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Are you looking to transform your garden space with cascading and vertical growing flowering vines? By planting a wide variety of vines that produce beautiful flowers, you can splash some color into your home or garden. In this article, we will look into 25 of our favorite types of flowering vines that will brighten up your space.
Flowering vines are easy-to-care-for plants that grow more or less on their own. Vines have three different ways of clinging onto your garden surfaces:
- Twining vines grow like braids around a trellis.
- Tendril vines look like a spring as they wrap around a garden structure.
- Clinging vines or sucking vines stick to the walls using aerial roots or holdfasts.
Whether you are searching for bright colors or intricately detailed flowers, there is a flowering vine looking for your green thumb. With different blooming seasons, these sweetly-scented and vibrant flowers can be enjoyed throughout the year. Learn everything you need to know about the top flowering vines for your home or garden below.
Bleeding Heart Vine
Scientific Name: Clerodendrum thomsoniae
The bleeding heart vine is a flowering vine that grows bulbous flowers that resemble a bleeding heart. They are easy to propagate and grow. And they can attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Bleed heart vine flowers change color as they age, appearing first as white, then brightening into pink or lavender. The flowers are borne in clusters called cymes and generally appear in groups of 8-20 flowers. These intricate flowers last for several months and bloom prolifically during the summer season.
Bleeding heart vines that are on a trellis or sturdy support can grow up to 15 feet tall. They also make beautiful cascading flowers for hanging baskets.
This twining vine prefers full sun and moist but not overly wet soil that is well-drained. Plant your bleeding heart vine in soil with a pH level around 7.0 in USDA Zones 9 and above.
Blue Sky Vine
Scientific Name: Thunbergia grandiflora
The blue sky vine is an annual flowering vine worth considering to add to your home or garden space. Blue sky vine flowers are tropical in appearance. They typically bloom in shades of purple but can be spotted in white. The flowers are around 3-inches in diameter and add an exciting attraction to your garden.
A mature blue sky vine grows up to 20 feet tall. The flowers usually cascade down off of trellises and fences while the dark green foliage contrasts the bright purple flowers.
The blue sky vine flowers in summer until fall. These robust vines prefer partial shade but can withstand full sun. Plant blue sky vines in soil with a pH level between 6.1 and 7.8
Blue sky vines are fast-growing twining vines that are invasive to gardens without regular cutting back. They are easy to grow but require time for maintenance. Blue sky vines thrive in USDA Zones 8-9.
Bougainvillea
Scientific Name: Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a low-maintenance flowering vine that adds a wall of color to your garden when they bloom. Flowers come out in full force between May and December on this perennial flowering vine and are a wonder to behold in any garden.
Bougainvillea flowers are actually small trumpet-shaped blooms that are concealed by brightly colored bracts. The bracts range in colors, like:
- Red
- Fuchsia
- Purple
- Orange
- White
Bougainvillea needs a lot of sunlight to give off the brightly colored blooms they are coveted for. Planting one in partial shade will result in less flowering and more green foliage on the vine.
The vines of the bougainvillea plant are twining vines. A mature plant can grow up to 40 feet tall, especially in warmer climates. Bougainvillea grows best in USDA zone 10 but can withstand zone 9 with proper care.
They are good for a mid-level gardener since the roots are picky and hard to transplant, and the vines require regular pruning. Regular pruning helps promote colors out of the bracts. These flowering vines require well-drained soil since the roots are prone to rot.
Carolina Jessamine
Scientific Name: Gelsemium sempervirens
Carolina jessamine is a flowering vine that lets out brightly colored yellow flowers from February to April. Flowers grow in clusters and are around 1¼ inches with five petals. These trumpet-shaped flowers have a deliciously sweet scent and attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds to your little slice of heaven.
Carolina jessamine prefers full sun for the best output of sun-yellow blooms. Plant carolina jessamine in soil with a pH level around 5.5-8.0. This twining vine thrives in USDA Zones 7-9 and can grow as tall as 20 feet. It is a fast-growing vine, climbing 3-5 feet each year.
To maintain your carolina jessamine, prune it once a year after the blooms have finished in April or early May.
Chocolate Vine
Scientific Name: Akebia quinata
The chocolate vine is an impressive flowering vine with deep pink/purple flowers. It is a fast-growing perennial vine that needs regular pruning and cutting back to avoid getting disorderly. The chocolate vine is invasive, so keep an eye on yours to stop it from spreading out of control.
