems equipped with their own sets of aerial rootlets. These stems become increasingly thicker and woody with time.
Setting the stage for a botanical flamenco, the trumpet vine can ignite bare landscapes and walls with its fiery, early summer flowers. These tend to be most abundant on stems that are exposed to full sun, mild to warm ambient temperatures, and rich substrates. Once these begin to look overgrown and dense, it would be wise to prune them back.
6) Cathedral bells (Cobaea scandens)
Offering a harmonious balance between elegance and untethered lushness, the cathedral bells vine may seem to set the stage for a garden’s symphony. This vigorous climber has a wealth of attractive ornamental features. Due to its ease of growth and its capacity to naturalize structures, it is a recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. If your fences and walls could use a tropical accent, don’t hesitate to cultivate this remarkable vine.
Armed with its hooked tendrils and delicate, sinuous branches, this species effortlessly ascends trellises, chain-link fences, posts, and walls with the help of additional support structures. As it matures, the primary stem becomes increasingly sturdy, readily enduring extensive pruning. Annually, it graces the garden with cup-shaped blossoms on fresh, tender branches and stems – a spectacle that beckons bats as their pollinating companions.
While this vine thrives in USDA hardiness zones 9 – 11, it’s often cultivated as an annual in regions with cooler winters. Thus, it cannot be a reliable, evergreen screen outside of tropical to subtropical regions. For those in temperate zones who don’t mind their vine-draped walls and fences shedding their lush green attire in winter, this rapid-growing beauty is a splendid addition worth considering.
7) Common honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
Sought after for ornamental purposes, the common honeysuckle and its many cultivars have the remarkable capacity to scale walls and fences. This deciduous species’ growth habit is set apart by the presence of twining stems, which vigorously wrap around supporting structures. Highly valued in the garden setting, it can create natural screens with fragrant, eye-catching blooms and textural leaves.
The tubular, pinkish-white to bright yellow blooms of common honeysuckle are borne as showy clusters on the tips of productive stems. One of the most fascinating features of the blooms is their tendency to emit a significantly strong aroma in the evening, whereas they have but a faint scent during the day. This functional adaptation aids in targeting crepuscular pollinators, such as night-flying moths and butterflies.
Pollinated honeysuckle blooms develop into bunches of red berries. In the fall, these may lure warblers, thrushes, bullfinches, and many other fruit-eating birds to your garden. Thus, if you’re after a creeping plant that has immense value to wildlife, don’t hesitate to cultivate this luscious woodbine!
8) English ivy (Hedera helix)
The English ivy is one of the most common climbing plants in homes and ornamental gardens throughout its native range. This remarkably widespread plant, which has now become naturalized in many parts of North America, is known for having a hardy nature and a tolerance for all sorts of environmental conditions. Able to thrive even without a gardener’s care, it can produce extensive colonies and compete with less aggressive vines for resources.
This vigorous vine is able to climb with the help of its aerial roots. These are generously equipped with adhesive pads, which can easily cling to rough surfaces. As the stems can quickly grow to a full length of about 98 feet (30 meters), they can effectively naturalize fences and walls. In moist and partly-shaded locations, they may persist through winter and continuously spread to densely cover any bare surfaces.
With immense value to wildlife, walls covered in English ivy can function as vertical gardens. Their blooms, fruits, and foliage provide nutrients to pollinators, birds, and herbivorous mammals. In some areas, this vine is grown over walls to help prevent interiors from overheating during summer. Note, however, that its tough stems can severely damage painted surfaces and gutters. If left to grow freely, they can cover nearby shrubs and escape into wild habitats.
9) Hops (Humulus lupulus)
Widely cultivated as a source of flavoring compounds for beer, hops are valued for both industrial and ornamental uses. This herbaceous climber can quickly grow over walls, but it may require additional support to reach a desired height. Though it may not be relied upon to climb structures on its own, it makes for a fine natural screen or insulating mat because its well-established rootstock can last for up to 20 years! Its stems unfortunately die back in winter, but new growths should unfurl each spring.
Hops do send out twining stems, so it may successfully manage to scale chain-link or wire fences without structural aid. Its shoots grow to a height of up to 33 feet (10 meters) in optimal conditions. Full sun and ample rainfall would promote its rapid growth, ensuring that its blooms can open in summer. As this wind-pollinated species is dioecious (i.e. its male and female blooms are borne on separate plants), growing it in clusters would increase the chances of cone production.
10) Creeping fig (Ficus pumila)
Creeping fig effortlessly gains a foothold over walls and fences due to its aerial roots. These are known for secreting a type of latex that can quickly harden to form a natural glue. This feature allows it to climb vertical structures without the aid of a lattice, wire, or gardening ties. Fast-growing, it can eventually cover one-story walls as the maximum length of its shoots goes up to 13 feet (4 meters).
Unlike those of the climbing plants listed above, the leaves of this evergreen liana are notably small. Its largest leaves have a full length of just 2 inches (5 cm). Thick, shiny, and smooth-margined, these can be densely packed together. This creates an even carpet of richly green foliage that tightly clings to the underlying surface.
Unsurprisingly, this ornamental vine is a recipient of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It comes in a range of cultivars, including a variegated one with stellar uses as an indoor plant. In terms of care, it requires little. Take note, however, that it may show a potential for invasiveness in optimal environments. Its abandoned stems may readily scale short trees and shrubs. Fortunately, pruning the stems is relatively straightforward and can be a pleasant, meditative activity for home gardeners.
