Gardens
Best Flowering Vines for Your Garden
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Gardens
Best Flowering Vines for Your Garden
Flowering vines climbing up the sides of a building add an air of magic to walls, trellises, fences and arbours, creating vertical interest and vibrant colour.
These are the best flowering vine species if you’re looking to elevate your garden’s aesthetic appeal.
1. Clematis (Clematis spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Spring to fall, depending on the variety
- Colours: White, pink, purple, red and bi-colour
- Height: Varies widely, from five to 20 feet or more
Clematis is a popular choice for gardeners due to its wide range of colours and blooming periods. It thrives in well-drained soil and prefers its roots to be in the shade while the vine basks in the sun.
Popular Varieties:
- ‘Nelly Moser’: Light pink flowers with a darker pink stripe
- ‘Jackmanii’: Deep purple flowers; blooms from summer to fall
- ‘Sweet Autumn Clematis’: Small, fragrant white flowers; blooms in late summer to fall
2. Bougainvillea (Bougainvillaea spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Year-round in frost-free areas, primarily in summer
- Colours: Pink, purple, red, orange, white and yellow
- Height: Up to 30 feet or more
Bougainvillaea is known for its vibrant bracts that surround small, white flowers. It thrives in warm climates and requires full sun and well-drained soil. It’s a vigorous grower and can be trained as a vine or a shrub.
Popular Varieties:
- ‘Barbara Karst’: Rich red bracts, very vigorous
- ‘San Diego Red’: Bright red bracts, a prolific bloomer
- ‘Raspberry Ice’: Variegated leaves with pink bracts
3. Wisteria (Wisteria spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Spring to early summer
- Colours: Purple, blue, pink, and white
- Height: 10 to 30 feet or more
Wisteria is renowned for its cascading clusters of fragrant flowers. It needs sturdy support due to its heavy and vigorous growth. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil.
Popular Varieties:
- Wisteria sinensis: Chinese wisteria with lilac-blue flowers
- Wisteria floribunda: Japanese wisteria with long clusters of flowers
- ‘Amethyst Falls’: American wisteria with lavender-purple flowers
4. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Summer to early fall
- Colours: Orange, red, yellow
- Height: 30 to 40 feet
Trumpet vine is a fast-growing vine with trumpet-shaped flowers that attract hummingbirds. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Be cautious, as it can be invasive in some regions.
Popular Varieties:
- ‘Flava’: Yellow flowers
- ‘Madame Galen’: Coral-red flowers, a hybrid variety
- ‘Crimson Trumpet’: Bright red flowers
5. Jasmine (Jasminum spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Spring to summer, depending on the variety
- Colours: White, yellow, pink
- Height: 10 to 15 feet or more
Jasmine is beloved for its intensely fragrant flowers. It prefers full to partial sun and well-drained soil. There are many varieties suitable for different climates; for instance, the Climbing Jasmine and Hardy Jasmine are good for Southern Ontario..
Popular Varieties:
- Jasminum officinale: Common jasmine with white flowers
- Jasminum polyanthum: Pink buds opening to white flowers, highly fragrant
- Jasminum nudiflorum: Winter jasmine with bright yellow flowers
6. Passionflower (Passiflora spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Spring to fall
- Colours: Purple, blue, red, pink, white
- Height: Up to 30 feet or more
Passionflower is known for its exotic-looking flowers. It prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Some varieties also produce edible fruit.
Popular Varieties:
- Passiflora caerulea: Blue passionflower with blue and white flowers
- Passiflora incarnata: Maypop, with purple flowers and edible fruit
- Passiflora ‘Lady Margaret’: Red flowers, a hybrid variety
7. Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Spring to summer, with some varieties reblooming in fall
- Colours: Yellow, white, pink, red
- Height: 10 to 20 feet
Honeysuckle is admired for its tubular, fragrant flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds. It prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Some species can be invasive, like the Tatarian honeysuckle, so choose non-invasive varieties if that is a concern.
Popular Varieties:
- Lonicera japonica: Japanese honeysuckle with white and yellow flowers
- Lonicera sempervirens: Trumpet honeysuckle with red and orange flowers
- Lonicera periclymenum: European honeysuckle with creamy white and yellow flowers
8. Morning Glory (Ipomoea spp.)
Characteristics:
- Bloom Time: Summer to early fall
- Colours: Blue, purple, pink, white
- Height: 10 to 15 feet
Morning glories are fast-growing annuals known for their vibrant, funnel-shaped flowers that open in the morning. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil. They self-seed readily, which can be both a benefit and a challenge.
Popular Varieties:
- ‘Heavenly Blue’: Sky-blue flowers with white throats
- ‘Scarlett O’Hara’: Bright red flowers
- ‘Grandpa Ott’s’: Deep purple flowers with red star-shaped throats
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