11 Best Fast-Growing Vines, According To Garden Experts

Orange and yellow blooming black-eyed susan vine — Photo:
Getty Images

Growing vines is a fun way to add foliage and colorful flowers to archways, fences, posts, and trellises in your yard. Vines add depth, dimension, and texture to a landscape and create a visually appealing space. Choosing fast-growing vines means enjoying the beauty of the season quickly and often longer, whether it's the pretty leaves, blooms, or both. Plus, many vines attract important pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Garden experts recommend their favorite vines to grow that will quickly transform your garden.

Caitlyn Ridgley is the Communications Manager for Delaware Center for Horticulture.
Penny Merritt-Price is the Product Development Manager for Young's Plant Farm in Alabama.
Annette Thurmon is the author of Simple Country Living, and blogs and farms at Azure Farm in Georgia.

01 of 11

American Wisteria

With beautiful, cascading flowers, American Wisteria is a favorite to grow on a trellis or arbor. "Flowers are mostly variations of blue and violet but can also include shades of pink or white," says Caitlyn Ridgley, Communications Manager for Delaware Center for Horticulture. "It is a wonderful twining vine for a pergola or fence, producing pendulous, fragrant blooms from early to late summer, which are attractive to butterflies."

Botanical Name: Wisteria frutescens
Sun Exposure: Full, partial
Soil Type: Moist, Well-drained
Soil pH: 6.8-7.2

02 of 11

Clematis

With many varieties of Clematis, there are plenty of colors and shapes to choose for what's best for your garden. "They have gorgeous blooms and can be trained to grow on trellises, arbors, and even walls," says Annette Thurmon, author of Simple Country Living, and blogs and farms at Azure Farm in Georgia. You'll need to be attentive to these vines as they need frequent watering. "Use mulch to help retain moisture and keep the roots cool in hot climates," she adds.

Botanical Name: Clematis sp.
Sun Exposure: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained
Soil pH: 6.5-7.0

03 of 11

Coral Honeysuckle

Coral Honeysuckle is a native vine that attracts plenty of pollinators, thanks to its bright reddish-orange flowers. With elongated tubular blooms, these are ideal for hummingbirds to access the nectar. "Fragrant and colorful, they are attractive to a range of pollinator species, including butterflies, bees and hummingbirds," says Ridgley. She recommends the cultivar 'Major Wheeler' for its "beautiful orange/red flowers that start blooming in late spring, with ability to rebloom into summer."

Make sure you have a place for these vines to grow on as they need a support structure, like a fence, trellis, or pergola.

Botanical Name: Lonicera sempervirens
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Type: Average, Well-draining
Soil pH: Acidic to Slightly Alkaline (5.5-8.0)

04 of 11

Crossvine

A native vine in the South, Crossvine produces trumpet-shaped flowers in red and orange that bloom in the spring. According to Thurmon, it's a "vigorous vine with large showy flowers that hummingbirds love." These are easy to grow as they can tolerate many types of soil, though they prefer well-draining soil.

Botanical Name: Bignonia capreolata
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Type: Well-drained
Soil pH: 6.6 to 8.0

05 of 11

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle is a beautiful vine that produces fragrant, tubular flowers, typically in hues of white, yellow, and orange. It also attracts beneficial insects and wildlife. "Honeysuckle is wonderful for pollinators like bees and butterflies," says Thurmon. "We grow it in multiple places around the farm, including around our chicken coop."

Botanical Name: Lonicera sp.
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Soil Type: Moist, well-drained, rich
Soil pH: 5.5-8.0

06 of 11

Black Eyed Susan Vine

You may be familiar with the flower of the same name, Black-Eyed Susan, but this vine is part of a different genus. Black-Eyed Susan Vine is typically planted as an annual. Penny Merritt-Price, Product Development Manager, Young's Plant Farm in Alabama says it grows quickly and will "cover your trellis for the season [and is] loaded with brightly color flowers all summer long." Plant carefully as it can be an invasive vine in warmer climates.

Botanical Name: Thunbergia alata
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Type: Moist, Well-drained
Soil pH: 6.6-7.7

07 of 11

Morning Glory

A hardy vine that grows quickly, morning glory has vibrant dark-hued bluish purple flowers. "They have beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers and the vines spread rapidly," says Thurmon. These vines grow quickly so consider planting it in a pot to keep it contained so they don't take over the garden.

Botanical Name: Ipomoea sp.
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Type: Moist, Well-drained
Soil pH: 6.0-6.8

08 of 11

Carolina Jessamine

This vine can be easily trained to grow on arches, columns, fence posts, pergolas, and trellises. The yellow-hued, fragrant flowers attract bees in the spring. Merritt-Price says that once this vine is established, it's drought-tolerant. This is good news if you live in a dry area or tend to forget to water your plants.

Botanical Name: Gelsemium sempervirens
Sun Exposure: Sun, partial shade
Soil Type: Well-drained
Soil pH: 5.5-8.0

09 of 11

Purple Passionflower

Want a vine that produces spectacular-looking flowers that pollinators love? You'll want to grow Purple Passionflower. "The flowers are interesting, attract pollinators and are attractive to wildlife [and] support various butterflies," says Ridgley. Purple Passionflower is a host plant for many varieties of butterflies, including the Gulf Fritillary and the Zebra Longwing.

Place this vine in an area where it can't spread or take over the garden because when this plant is happy and established, it will spread quickly. "A vigorous grower, make sure to plant this in an area or in a container, where you can help limit or manage its desire to spread," says Ridgley.

Botanical Name: Passaflora incarnata
Sun Exposure: Full, partial
Soil Type: Well-drained
Soil pH: Acidic, neutral (6.5 to 7.5)

10 of 11

Wisteria

Wisteria is a common fast-growing vine with lavender or purple-hued dangling flowers. "The vines need strong support," says Thurmon. "They can be grown over pergolas or arches for a beautiful display."

Botanical Name: Wisteria sp.
Sun Exposure: Full, partial
Soil Type: Moist, Well-drained
Soil pH: 6.0-7.0

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Trumpet Vine

Looking to plant a vining plant that entices pollinators and wildlife to your yard? Grow Trumpet Vine. With its trumpet-shaped reddish-orange blooms, they are the perfect shape for the long beak of a hummingbird to access the nectar. Merritt-Price says this is a vigorous vine that hummingbirds love and can become invasive. If you plant Trumpet Vine, grow it in a container so it can't spread as easily throughout the garden or plan to manage and prune it often.