Trellis plants are the best way to add beauty, height, and drama to your garden. It can be difficult to find good options, so I made a list to get you started.
In this post, I cover everything from climbing flowers, perennials, annuals, and tropicals, to my favorite vining vegetables.
20 Trellis Plants For Your Garden
Below I’ve organized my list in two main sections: climbing flowers (including annuals, tropicals, and hardy perennials), and vining veggies. You can easily scan through the numbered list of plants, or go straight to the section that you’re most interested in.
Climbing Flowers
This first section is all about flowering trellis plants. I’ve further broken it down into sub-lists of annuals, tropicals, and hardy perennials to make it easier to find what you’re looking for.
Related Post: The Ultimate Vertical Gardening Guide
Annuals:
1. Nasturtium
These bright, beautiful flowers not only look pretty, they’re edible too. The vines come in different sizes, so check the maximum length so you can choose the right structure for them.
Also, make sure to look for a climbing type, because they also come in more compact varieties. Amazon Jewel and Spitfire are two of my favorites.
2. Black-eyed Susan Vine
These stunning flowering vines do equally well on a trellis that’s in the ground as they do in a container.
Black-eyed Susan vines are vigorous climbers that can reach 10′ long, and make a lovely backdrop in your garden or a privacy screen on your balcony or patio.
3. Morning Glory
Another wonderful annual flowering vine, morning glories are prolific trellis plants that can quickly cover large structures like a fence, arbor, or pergola.
They can get very long (mine reach the tops of my arborvitaes by the end of the summer!), so make sure you use a structure that is tall enough for them.
4. Sweet Pea
If you’re looking for fragrant climbing plants, sweet peas are a great option. Some stay shorter, like this knee-high blend, while others are much longer.
So you should use a small or tall structure, depending on the variety you get. The vines are lightweight, they don’t need anything super sturdy.
5. Petunias
Though they naturally have a trailing habit and aren’t technically vines, petunias actually make really excellent trellis plants.
You can tie the long branches to a small wire cage or obelisk, and they are perfect for adding height to your pots or in the garden.
Related Post: How To Choose The Best Vertical Garden Plants
Tropicals:
6. Jasmine
One of my favorite fragrant flowers, jasmine is an absolutely beautiful climbing plant. They’re excellent for a pergola, arbor, or fence.
Put them by a window, if possible, so you can enjoy the intoxicating scent inside your house. This one also comes in a bush or shrub type, so make sure to look for vining ones.
7. Bougainvillea
This dense vining plant is covered by bright flowers pretty much year round, and it is absolutely stunning.
They can get very large, so it’s common to see them climbing the side of a house, retaining wall, or tall fence. Learn how to grow bougainvillea plants here.
8. Passion Flower
Another very prolific and also unique trellis plant is the passion flower. As a bonus, you could also grow passion fruits, which have equally stunning flowers, but also produce edible fruits.
Either way, the long vines would look amazing covering a fence, pergola, arbor, or large garden support.
9. Mandevilla
These spectacular trellis plants are avid climbers. The vines are covered in showy flowers almost year-round.
This is another one that does very well in a container or in the garden. Either way, be sure to plant it next to a tall structure.
Related Post: 15 Fabulous Vertical Gardening Support Ideas & Designs
Cold Hardy Perennials:
10. Climbing Roses
While they aren’t technically vine plants, climbing roses have long, pliable branches that you can train and tie onto just about any type of support.
These perennial flowers look gorgeous as a backdrop in any garden, or over the top of an arch, and they are very hardy.
11. Wisteria
Once established, these vines will be absolutely dripping with large clusters of stunning blooms. Wisteria can make a very dramatic statement in your garden.
They are vigorous and need a sturdy support, like a large arbor, arch, or pergola. I’ve even seen them climbing over the roofs of houses and completely covering fences. So pretty!
12. Ivy
I’m going to make a wager here and guess that ivies are probably one of the most well-known and classic trellis plants there is.
They range in sizes, so check how long the vines get before you choose a support for them. Some of the larger ones can cover the side of a building or climb to the tops of trees, while others will be happy on a small obelisk.
13. Trumpet Vine
The large flowers of the trumpet vine are incredible, and they make a vibrant statement in any garden. They’re great for covering large supports, a fence, or a privacy screen.
The vines can be as thick as small tree trunks though, so be sure you use a very strong, permanent structure for this one.
14. Honeysuckle
Another very hardy trellis plant, honeysuckle has woody vines that will quickly cover fences, pergolas, or arbors.
