Best 20 Plants for Vertical Garden
Vertical gardens have gained immense popularity as a garden trend, despite their ancient origins. Utilizing these plants in an upward fashion offers a fantastic solution for almost any garden space. Selecting the right plants for a vertical garden is crucial for creating a stunning and thriving green wall. The market offers a wide variety of specifically designed plants for vertical gardens to ensure you have ample choices to create a beautiful garden.
Below are several plant varieties that thrive in vertical gardens, providing not only aesthetic appeal but also attracting birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
American bittersweet
Featuring pale green blooms in early summer, the American bittersweet is a climbing vine with a woody stem. It also produces red berries during the fall season, adding interest to winter gardens and attracting birds. This versatile plant adds a touch of vibrancy and texture throughout the changing seasons.
American wisteria
The American wisteria is a woody perennial vine that thrives under the sun, growing up to 30 feet long. Its compound leaves and light purple blooms add elegance to any garden, with its blossoms appearing in late spring. Furthermore, the fragrant flowers attract butterflies, contributing to the overall charm of the garden.
Arborvitae
Arborvitae, slow-growing trees, creates dense evergreen foliage, ideal for providing privacy and vertical height within gardens. Certain varieties exhibit a bronze cast during the fall and winter seasons, adding another dimension to their appeal. These trees tolerate trimming well, enabling the creation of whimsical topiary designs.
Black-eyed Susan vine
Black-eyed Susan vine, an annual climber, adds cheer to gardens with its yellow, orange, white, or apricot-colored blooms. The flowers feature dark centers, hence their name. Black-eyed Susan vines can grow up to 6 feet or more, thriving in full sun and enhancing the vertical aspect of any garden space.
Cardinal climber
Cardinal climber, like most annual vines, thrives in full sun and showcases masses of scarlet-red flowers resembling miniature morning glories. Its exquisite blooms are particularly favored by hummingbirds, adding a dynamic element to the garden throughout the summer until the onset of frost.
Clematis
Clematis, a perennial plant, flourishes with flowers in sunny areas while keeping its roots shaded. With a wide range of shapes and colors, these vertical plants create a striking visual display when climbing various structures. Some clematis varieties emit a delightful fragrance, enhancing their allure to both humans and wildlife.
Climbing hydrangeas
Climbing hydrangeas are prominent climbers, showcasing large clusters of white flowers against lush, dark green foliage. They employ aerial roots to secure themselves to walls, fences, and even large trees. Thriving in shaded areas, these vines are generally drought-tolerant, making them a versatile addition to vertical gardens.
Dutchman's pipe
Dutchman’s pipe is an adaptable vine that thrives in various lighting conditions. With heart-shaped leaves forming a rich curtain, it often conceals the fragrant summertime flowers within its foliage. This low-maintenance vine can grow to heights of 20 feet or more, rarely attracting pests and adding a touch of elegance to vertical garden designs.
English ivy
English ivy, a shade-loving and fast-growing woody vine, is capable of reaching up to an impressive 100 feet in height. Its evergreen leaves provide year-round visual interest when trained to climb walls, fences, or trellises. However, caution must be exercised to prevent it from climbing trees, as the dense foliage can deprive the tree of sunlight, eventually leading to its demise.
Grapes
While common grapes are primarily grown for their fruit production, they also possess ornamental value. Bright summer foliage, coupled with some fall color, make them a year-round attraction in home fruit gardens. When allowed to climb, grapes create a visually appealing element within the garden.
Hops
Hops, widely cultivated for beer-making purposes, possess not only practical value but also contribute to the beauty of vertical garden designs. With lime-colored seed heads that provide texture and color, hops plants offer visual interest in any garden space. These low-maintenance perennial vines thrive in partial sun when utilized ornamentally.
Junipers
Junipers offer intriguing evergreen options for vertical gardens. Their foliage possesses a delicate texture, adding visual interest to any setting. With a range of needle types, from small and sharp to scale-like, and an array of shades from chartreuse to silvery-blue, junipers serve well as topiaries or hedges to introduce height to garden spaces.
Kiwi
Kiwi vines are an excellent choice for growing over arbors or pergolas, casting deep shade below. Although it takes several years for newly planted vines to produce fruit, the wait is worthwhile. Prior to the fuzzy brown fruits, the vine showcases white blooms, further contributing to its attractiveness.
Mandevilla
Mandevilla, known for its elegance, boasts stunning trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of pink, white, or red. It is a perfect choice for creating a lush and tropical ambiance in vertical gardens. However, it is important to note that all parts of this plant are poisonous if ingested, necessitating precautions to keep it out of reach of pets and children.
Moonflower
Moonflower, with its large trumpet-shaped flowers, unveils its beauty in the evening, staying open until dawn. Certain varieties of moonflower even emit a pleasant lemon fragrance when in bloom. These vines can climb up to 15 feet or more, flourishing best in areas with ample sunlight.
Morning glory
Morning glory, a fast-growing vine, showcases a plethora of colorful blooms in shades of blue, purple, pink, and white. Some varieties even feature bicolored flowers or foliage with white variegation, enhancing their visual appeal. True to its name, morning glory flowers exclusively open in the morning, creating a captivating display. Growing up to 15 feet or more, it thrives best in sunny locations.
Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are easy to grow from direct seed sowing, thriving in even the poorest soil conditions. They bloom continuously throughout the season until the arrival of frost. Climbing varieties can be trained on trellises or fences, introducing vibrant colors and a vertical element to gardens. Notably, both the leaves and flowers of nasturtiums are edible, adding versatility to their appeal.
Pole beans
Pole beans, also known as green beans, encompass a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes when it comes to their beans. These vining plants flourish when supported by poles, stakes, or tripods, reaching heights of up to 15 feet. The versatility of pole beans allows for a diverse and visually appealing vertical garden.
Purple Hyacinth Bean
The purple hyacinth bean produces fragrant lavender-colored flowers throughout the summer, which eventually transform into stunning burgundy-purple seedpods. The foliage often displays hints of purple, further adding to its charm. This vertical plant can climb to impressive heights of 15 feet or more and thrives in sunny spots. In frost-free regions, the purple hyacinth bean can serve as a reliable perennial vine.
Scarlet runner bean
Scarlet runner bean is renowned for its rapid growth and large seeds. This vine produces vibrant red-orange flowers throughout the summer, attracting the attention of hummingbirds. With its ability to climb up to 10 feet or more, it thrives in full sun and adds a delightful burst of color to any vertical garden.
