THE BEST CLIMBING PLANTS TO COVER YOUR FENCE OR WALL

If you’ve got a wall or fence that needs covering, lush greenery and fragrant flowers are the perfect options. Enjoy more privacy and a beautiful outlook, transforming your home or garden into something extra special with a few simple steps. Here are our top five climbing plants to get you started.

Boston Ivy 

Boston Ivy is a beautiful climber that’s perfect for covering large walls as it attaches itself to surfaces with its tendrils which have small suction type disks on the underside. Throughout the seasons, its leaves will shift through autumnal shades of red, orange and yellow, especially if planted in full sun. The amazing colours are what make this climber especially wonderful.

Jasmine

There are many types of Jasmine that are perfect for covering a fence or wall. The Common Jasmine Jasminum officinale  produces a mass of white fragrant flowers with a blush of pink. This plant will grow like crazy so be prepared to prune it back every year to keep it under control. The beautiful, Chinese Star Jasmine, which produces a small white flower with a beautiful scent against its bright green vine and leaves is perfect for shady parts of the garden and creates a beautiful green wall when given a structure to twine around. It will also grow in full sun.

Hardenbergia

This Australian native is also known as the Purple Coral Pea. It’s a lovely evergreen climber that produces pea flowers in purple, pink or white and does well in sunny or partially shaded areas. The most common is the Happy Wanderer which is fast growing, easy to maintain and produces gorgeous dark purple flowers.

Wisteria

Wisteria offers the most beautiful scent – it embodies spring with its divine lilac flowers and heavenly fragrance. It’s a popular choice to cover pergolas, archways or verandahs due to its draping flowers. Wisteria also features a thick and hardy vine and enjoys full sun, especially during winter.

Passionfruit Vine

If you have a strong trellis in full sun that needs something to brighten it up, a passionfruit vine is one of our favourite go-to’s. There are many different varieties of passionfruit, but the most common in Victoria is the Ned Kelly which produces beautiful fruit with a dark purple black skin along a strong evergreen vine with lots of tendrils. Passionfruit vines usually fruit about 18 months after planting and need to be planted away from trees or competitive roots. They’re a great option if you want to involve kids in the process – your little ones will love picking the fruit and watching the beautiful flowers emerge.

Before you decide

Some climbing plants are known for being aggressive towards other plants, so always check the nature of the climber. Get clear on whether you need a plant that provides full coverage all year round as some will become bare during winter, and always consider where your fence or wall is located in terms of exposure to sunlight. Take note before choosing so you can make sure you’re selecting the perfect plant to suit your needs.

And as always, if you’d like some advice and assistance, don’t hesitate to visit us at the nursery. We’d love to help you choose the climbing plant that’s perfect for you.