The chocolate vine, unfortunately, does not smell like chocolate. The vine gets its name from the darkly colored flowers–which look like chocolate brown–as they hang in clusters overhead. Typically, chocolate vines grow flowers that are dark purple or pink but they also bloom white with deep purple centers.
The chocolate vine grows best in USDA zones 4-8. This flowering vine is mildly drought-resistant, so it does need some watering. The chocolate brown buds bloom in mid-spring. Blooms on the chocolate vine last for nearly a month between March to April. These prefer full sun.
Chocolate vines use tendrils to latch onto trellises, fences, and other garden furniture. Chocolate vines grow up to 30 feet tall, making them ideal for covering large fences.
Clematis
Scientific Name: Clematis
Clematis vines are a favorite flowering vine for many gardeners because they bloom more than once with regular deadheading. Depending on your zone and clematis species, clematis flowers bloom in spring, early summer, or fall. Some species of clematis bloom several times throughout the year.
Clematis are easy to grow but need a few years for roots to establish and may take just as long to begin flowering. Clematis flowers have seven to eight large petals and, in full bloom, are 5-6 inches in diameter. These gorgeous flowers come in colors like:
- White
- Purple
- Wine-red
- Yellow
Clematis prefer full-sun and thrive in USDA Zones 4-9. These twisting vines wrap around trellises, pergolas, and fences and prefer soil with a pH level around 6.5-7.0.
Climbing Hydrangea
Scientific Name: Hydrangea petiolaris
Climbing hydrangeas are produce an array of off-white flowers that add a delicate beauty to any garden space. Climbing hydrangeas are cold-hardy and thrive in USDA Zones 4-8.
The flowers on a climbing hydrangea are arranged in corymbs that span between 6-10 inches in diameter. Hydrangea flowers permeate a fragrant scent and are shades of white. Blooms occur in mid-summer, while the deep green foliage is a year-long wonder to behold.
Climbing hydrangeas are slow-growing and can take a few years for roots to fully establish and for flowering to start. With patience and regular watering, your climbing hydrangea will reach up to 80 feet tall.
Climbing hydrangeas are clinging vines that use aerial roots to climb up trees, rock faces, trellises, and other garden structures. These fragrant flowering vines prefer full sun to partial shade. Keep the soil pH level around 7.0.
Crossvine
Scientific Name: Bignonia capreolata
The crossvine is native to the United States and is a flowering vine seen throughout the gardens of southeastern and south-central states. The crossvine thrives in USDA Zones 6-9.
The flowers of the crossvine have reddish-orange exteriors and yellow interiors that add a bright pop of color to your garden. The crossvine blooms in spring to late summer in clusters of 2-5 trumpet-shaped flowers.
Crossvines are rapid-growing plants with tendril vines that wrap around nearby surfaces. Mature crossvines grow up to 50 feet tall, so you will need to cut them back regularly to keep them from overtaking your garden space.
These easy-to-care-for perennial vines prefer full-sun and soil with a pH level between 6.8-7.2.
Cup and Saucer Vine
Scientific Name: Cobaea scandens
Cup and saucer vine delight gardeners with their bright and large blooms, which resemble a teacup sitting in a leaf saucer. Flowers from the cup and saucer vine are typically green, but as they mature, they bloom in purple or white. The cup and saucer vine blossoms between springtime and summer.
Cup and saucer vine flowers are exquisite to look at, and they attract a wide variety of wildlife, like butterflies and hummingbirds. This vine uses tendrils to wrap around trellises and other surfaces within your garden.
Cup and saucer vine can grow up to 30 feet tall. They prefer neutral to acidic soil levels and full-sun for the biggest bloom yield. The cup and saucer vine is a fast-growing annual vine that many gardeners bring inside over the winter.
Cup and saucer vines are easy to grow from seedlings and thrive in USDA Zones 9-11. If you also grow tomatoes in your garden, use tomato-based compost around your cup and saucer vine as fertilizer.
Cypress Vine
Scientific Name: Ipomoea quamocl*t
The cypress vine is a gorgeous and fast-growing flowering vine you need to add to your garden space. The small star-shaped trumpet flowers add bright splashes of color to your outdoor landscaping. Cypress vine flowers bloom in colors like:
- Red
- Pink
- White
This annual vine has light green foliage and to-die-for scarlet trumpet flowers that attract hummingbirds and bees to your garden. Cypress vines bloom in the summertime until the winter, especially in USDA Zones 11-12.
