Top 18+ easy-to-grow flowering vines that add instant drama

From purple to bright pink.

Whether you need them for color or form, flowering vines are flexible. Train them to grow on fences, mailboxes, gazebos, trellises, or doorways. These plants are easy ways to add age and character to the bare walls of your home's exterior. They hide sore spots in the yard and add color at new levels to create depth and interest in your landscape. They don't require a lot of care, but you'll want to prune some varieties to keep them from getting out of hand.

A climbing vine adds variety and drama to your home's entry or a romantic air to a backyard garden patio. From subtle shades of white, yellow, and pink to bright bursts of blue, orange, and purple, these flowering climbers add height and flair where you need them. Learn the tricks to planting and caring for flowering vines and how to choose one that won't take over your space.

These flowering vines will boost curb appeal and make your cottage the most charming on the block.

'Dortmund' Climbing Rose

• Botanical Name: Rosa 'Dortmund'
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic (6.0 to 6.5)

'Dortmund' climbing rose features abundant, single red blooms with striking white centers and yellow stamens. Its clusters of flowers and glossy leaves put on a showy garden display. This vigorous plant reaches 15 to 30 feet if it's not pruned. Wear gloves when you do—its sturdy thorns are legendary. This vine is deciduous, and it grows throughout the South.

Bougainvillea

• Botanical Name: Bougainvillea
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic (5.5 to 6.0)

You can't go wrong with the bougainvilleas if you want a stunning visual impact. The tropical tube-shaped flowers feature bracts—leaves that look like petals and resemble flowers. Native to Central and South America, they grow well in Florida, South Texas, and along the Gulf and South Atlantic coasts. And with the introduction of varieties bought in full bloom and grown in containers, more Southerners can enjoy these plants than ever before. They are relatively drought-tolerant and sun-loving. Bougainvilleas are suited for growing against walls or on sturdy fences, trellises, or arbors.

Clematis

Credit: ecastillo/E+/Getty Images

• Botanical Name: Clematis spp.
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.5 to 7.0)

With large blooms in blue, white, purple, pink, or red, the showy clematis is not demanding but does have a few specific requirements. Plant the vine next to a trellis, tree trunk, or open framework to give stems support for twining. Provide rich, loose, fast-draining soil, and add generous quantities of organic matter such as decomposed ground bark. A clematis vine needs constant moisture and nutrients to make the great rush of growth, so apply a complete liquid fertilizer monthly during the growing season.

American Wisteria

• Botanical Name: Wisteria frutescens
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.8 to 7.2)

Perfect for smaller spaces, this gorgeous twining vine is smaller, less aggressive, and grows at about a third of the rate of Asian wisteria. This selection blooms at an early age, with lovely, lightly fragrant racemes gracefully falling downward. The vines are sturdy and robust. Use in containers for the porch or patio, train up an arbor or trellis, or use as a small free-standing tree. Plant in full sun and prune regularly to control its size and encourage blooms.

Trumpet Creeper

• Botanical Name: Campsis radicans
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic, alkaline (6.0 to 8.0)

Native to eastern Texas and the southeastern U.S., the trumpet creeper, or trumpet vine, is a robust, easy-to-grow, hard-working vine. It grows in any soil and is very drought-tolerant, preferring full sun to partial shade. The trumpet creeper climbs by aerial roots to heights of 30 to 40 feet and will grow in the most challenging spots, covering an ugly wall, fence, or other structure in one growing season. The beautiful red summer flowers will attract hummingbirds to your garden.

Purple Passionflower (Maypop)

• Botanical Name: Passaflora incarnata
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Well-drained
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.5 to 7.5)

With exotic-looking summer flowers, the purple passionflower hosts the larvae of the zebra longwing butterfly and feeds numerous pollinators. It climbs by tendrils to a height of 10 to 18 feet, preferring full sun or partial shade and medium to dry, well-drained soil. Fragrant flowers bloom in summer. Fleshy, egg-shaped, edible fruits called maypops appear in July and mature to a yellowish color in the fall.

Star Jasmine

• Botanical Name: Trachelospermum jasminoides
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.0 to 7.0)

When star jasmine blooms in late spring and early summer, a profusion of white, starlike flowers on its evergreen foliage perfumes the entire garden. Plant this vine near a patio or entry to enjoy its fragrance. Train it above doorways and windows and against walls. It's not hardy in the Upper South.

Carolina Jessamine

• Botanical Name: Gelsemium sempervirens
• Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.0 to 7.5)

In early spring, Carolina jessamine, adorned with fragrant, bell-shaped blossoms, is excellent for training on structures—its thin, pliable stems don't damage them. It grows and covers very quickly and is suitable for screening. Deer do not like it. It's an evergreen and not hardy in the Upper South.

Hybrid Mandevillas

• Botanical Name: Mandevilla sp.
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.6 to 7.8)

Hybrid Mandevillas feature glossy evergreen foliage and large, spectacular red, pink, or white flowers that appear nonstop in warm weather. The Sun Parasol series has vining and bush-type plants, so check the label. They are fast growers that need warm temperatures and high humidity, and they're not hardy to frost.

