Top 30 Vines & Climbers
A selection of annual and perennial climbers, climbing shrubs and vines with flowers to help our pollinating insects
List Curated by Thomas McBride From research data collected and collated at the National Botanic Garden of Wales
NB: Butterflies and Moths are not studied at the NBGW so any data on nectar plants beneficial for them is taken from Butterfly Conservation About Vines and Climbers Climbing plants may be shrubs or herbaceous plants but are characterised by an ability to entwine themselves around trees or non-living structures. Vines, a subsection of climbers, specifically climb by using tendrils which twist around branches or crevasses to stabilise the plant; such as passionflowers or grapevines. Some shrubs which may climb walls are also considered climbers, such as firethorn or Japanese wisteria. Other species naturally grow up trees and hold on by wrapping their whole stem tightly around the trunk. Examples of these sort of climbers include ivy and honeysuckle. Climbers can be very useful in a garden when used carefully. They can be trained up trellises on walls, obelisk trellises or over the tops of pergolas. They can also be grown up trees or wigwam frames. Climbing plants, on the whole, will not take kindly to being planted in the middle of a border. Some will grow up small shrubs or perennials, others will attempt to grow up themselves, but, in general, it is best to always plant them with a trellis or distinct structure in which to climb up. Map Maps depict the native area of the plant (in green) Guide to using these pages: They also show areas the plant is naturalised (in purple)
Latin Binomial All maps shown Name are derived from ‘Plants of the Common World Online’; English courtesy of Kew Name Gardens
Flowering Period Photograph (this is when it is good of the plant for pollinators!) in flower
Plant Family
Insect groups known to Growing habit favour the and mature size nectar of this of the plant plant
Useful knowledge or warnings about the plant RHS AGM cultivars of this species (or a related species occasionally) i Key to these Pages Warnings
Additional information on these garden plants
This plant would The flowers only be suitable for and/or leaves meadow-style have a Pleasant Plant tissue is highly planting scent toxic if ingested
The plant has edible parts that are Sap may cause irritation Plant is often used in commonly eaten or (Wash hands after touching traditional Herbal Remedies used in cooking or avoid touching)
ii Temperature RHS Hardiness Scale
Some of the plants listed in our Top 200 are not fully H1a - Above 15ºC hardy in all or some parts of the United Kingdom. H1b - Minimum 10ºC Plants without a thermometer symbol are fully hardy in the severest UK Winter; equating to H5 or hardier. H1c - Minimum 5ºC Plants with a coloured thermometer symbol are hardy to varying degrees as follows: H2 - Minimum 1ºC
H3 - Minimum -5ºC
H4 - Minimum -10ºC
H5 - Minimum -15ºC Almost Hardy Half-Hardy Not Frost Hardy Not Hardy (H4) (H3) (H2) (H1) iii Pollinators Our data on pollinators has been collected from studies spanning over a decade. Pollinator symbols appear when plants are proven to be good nectar (a) (b) plants for certain insects. It should be noted that all bee and hoverfly data is ours but lepidoptera data is taken from Butterfly Conservation.
Our data spans a wide range of different insect species. For simplicity, these species have been condensed into six easy icons to represent them: (c) (d) a) Honeybees c) Bumblebees e) Moths b) Hoverflies d) Butterflies f) Solitary Bees (Includes Moths)
(e) (f) iv Actinidia chinensis Golden Kiwi
China
- None - Spring .
Actinidiaceae Kiwi Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Manuel M. V. & Ting Chen (Flower) 1 Actinidia tetramera Rosy Crab-Apple Kiwi
China
Var. maloides Spring .
Actinidiaceae Kiwi Family
12ft Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) BBC Gardeners World 2 Campsis grandiflora Chinese Trumpet Vine
East Asia
Related Hybrid: (C. Radicans x C. grandiflora) Summer . Campsis x tagliabuana ‘Madame Galen’
Bignoniaceae Trumpet Vine Family
10ft+ Climber
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night temperatures, protect from very harsh winter nights Photograph from Flickr (CC) Philip Chang 3 Campsis radicans Trumpet Vine
N. America
f. flava Summer .
Bignoniaceae Trumpet Vine Family
10ft+ Climber
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night temperatures, protect from very harsh winter nights Photograph from Flickr (CC) Harald Henkel 4 Ceanothus thyrsiflorus N. America Blueblossom Californian-Lilac
‘Mystery Blue’ Mid Spring - Early Summer var. repens
Rhamnaceae Buckthorn Family
Medium Shrub*
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night Photograph from Flickr (CC) Kirt Edbom temperatures, protect from very harsh winter nights *C. thyrsiflorus var. repens is a climbing version. 5 Other cultivars are generally more shrub-like in habit. Hedera helix Europe European Ivy
Many AGM varieties Late Summer but none that flower - Late Autumn
Araliaceae Ivy Family
8ft Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Peter Stenzel 6 Humulus lupulus Hops
Afro-Eurasia
‘Aureus’ Summer .
Cannabaceae Cannabis Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph © Thomas McBride 7 Hydrangea anomala Climbing Hydrangea
East Asia
ssp. petiolaris Summer .
Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Linda de Volder 8 Ipomoea purpurea C & S America Purple Morning Glory
None Summer .
