Ten Climbing Plants
Vigorous growing climbers for hot, dry Mediterranean-type conditions.
Campsis radicans trumpet creeper
Red flowers in summer, with some varieties having yellow flowers. Deciduous. Full sun to part shade. Vigorous woody large plant. From Central and Eastern United States.
Pyrostegia venusta orange trumpet vine
Vigorous evergreen climber. Orange flowers in winter and spring. From Mexico to tropical South America.
Wisteria floribunda alba white flowered wisteria, Japanese wisteria.
A fast-growing woody deciduous climber, white flowers, flower in spring and summer.
Prune wisteria soon after flowering, do not leave it too long otherwise, you will remove newly developing flowering buds. Prune new growth back to 2 or 3 leaves, this will encourage new flowering spurs.
Native to Japan.
Mandevilla sanderi Brazilian jasmine
Is not an overly vigorous climber. Flowers in summer and autumn/fall.
Prefers dappled sunlight and moist well-drained soil.
From southeast Brazil near Rio de Janeiro.
Bougainvillea glabra ‘Sanderiana’ purple bougainvillea.
A popular garden variety and one of many forms and flower colours of Bougainvillea.
It is a vigorous climbing shrub from Brazil.
Able to grow to 10 to 12 feet, 3 to 3.5m in height sometimes taller.
Tecoma stans yellow elder or yellow trumpet.
Evergreen scrambling shrub or small tree, 8 to 12 feet, 3 to 4m high, yellow trumpet-shaped flowers in spring and summer.
From tropical and sub-tropical North and South America.
Tillandsia usneoides Spanish moss.
This is not a vigorous climber for hot dry conditions. I have included it here as it is an unusual and attractive plant. It is suitable for warm areas as long as the humidity is high, and it is protected from cold drying winds.
Spanish moss is an air plant, it does not need roots in the soil, and is from the bromeliad family.
The plant collects moisture and nutrition on its leaves and therefore requires high humidity.
Plants shown are growing in a glasshouse to protect from the wind and increase the humidity.
From tropical and sub-tropical North and South America.
Pandorea jasminoides bower of beauty.
An Australia evergreen vigorous woody climber from eastern Queensland to north-eastern New South Wales in tropical and subtropical rainforests.
It has glossy dark green leaves, and white or pink trumpet-shaped flowers that are red inside, in winter and spring.
Kennedia lateritia syn. Kennedia macrophylla Augusta kennedia.
From the southwestern part of Western Australia, a vigorous climber with attractive red flowers in winter and spring.
Kennedia nigricans black coral pea.
A Western Australian vigorous climber with unusual black and yellow flowers in winter and spring.
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