Climbing plants impressively decorate the pergola and house wall. We've rounded up 10 hardy climbing plants for your garden.
In addition to being an ideal decoration for bare walls or unsightly garden situations, hardy climbing plants also offer the opportunity to stretch the garden vertically. This is particularly helpful in smaller gardens with limited planting space. These climbing plants are suitable for almost all environments, regardless of whether it is a dense green cover on an unsightly garage wall or a garden terrace with shiny grapes. You can find the most suitable climbing plants for fences and walls here in our special article.
Here we have also summarized for you which evergreen climbing plants are ideal as privacy screens.
Climbing plants are also supposed to climb to dizzy heights. It is optimal if they are hardy and can benefit from their growth every year and thus do not have to start growing from scratch. Here we show you the most successful hardy climbing plants and their advantages, so that nothing stands in the way of vertical greening in your home.
1. Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
We start with one of the most impressive and at the same time most treacherous representatives of climbing plants. Wisteria can add value to medium to large gardens, pergolas and facades, but it can also quickly overshoot its target with its large annual growth. Therefore, the maintenance effort in the form of pruning is above average compared to other climbing plants. Due to the immense growth and the branches that thicken as a result, damage can also occur to various buildings, since these branches can crush downpipes on the house wall, for example. The location should therefore be equipped with strong climbing aids. The reward for this, however, is a veritable heaven of blossoms with an intense fragrance, which often draws admiring glances.
- Twin, left hand, climbing aid required
- Growth: 6up to 8 m
- Summergreen
- Blossoms in large, blue racemes (May to June), strong fragrance, yellow autumn colours, poisonous
- Sunny to semi-shady location
- Very hardy, withstands heavy frosts
Other varieties:
- Wisteria sinensis 'Alba': white flower clusters
- Wisteria sinensis 'Prolific': blue-purple flower clusters, reaches heights of up to 9 m
Tip: Winter hardiness starts with the right care. We recommend primarily organic fertilization - for example with our Plantura organic universal fertilizer. This optimally supplies your climbing plants with nutrients and ensures better winter hardiness.
2. Common Ivy (Hedera helix)
Unfortunately, this classic climbing plant often has the misfortune of being viewed more as a "weed" and less as a worthy garden plant. This is perhaps due to the fact that ivy grows everywhere and accordingly gets in the way of the gardener in many areas. Nevertheless, this climbing plant has enormous ecological value due to its late flowering period and - depending on the variety - can also be aesthetically integrated into the garden.
- Self-climbing roots
- Growth: 3 to 5 m, grows up to the treetops at a height of more than 10 m
- Evergreen
- Can cover almost any surface with greenery
- Important food source for insects in autumn (September to October)
- Understanding
- Very hardy, withstands severe frosts
Other varieties:
- Hedera helix 'Goldchild': yellow leaf edges, variegated green leaf center
- Hedera helix 'Goldherz': golden-yellow leaf center with green edge
- Hedera helix 'Glacier': white leaf edges, variegated green leaf center, grows much more slowly
- Hedera colchica 'Sulphur Heart': yellow-green variegated leaves, drooping leaf dress, grows much more slowly
3. Grapevines (Vitis vinifera)
If you are a fan of a Mediterranean flair and have a sunny terrace, you should think about covering it with vines using climbing aids. The aging wood of the wine is worth a look with the peeling bark alone, but the highlight is the green or red onesGrapes hanging over the seating. This plant also looks great on facades or pergolas and impresses the viewer.
- roller, winder
- Growth: 2 to 4 cm
- Summergreen
- Large lobed leaf with yellow autumn colour
- Black, purple, green grapes (August to September)
- Sunny to semi-shady location, well-drained soil
- Very hardy, winter protection only after several days of heavy frost
Other varieties:
- Vitis vinifera 'Date grape': elongated, almost black fruits, sunny to semi-shady
- Vitis vinifera 'Lakemont®': green-yellow fruits, sunny
- Vitis vinifera 'Regent': round, blue fruits, sunny to semi-shady
- Vitis vinifera 'Rhea®': round, yellow-violet fruits, sunny
Laburnum)
Laburnum is the counterpart to blue or white rain (Wisteria sinensis). This plant also has long flower clusters and is intensely yellow in colour. The name may seem similar to the climbing variant, but strictly speaking laburnum is not a climbing plant, but a large shrub.
- Botanically not a climbing plant
- Growth: 4 to 5 m
- Summergreen
- Yellow flower clusters (May to June), medium fragrance
- Sunny to semi-shady location
- Very hardy, withstands severe frosts
5. Honeysuckle (Lonicera henryi)
This plant is also known as "Jelängerjelieber" and is one of the most popular climbing plants. It grows quickly, has an interesting shape of flowers in different colors and makes no special demands on the gardener - except maybe the provision of a climbing aid in form of grids or similar.