Convolvulaceae Bindweed Family
10ft Climbing Perennial
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Maja Dumat * This plant can only be grown outside during the summer (above 5’c night temperatures) 9 Ipomoea tricolor Mexico Morning Glory
‘Heavenly Blue’ Summer .
Convolvulaceae Bindweed Family
8ft Climbing Annual
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Maja Dumat * This plant can only be grown outside during the summer (above 5’c night temperatures) 10 Jasminum officinale C. Asia Jasmine
‘Argentovariegatum’ Midsummer - Early Autumn ‘Frojas’ ‘Inverleith’
Oleaceae Olive Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Chupacabra Viranesque 11 Kerria japonica Japanese Marigold-bush
East Asia
‘Golden Guinea’ Late Spring - Midsummer ‘Pleniflora*’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
* Double flowered cultivars are not good for most pollinating insects so try to buy single flowers when possible Photograph from Flickr (CC) A. Qiao 12 Lathyrus latifolius Europe Everlasting Sweet Pea
‘Albus’ Summer . -Species-
Fabaceae Legume Family
6ft Climber Perennial
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Julia C 13 Lathyrus odoratus Italia Sweet Pea
‘Lipstick’ ‘Bristol’ Midsummer - Early Autumn ‘Solway series’
Fabaceae Legume Family
6ft Climber Annual
Photograph by Thomas McBride * This plant, if sown early, should be sown inside during winter (cannot survive below -5’c night temperatures)14 Lonicera etrusca Etruscan Honeysuckle
Mediterranean
‘Superba’ Early Summer - Early Autumn
Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) Franz Xaver 15 Lonicera periclymenum Europe European Honeysuckle
‘Graham Thomas’ Late Spring - Mid Autumn ‘Serotina’
Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle Family
10ft+ Climber/Vine
Photograph from Flickr (CC) A. Qiao 16 Lonicera sempervirens N. America Coral Honeysuckle
Related Hybrid: Late Spring L. tragophylla x L. sempervirens - Early Autumn x tellmanniana
Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle Family
10ft+ Climber/Vine
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Bruce Kirchoff 17 Lonicera tragophylla Chinese Honeysuckle
China
- Species - Summer . Related Hybrid: ‘Mandarin’
Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Karl Nickless 18 Passiflora caerulea S. America Blue Passionflower
- Species - Midsummer - Early Autumn ‘Constance Eliott’
Passifloraceae Passion Fruit Family
10ft+ Vine
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night temperatures, protect from very harsh winter nights Photograph from Flickr (CC) bvi4092 ** The fruit and flowers are edible but 19not commonly consumed. The leaves are poisonous when raw; containing cyanide. Passiflora incarnata N. America Purple Passionflower
None Summer .
Passifloraceae Passion Fruit Family
6ft Vine
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Judy Gallagher 20 Pyracantha coccinea Eurasia Red Firethorn
Summer . ‘Orange Glow’ A/W (Berries) ‘Teton’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Scott Zona (Berries), Janice Waltzer (Flowers) 21 Rosa banksiae Lady Banks’ Rose
China
‘Lutea’* Late Spring - Midsummer (var. lutescens)
Rosaceae Rose Family
20ft+ Climber
* Double flowered cultivars are not good for most pollinating insects so try to buy single flowers when possible Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) T. Kiya 22 Rosa filipes Kiftsgate Rose
China
‘Kiftsgate’ Summer .
Rosaceae Rose Family
20ft+ Climber
Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) Pookerella 23 Solanum crispum S. America Potato-vine
* ‘Glasnevin’ Midsummer - Early Autumn
Solanaceae Potato Family
10ft+ Climber
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night temperatures, protect from very harsh winter nights Photograph from Flickr (CC) Spencer Aloysius 24 Tropaeolum majus Peru Garden Nasturtium
F
‘Alaska series’ Midsummer - Early Autumn ‘Whirlybird series’
Tropaeolaceae Nasturtium Family
1ft Trailing Annual
* This plant will not survive below -5’c night temperatures Photograph from Flickr (CC) Mayank Sharma 25 Tropaeolum peregrinum Canary Creeper
S. America
None Midsummer - Early Autumn
Tropaeolaceae Nasturtium Family
10ft+ Climber
* This plant will not survive below -5’c night temperatures. Grow in a sheltered location or treat as an annual. Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) Niepokój Zbigniew 26 Tropaeolum speciosum Chile Flame Nasturtium
- Species - Midsummer - Early Autumn
Tropaeolaceae Nasturtium Family
9ft Climber
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Scott Zona 27 Vitis vinifera Eurasia Grapevine
‘Boskoop Glory’ Summer . ‘Purpurea’
Vitaceae Grape Family
10ft+ Vine
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andreas Rockstein, Morgan Sherwood (Fruit) 28 Wisteria floribunda Japanese Wisteria
Japan
‘Domino’ ‘Rosea’ Summer . ‘Lawrence’
Fabaceae Legume Family
10ft+ Climber
Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) Forest & Kim Starr 29 Wisteria sinensis Chinese Wisteria
China
‘Amethyst’ ‘Jako’ Mid Spring - Early Summer ‘Prolific’
Fabaceae Legume Family
10ft+ Vine
Photograph from Flickr (CC) ukgardenphotos 30