Morning Glories

• Botanical Name: Ipomoea tricolor
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic, neutral (6.0 to 6.8)

A packet of seeds is all you need to blanket a bower with blue, purple, red, pink, or white morning glories. Plant these flowers in the spring. Each flower lasts only one day, but new ones open up every morning in summer and fall. This annual vine grows throughout the South. Give them full sun and prune regularly to encourage more blooms.

Crossvine

• Botanical Name: Bignonia capreolata
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained
• Soil pH: Acidic, alkaline (6.6 to 8.0)

Crossvine is a rugged, adaptable, carefree Southern native. Trumpet-shaped blooms of orange or red decorate evergreen leaves in mid-spring. This vine climbs any surface. 'Tangerine Beauty' (shown) flaunts abundant orange flowers with yellow throats. This climber grows throughout the South. The vine grows in shade or sun, but it will produce more blooms in a sunny location.

Coral Honeysuckle

• Botanical Name: Lonicera sempervirens
• Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
• Soil Type: Sandy, clay, loamy, well-drained
• Soil pH: Acidic, neutral, alkaline (6.5 to 8.0)

Coral or trumpet honeysuckle is a deciduous climbing vine that shows off from late spring through summer and can climb up to 20 feet tall. This Southern favorite attracts hummingbirds with its showy, trumpet-shaped blooms (ranging from golden yellow to deep scarlet) and red berries. Try planting 'Major Wheeler,' a mildew-resistant selection with yellow colors, or 'Cedar Lane,' a quick-growing selection with deep red flowers. Trumpet honeysuckle grows best in Zones US, MS, LS, and CS (USDA 6 to 9) and prefers full sun to part shade and regular water.

Climbing Hydrangea

• Botanical Name: Hydrangeaceae anomala petiolaris
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Well-drained, moist
• Soil pH: Acidic (5.0 to 6.5)

Did you know this beloved Southern showstopper is a climber too? Climbing hydrangeas perform best in Zones US, MS, and LS (USDA 6 to 8). These rapid growers can reach 60 feet tall. In late spring to summer, clusters of wide, white flowers bloom on the vines. If your climbing hydrangea doesn't bloom during the first season, don't worry—it can sometimes take 10 years for these vines to produce flowers. In fall, the green leaves fade into yellow.

'Peggy Martin' Rose

• Botanical Name: Rosa ‘Peggy Martin’
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Well-drained
• Soil pH: Acidic (5.5-6.5)

Call it indestructible, this climbing rose is nearly thornless, resists disease, and it survived the flooding of Hurricane Katrina. Arching canes feature showy pink blooms in the spring through fall with quite the display–the vine climbs up to 15 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Train it on a trellis or fence for support. Beginners can easily care for ‘Peggy Martin’ with plenty of morning sun and well-draining soil. Some afternoon shade may be needed during extreme heat.

Common Honeysuckle

• Botanical Name: Lonicera periclymenum
• Sun Exposure: Partial, dappled
• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained, rich
• Soil pH: Slightly acidic to slightly alkaline (5.5 to 8.0)

Less invasive than many honeysuckles, this sweet-smelling European honeysuckle has long, tubular flowers in yellow, white, and orange tinged with pink or red. It really stars in the garden at night, when it releases its strongest fragrance to attract pollinating moths. You can train the vines to grow on a trellis, fence, or pergola, or along the ground.

Black-Eyed Susan Vine

• Botanical Name: Thunbergia alata
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
• Soil pH: Neutral (6.6-7.7)

Though it's of no relation to black-eyed Susan, this vine is beloved for its cheerful and prolific orange flowers. Black-eyed Susan vine is fast-growing and may become weedy or invasive in frost-free gardens. Elsewhere, this twining evergreen will provide months of enjoyment, blooming from spring to fall.

Cup And Saucer Vine

• Botanical Name: Cobaea scandens
• Sun Exposure: Full
• Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
• Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline (6.0-7.5)

Also known as cathedral bells, this tender sub-tropical perennial is native to Mexico and South America. North of Zone 9, it will grow 10-20 feet in a year. In mild climates, it can grow twice as big and should be pruned to the desired size in late winter.

Sweet Pea

• Botanical Name: Lathyrus odoratus
• Sun Exposure: Full, partial
• Soil Type: Moist but well-drained, organically rich
• Soil pH: Neutral, alkaline (7.0 to 7.8)

Unlike more vigorous scramblers, sweet peas grow just 4-6 feet tall and require support. They're charming along a fence row or small trellis, where they can be tied up so they don't get too out of bounds. The flowers smell sweet and can be cut for indoor bouquets.

Frequently asked Questions

What are the sun exposure requirements for flowering vines?

Most flowering vines (especially those mentioned in this round-up) need sun exposure to bloom. These flowering vines will not thrive in the shade.

Will flowering vines attract bees or other pollinators?

Flowering vines might attract pollinators, including bees, so avoid planting a vine over or on a doorway, arbor, mailbox, gazebo, or any other spot you'll be near or have to use if you are afraid of or allergic to bees. Save them for out-of-the-way areas in your garden, or use a different vine.

What flowering vines can you use for a house made of masonry or wood?

Vines growing against wood siding can contribute to rot, so plant vines along a fence, mailbox, trellis, or wire that isn't attached to your house.

What do you do if you want to change flowering vines every year?

To change the appearance of your house yearly, plant an annual vine like morning glory, moonflower, or hyacinth bean. All grow quickly from seed.