Mature cypress vines can reach up to 15 feet tall. These tendril vines prefer full-sun and soil with a pH level that is neutral to slightly acidic.
Cypress vines are not only beautiful but easy to maintain. Deadhead your cypress vine regularly to promote blooms and hinder further growth from this fast-growing plant.
Firecracker Vine
Scientific Name: Ipomoea lobata
The firecracker vine bears banana-shaped flowers that are reminiscent of birds of paradise flowers. The colors on these beauties gradate from white to orange-red. Blooms are tubular and approximately 1½ inches each on a long stem containing several flowers. Watch your firecracker explode into bloom from July until the end of the summer months.
The firecracker vine is a perennial vine that prefers full sun and is drought tolerant yet still needs regular watering.
Firecracker vines are fast-growing and can sprawl up to 10 feet tall in one season. Prune your firecracker vine in late winter to promote more blooms in the summer. Firecracker vines thrive in USDA Zone 8 and soil with a pH level between 6.1-7.5.
Honeysuckle
Scientific Name: Lonicera
With over 180 species of honeysuckle out there, this sweetly fragrant flowering vine is a favorite for many gardeners. Honeysuckle is a perennial vine that is easy to care for. Honeysuckle favors full sun in northern climates. It grows best in USDA zones 4-9.
Honeysuckle vines are regularly trained to grow on trellises, walls, and pergolas for added privacy around your home or garden.
Honeysuckle flowers are long and tubular and attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. They come in bright colors like yellow, pink, and red. Honeysuckle is also spotted in muted colors like peach or a pale yellow-white. Their vines bloom in the spring, signaling the new growing season with their sweet smell.
Honeysuckle vines prefer to be in well-drained soil. These perennial vines can grow up to 30 feet, though most grow closer to 15 feet after a decade.
Hyacinth Bean
Scientific Name: Lablab purpureus
The hyacinth bean vine adds a pop of purple to your outdoor spaces. These easy-to-grow flowering vines bloom in the mid to late summer season. Hyacinth bean vines bear rich pink and purple blossoms and purple seed pods that provide a continual display of color. Even the stems of this vine are a purplish tint that contrasts beautifully with the heart-shaped green foliage.
Hyacinth bean flowers are small intricate flowers in various shades of pink and purple. Hyacinth beans are low-maintenance annual vines that are fast-growing. Their beans prefer full-sun and thrive in USDA Zones 10-11 in soil with a pH level between 6.0-6.8.
Hyacinth bean vines are annuals that twine around study support systems like trellises. Mature hyacinth bean vines grow up to 15 feet tall.
Mandevilla
Scientific Name: Mandevilla
Mandevilla vines are sometimes called rock trumpets or rock trumpet vines. Mandevilla is an annual flowering vine that thrives in USDA Zones 12-10.
Gardeners love mandevilla because it grows moderately fast without getting out of control or being invasive. Flowers on the mandevilla vine grow from late spring until the frost. Bring them in during the winter and place them in the sun for year-long foliage.
Mandevilla flowers are spectacular tropical-looking flowers. The flowers bear a trumpet shape that attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees to their fragrant gardenia-like scent.
Mandevilla flowers come in colors like:
- Various shades of pink
- Bright red
- White
- Apricot
Mandevilla is a twining vine that grows around trellises. It can also be planted in hanging baskets, so the flowers cascade down. Mandevilla vines can grow up to 15 feet tall. These twining vines prefer sunny spots for the biggest bloom yield. Mandevilla also favors a neutral to an acidic pH soil level.
Moonflower
Scientific Name: Ipomoea alba
Moonflower is a flowering vine that blooms at night throughout the summer until the fall.
It prefers full sun and grows white flowers around 3 to 6 inches in diameter. These bright white flowers attract pollinators, like bees to your garden. The moonflower looks like an open parasol, and its iridescent white petals are beautiful for evening dinner parties.
Moonflower vines grow quickly and can reach up to 10 feet tall within the season. They are easy to maintain and need pruning once every three years. Moonflowers thrive in USDA Zones 10-12. They have twining vines that are ideal for trellises and chainlink fences.
Moonflowers prefer soil with a pH level of 6.0-7.5. Mature moonflower vines can grow up to 15 feet tall.
Moonflower vines are of the same family as the morning glory, which blooms in the early mornings rather than after sunset.
