Choose the right flowering vine for your arbor
Vine-covered arbors are beautiful, but large, woody vines, like wisteria, can crush a small arbor in a few years. Meet morning glory vine and four other vines that can quickly decorate your arbor with lush foliage and incredible blooms.
Clematis (Clematis spp. and hybrids)
Clematis likes its “head in the sun, feet in the shade,” as the old saying goes. So plant it in full sun, and place a 2-in.-thick layer of mulch over the roots to keep them cool. ‘Comtesse de Bouchaud’ is shown in the photo above.
Type Perennial Blooms Flowers in white, yellow, pink, red, blue or purple in spring, summer or fall Light Full sun to part shade Size 1 to 30 ft. tall Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9
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Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus)
This vine stretches up so quickly you can almost see it growing! Sow one or two seeds on each side of your arbor and watch it go.
Type Tender perennial (usually grown as an annual) Blooms Purple or white flowers in mid- to late summer; magenta stems and pods Light Full sun Size 10 to 20 ft. tall Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 11
Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
On cloudy mornings you might get a few extra hours from flowers before they droop, but normally moonflower blooms last just one night.
Type Tender perennial (usually grown as an annual) Blooms Fragrant white flowers open at night from midsummer to frost Light Full sun to part shade Size 10 to 15 ft. tall Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12
Morning glory (Ipomoea spp.)
Plant these seeds after danger of frost is past directly in the garden. Morning glories reseed readily — pull unwanted seedlings before they start to twine around other plants.
Type Tender perennial (usually grown as an annual) Blooms White, pink, red, blue or purple flowers from midsummer to frost Light Full sun Size 6 to 10 ft. tall Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12
Mandevilla (Mandevilla x amabilis)
A vine that won’t outgrow its space or strangle nearby plants, mandevilla can be treated like an annual. Start with a large plant each spring, and help it climb with a loose ladder of monofilament line.
Type Tropical vine Blooms Pink, red or white blooms from late spring to fall Light Full sun to part shade Size 3 to 20 ft. tall, spreading Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11
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