You can plant them just about anywhere in your garden. But they also come in bush varieties, so check the tag to make sure you’re getting a climbing one.
15. Clematis
Clematis are wonderful perennial plants that are lightweight and can climb on just about any size trellis. They come in a variety of colors, and many types flower at different times throughout the year.
So, if you strategically mix and match a few varieties, you’ll have some blooming all season long.
Vining Vegetable Plants
Below is a list of some of my favorite veggie plants for a trellis. Just be aware that there are compact bush varieties for most of these as well. So always read the plant tag or seed packet to make sure you’re getting a vining variety, otherwise it won’t climb.
16. Cucamelon
These fantastic climbing vines have beautiful, dense foliage perfect for creating a privacy screen or for hiding something unsightly in your yard.
Cucamelons need a large structure, but they’re lightweight, so it doesn’t need to be super sturdy. They’re very prolific producers too, and kids love snacking on the small sweet and sour fruits. Learn how to grow cucamelons here.
17. Cucumbers
Many people are afraid to trellis their cucumber vines, but they are wonderful climbers that will cover a structure fairly quickly.
They’re great for lean-tos, arbors, or a-frames. Learn all you need to know about how to grow cucumbers here.
18. Squash & Gourds
Believe it or not, you can trellis these large vining vegetables, as long as the support is strong enough. They work great on a heavy-duty a-frame, arbor, or pergola.
I train them on my squash arch every year, which looks stunning. A few of my favorite varieties are Butternut, Delicata, and Sugar Pie Pumpkins.
19. Peas
These lightweight plants are perfect for a small trellis structure, like wire cages or a cute obelisk in your garden or a container.
The vines don’t get very tall, so use a shorter support for them, otherwise it will look disproportionate. Learn all about how to grow peas here.
20. Pole Beans
Pole beans are great for any garden, and the dense foliage will quickly cover any tall structure, like a pergola or trellis.
Just make sure you get a vining variety, and not a bush type. Blue Lake and Kentucky Wonder are two of my top choices. Learn how to grow green beans here.
Trellis plants are wonderful for adding height, beauty, and interest to any flower or vegetable garden. I encourage you to add tons of different varieties, and mix in as many as you can.
If you’d like to learn how to make the most of your space and get as much homegrown food as possible, then my Vertical Vegetables book is perfect! It will teach you all you need to know, has tons of gorgeous photos, and includes 23 DIY projects you can build for your own garden. Order your copy today!
Learn more about my Vertical Vegetables book here.
More Posts About Vertical Gardening
- How To Trellis Squash Plants
- How To Trellis Peas In Your Garden
- How To Trellis Grapes In Your Home Garden
- The Amazing Benefits Of Vertical Gardening
- How To Make A Cattle Panel Trellis Arch
Share your favorite vining or climbing trellis plants in the comments below.
Rebecca says
Hi Amy
I’m wondering when is the best time to plant in cold temp areas. I am in upstate NY. I have an area about 12 x 12 ft in front of our house that I want to design with flowers. It is all shade/no sun. I’m thinking about putting a tree or bushes in there with flowers. Any suggestions?
Amy Andrychowicz says
You can start planting hardy perennials as soon as the ground is workable in early spring. Here’s an article will help you design perennial flower beds, with lots of ideas and tips. Here are a few other articles that might help too…
21 Best Foundation Plants For The Front Of Your House
How To Design A Front Yard Foundation Planting
Suzi Sitorius says
Hello, Amy, we have a spot just between a tree and the garage that needs a privacy something-or-other and there won’t be much sun. It needs to get about 4′ wide and grow maybe at least 6′ and then have winter structure so privacy is still there. Any ideas?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Depending on where you live, ivy, Virginia creeper, clematis, vinca vine, honeysuckle, some types of climbing roses would be good options for shade. However, I don’t think any of them would keep their foliage during the winter, unless you live in a warm climate. If you’re somewhere tropical, then philodendron and pothos plants would also be great options.
Joyce Rosselli says
Amy, Glad you added the list of tropical vines since I live in Florida. Great post.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome! Thank you.
Elaina says
When I was growing up my mom had a wonderful climbing pink flowering vine she called 4 o’clocks. It had fairly large black seeds the size of peppercorns. Do you have any idea where I could get one of those? I live near Mpls/St. Paul, MN.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, 4 o’clock flowers are very popular climbing flowers, and perfect for growing on a trellis. They are perennial vines, but here in MN, we can only grow them as annuals. Locally, I would check Bachman’s to see if they have the seeds, they usually have a large selection of seeds. You can also buy the seeds online. Here’s a good mix to try.