Nasturtium
Scientific Name: Tropaeolum
Nasturtium is an easy-to-grow flowering vine that adorns your garden with bright bursts of color. These climbing vines are perfect for trellises and tall fences. Plant a nasturtium in hanging baskets and let them wind around the basket with flowers cascading down. After initially training it by using ties, the nasturtium can grow up to 10 feet high.
The flowers of the Nasturtium have a fragrant mild pepper scent. Each flower has five petals and blooms come out in May, lasting until September. Nasturtium prefers full-sun and soil with a pH level between 6.5-7.5.
Nasturtium comes in colors such as:
- Orange
- Yellow
- Bright red
- Wine red
- Peach
- Purple
- Pink
- White
Nasturtium is a fast-growing perennial vine. Nasturtium vines thrive in USDA Zones 2-11. Maintain your nasturtium with regular deadheading and pruning back when it begins to get unruly.Be careful when selecting your planting location, as some vines can be considered invasive in many geographic locations.
Passionflower Vine
Scientific Name: Passiflora
Passionflower vines bear some beautiful and interesting purple flowers that will have people complimenting you on your garden. Passionflowers bloom from mid-summer until the late spring or first frost. They grow best in USDA Zones 6 to 10 and reach up to 30 feet tall.
Passionflowers use tendril vines to wrap around trellises or fences. They prefer full sun and well-drained neutral or slightly acidic soil. The purple flowers on a passionflower vine are around 3-inches in diameter. Admire their interesting shape with hairs and petals.
To maintain your flowering vine, prune passionflower vines once a year in the early spring. It is a fast-growing perennial vine that is easy to care for despite its exotic look.
Perennial Sweet Pea
Scientific Name: Lathyrus latifolius
Add a splash of color throughout your garden with vining perennial sweet peas. Sweet peas are easy to grow flowering vines for USDA zones 2-11. These gorgeous clusters of flowers come in red, white, pink, and purple hues.
Only the annual sweet pea gives off the namesake fragrance, but what the perennial sweet pea lacks in smell, it makes up for in color. The flowers begin blooming in early summer. You can prolong the blooming season until early fall by pinching seed pods as they grow.
Sweet peas grow in clusters of brightly colored flowers that resemble butterfly wings. They have tendril vines that wrap themselves around surfaces. Sweet pea vines can grow up to 6 to 8 feet on a trellis or fence. Sweet pea vines are fast-growing and grow more efficiently with regular deadheading.
Maintain perennial sweet peas by cutting them down at the end of the season and fertilizing the soil twice throughout the growing season.
These colorful flowers prefer full to partial sun and deep and moist soil that is well-drained. Sweet Pea favors soil with a pH of 7.0-7.5. Opt to add mulch and compost to the soil when planting sweet peas to keep the roots cool and moist.
Rosa Compassion
Scientific Name: Rosa Compassion
Rosa compassion is a prestigious climbing rose vine that was first bred in 1972. It bears a bushy 4-inch wide bloom with sunset-colored petals starting yellow and finishing salmon-pink. Plant your rosa compassion on walls, fences, and pergolas in areas where you will be able to enjoy its strong sweet honey and peach scent.
The rosa compassion is an award-winning rose breed that blooms in late spring until the end of summer. It can grow up to 15 feet tall and has dark green foliage that contrasts with the brightly colored free-flowering roses.
Rosa compassion is a fast-growing plant that prefers full sun and soil with a pH level of 6-6.5. Rosa compassion grows best in USDA zones 5 and warmer.
Climbing roses do not have suckers or tendrils to climb on their own, so they are higher maintenance than other flowering vines. Assist the vines by using plastic ties in place of natural tendrils.
Scarlet Runner Bean
Scientific Name: Phaseolus coccineus
Like many other bean flowers, the scarlet runner bean is a flowering vine that produces intricately shaped flowers. These stunning flowers are loved by butterflies.
Flowers on the scarlet runner bean vine bloom in June or July to October and are edible. Impress your guests with a scarlet runner bean flower-topped salad as you dine out in your private garden.
Scarlet runner bean flowers typically come in colors like:
- Scarlet red
- White
- Red and white mixed
The scarlet runner bean is an annual twining vine that can grow up to 15 feet, especially in full sun. Scarlet runner beans thrive in USDA zones 3-11 in soil with a pH level between 5.5-7.0.