- Winger
- Growth: 2 to 4 m
- Evergreen
- Reddish-yellow flowers (June to July), later blue-black berries
- Sunny to shady location
- Very hardy (for potted plants: protect from severe frost)
Other varieties:
- Lonicera henryi 'Copper Beauty': copper-colored new shoots, dark yellow flowers
- Lonicera henryi 'Goldflame': yellow-red-orange flower
Clematis)
The Clematis is also a very sought-after climbing plant, as its variety in flowering and in its scents is very broad due to the many species and varieties. The different colors of the flowers range from white to blue to yellow or violet.
- Ranker
- Growth: 2 to 4 m
- Summergreen
- Very large variety of flower colors and shapes (April to September)
- Foot should always be shaded
- Sunny to semi-shady location, humus-rich, well-drained soil
- Very hardy (for potted plants: protect from severe frost)
- Evergreen exotics such as Clematis armandii, Clematis frosterii or Clematis kweichowensi need winter quarters
- The evergreen variety Clematis armandii 'Appleblossom' is hardy
Other varieties:
- Clematis alpina 'Frances Rivis': bell-shaped blue flowers, April to June
- Clematis 'Königskind®': royal blue with light blue stripes, May to September
- Clematis 'Madame Le Coultre': white with delicate lilac, June to September
- Clematis serratifolia 'Golden Tiara': golden-yellow flower with stamens, June to October
- Clematis 'Ville de Lyon': profuse purple flowers, June to September
- Clematis 'Josephine': pink to dark pink striped flowers, June to September
- Clematis texensis: bell-shaped red-pink flowers, July to September
- Clematis x jackmannii 'Rubra': burgundy red with a light centre, July to September
You can find a larger overview of the variety of clematis here.
7. Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum)
Winter jasmine is the only climbing plant that flowers in winter. Flowering can begin as early as December and is expressed in the form of small golden-yellow flowers along the green branches. If this plant finds a place in your garden, you should provide a suitable climbing aid (trellis).
- Spreading clamps
- Growth: 3 to 5 m
- Summergreen
- Dark green foliage with green branches
- lush yellow flowers (December to March)
- Sunny to semi-shady location
- Very goodhardy, withstands severe frosts
8. Climbing Rose (Pink)
The flower queen is also represented as a climbing variant. Climbing roses have a particularly high decorative value if they are provided with a trellis. Similar to the genus Clematis, roses also come in numerous shapes and colours. A distinction is made between the more compact classic climbing roses and the rambler roses.
- Spreading clamps
- Growth: 1.5 to 5 m, rambler on trees up to 10 m
- Summergreen
- Dark green foliage with spiny branches
- Once or multiple flowering varieties (June to September)
- Sunny to semi-shady location
- Very hardy, the base can also be piled up with some earth or covered with fir branches or brushwood
Other varieties:
- Rosa 'Aloha®': double apricot-colored flowers with delicate pink nuances, June to September
- Rosa 'Ilse Krohn®': double white flowers, strong fragrance, June to September
- Rosa 'Laguna®': loosely filled, bright pink flowers, strong fragrance, multiple blooms, June to September
- Pink 'Redflame®': full, velvety red flowers, very strong fragrance, June to September
- Rosa 'Dukat®': semi-double yellow flower, strong fragrance, June to October
- Pink 'Paul's Lemon Pillar': lemon-yellow flower with a green shimmer, very strong fragrance, June to September
9. Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)
The climbing hydrangea is well suited for upgrading house walls, palisades or walls. In the first few years it is advisable to provide it with a trellis.
- Attachment roots
- Growth: 300 - 800 cm
- Summergreen
- White umbels (June to July), medium fragrance
- Sunny to semi-shady location
- Very hardy, withstands severe frosts
Other varieties:
- Hydrangea petiolaris 'Miranda': variegated leaves with a yellowish edge
- Hydrangea petiolaris 'Semiola': White flowers, climbing well and up to 3 m tall, sometimes even winter green
10. Hops (Humulus lupulus)
This deciduous plant is not only suitable for brewing, but can also look great in your own garden. It is suitable for upgrading house facades, trees, walls or even garden sheds.
- Winger
- Growth: 3 to 8 m
- Green blossom (May), cone-like infructescence (June to September)
- Sunny to semi-shady location, nutrient-rich and moist soil
- Very hardy, withstands severe frosts
We have compiled other hardy plants for you in our special article here.