Scarlet runner bean vines are easy to grow and can climb up walls, trellises, and mailboxes within a season. Maintain your scarlet runner bean vine by harvesting immature pods to promote growth.
Snail Vine
Scientific Name: Cochliasanthus caracalla
If you are wanting a flowering vine that blooms some jaw-dropping flowers, then look no further than the snail vine. Flowers grow in a swirling pattern with a gradation of dark color at the center, then fade into a lighter color like white.
These intricate blooms come out in summer to early fall. Snail vine flowers blossom in colors ranging from:
- Fuschia
- Purple
- White
- Yellow
Sometimes called the corkscrew vine, this perennial vine can grow up to 20 feet tall when mature. These twining vines wrap around garden structures to create an ideal floral canopy in your garden.
The snail vine prefers full-sun and high humidity, like in USDA Zones 9-11. Plant your snail vine in soil with a pH level between 6-8. Snail Vines are fast-growing yet easy to take care of and maintain. Cut back your snail vines in late winter or early spring to avoid cutting off new buds.
Snapdragon Vine
Scientific Name: Maurandella antirrhiniflora
Snapdragon vines are flowering vines that have leaves resembling ivy. These climbing vines are a favorite for gardeners in USDA Zones 9-10.
Snapdragon vines bear delicate trumpet flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden oasis. Snapdragon flowers come in a wide range of colors like:
- Pink
- Lavender
- Blue
- Red
- White
- Violet
Sometimes, snapdragon flowers have yellow or white centers. The snapdragon vine blooms from early spring until late fall. A mature vine can grow up to 9 feet tall on a trellis or garden structure.
Snapdragon vines prefer full sun and neutral to acidic soil levels. This impressive-looking vine twines around trellises and fences. Snapdragon vines are fast-growing and easy to take care of, with very little maintenance needed apart from regular watering.
True Jasmine
Scientific Name: Jasminum officinale
True jasmine or common jasmine is a flowering vine that emits a beautiful fragrance in late spring, early summer when it begins to bloom. The flowers grow in clusters of around 3-4 white trumpet-shaped flowers. Jasmine attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees to your garden and is well-loved for the deep green foliage.
Jasmine is a fast-growing perennial vine that thrives in full sun to partial shade. This twining vine can grow up to 15 feet. True jasmine is an ideal option for a sweetly-scented privacy wall. Plant this flowering vine in soil with a pH around 6.1 to 7.5 in USDA zone 7. Other species of jasmine may be better suited for your zone.
Prune your jasmine in early spring, as it will produce more flowers once it begins blooming in late spring. Flowers will last until the winter.
Trumpet Vine
Scientific Name: Campsis radicans
Trumpet vines or trumpet creepers are beautiful flowering vines that come with a warning to gardeners. Trumpet vines are highly invasive. These twining vines are high-maintenance and need aggressive pruning and regular deadheading to stop them from taking over the garden.
That said, trumpet vines bear flowers that bring a pop of bright color to your home or garden. Each flower has variegated petals that range in colors like:
- Orange
- Pink
- Red
The flowers grow in clusters and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Buds begin to form in spring, and flowers bloom in summer until fall.
Trumpet vines can grow up to 40 feet tall and prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade. Trumpet vines thrive in moderately wet soil with a pH level of around 3.7-6.8. These colorful flowering vines are best grown in USDA Zones 4-9.
Wisteria
Scientific Name: Wisteria
Bring some magic to your garden by adding a wisteria flowering vine. These cascading flowers bring color and privacy to make your garden look like a fairy realm and secret oasis. Wisteria blooms in shades of pink, purple, and white. This flowering vine prefers full sunlight.
Wisteria has woody twining vines that are slow to grow compared to other flowering vines on this list. Young wisterias need a few years before they produce flowers. After the plant has matured three to five years, beautiful flowers bloom in early May. Flowers from the wisteria last for around one month.
Wisterias can grow up to a whopping 30 feet but need the help of a strong trellis or pergola. Wisteria grows best in USDA zones 5-9 in soil that has a pH level between 6.0-7.0.
Final Thoughts
Grow your dream garden this season with hanging wisteria, blue sky vines, purple passion flowers, cascading bleeding heart vines, and more. Flowering vines have beautiful foliage that creates privacy throughout the year. While some varieties bloom only once a year, others have several blooming cycles that bless your garden with color and their fragrance. Regardless of which flowering vine you choose, you’ll be sure to have an abundance of color in your garden this season.
