22 Best Climbing Plants That Thrive in Pots for a Lush Outdoor Space

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Robby

Climbing plants are a gorgeous way to add vertical interest and lush greenery to any outdoor space. With their trailing stems and abundant blooms vines and climbers are ideal for decorating fences arbors, pergolas, and other garden structures. However, some fast-growing climbers can easily take over your garden if left unchecked. The solution? Grow climbing plants in pots!

Container gardening has many advantages, especially for aggressive climbers. Limiting their root growth helps keep these vigorous plants under control. Plus, cultivating vines in pots allows you to easily move them around your patio, porch, or balcony. You can even take them indoors for winter if needed.

Below we’ve curated a list of the best climbing plants that thrive in pots and containers With proper care, these vining beauties will flourish on your patio or deck for months of enjoyment

1. Mandevilla

With its tropical-looking blooms and glossy foliage, Mandevilla makes an excellent potted climber. Also called Rocktrumpet, this heat-loving vine shows off abundant trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of pink, red, yellow, and white all summer long. Grow Mandevilla in full sun and provide regular moisture. Prune it as needed to manage its size and maintain a tidy look.

2. Passion Flower

Looking for something exotic? Go for Passion flower (Passiflora spp.). This unique climber produces intricate, artistic flowers in purple, blue, red, and white hues. Passion flowers thrive in warm conditions. Place your container in a sunny spot and let the vines climb up a trellis.

3. Cardinal Climber

Add dazzling color to your container garden with Cardinal climber (Ipomoea x multifida). This fast-growing annual vine pumps out endless scarlet blooms shaped like miniature cardinal bird silhouettes from midsummer into fall. Grow it in full sun.

4. Cypress Vine

Also called Star Glory, Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) is prized for its feathery, fern-like foliage and delicate star-shaped blooms. Flowers appear in summer in shades of red, pink, or white. This heat-loving annual does best in full sun and moist, well-draining soil. Give it a trellis to climb.

5. Sweet Pea

Known for its incredible fragrance, Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) makes a great potted climber. These charming annual vines bloom in spring and early summer, producing ruffled flowers in whites, pinks, reds, purples, and bi-colors. Plant seeds or seedlings in pots. Keep soil moist and situate containers in full sun or partial shade.

6. Moonflower

For stunning nighttime display, grow Moonflower (Ipomoea alba). This evening bloomer opens its large, trumpet-shaped blossoms after dusk, releasing a lovely lemony fragrance. Moonflowers thrive in warm conditions. Give them plenty of sun and rich soil.

7. Morning Glory

A cottage garden classic, Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) is easy to grow in containers. This popular annual vine unfurls colorful trumpet-shaped blooms in shades like purple, blue, pink, white, and red. Morning glories do best in full sun with fertile, well-draining soil. Keep vines trimmed back as needed.

8. Hyacinth Bean

Also known as Lablab bean, Hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus) lends bold style to patio containers with its vivid purple flowers and shiny purple seed pods. This fast-growing annual climber needs full sun and thrives in hot, humid summers. Give it a trellis for support.

9. Black-Eyed Susan Vine

Add cheerful color to your container garden with Black-Eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata). This heat-loving fast grower blooms profusely, producing orange and yellow daisy-like flowers with dark centers from spring through fall. Site pots in full sun for best results.

10. Cup and Saucer Vine

One of the showiest potted climbers, Cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) pumps out numerous flowers resembling colorful cups and saucers from midsummer into fall. Provide full sun and fertile soil. Give vines a trellis or arbor to climb on.

11. Jasmine

Known for its heavenly fragrance, Jasmine makes a wonderful potted vine. Some top varieties for containers include Primrose jasmine (Jasminum mesnyi), Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac), and Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). Grow these beauties in sunny spots.

12. Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea may be thorny, but its vibrant blooms make it worth growing. These tropical woody vines produce colorful bracts in shades of pink, red, orange, purple, white, and more. Grow Bougainvillea in full sun and provide fertile, well-draining soil. It thrives in hot conditions.

13. Clematis

Available in a diverse range of flower sizes, shapes, and colors, Clematis is a popular choice for container gardens. There are varieties that bloom in early summer as well as types that flower midsummer into fall. Most Clematis prefer full sun to partial shade and moist, fertile soil.

14. Grape Vine

For edible appeal, try growing table grape vines like ‘Thompson Seedless’ and ‘Concord’ in large pots. Train vines up a decorative obelisk or trellis. Grape vines need full sun and fertile, well-draining soil. Prune regularly to control their vigorous growth.

15. Climbing Roses

Many varieties of climbing roses thrive in containers, flowering prolifically throughout the season. Good potted choices include ‘New Dawn’, ‘Zépherine Drouhin’, ‘Eden’, and ‘Don Juan’. Site containers in full sun. Most climbers appreciate fertile, moist soil.

16. Trumpet Honeysuckle

Trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) makes a great potted plant thanks to its compact size and non-vining habit. This North American native produces clusters of tubular red flowers that attract hummingbirds. It grows well in full sun or partial shade.

17. Potato Vine

Valued for its colorful foliage, Potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) looks striking spilling from containers. Varieties like ‘Variegatum’ offer chartreuse and white leaves while ‘Brilliant’ has iridescent purple-green leaves. Give this heat-loving spreader full sun. Prune as needed.

18. Coral Honeysuckle

Another compact honeysuckle suited to pots is Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’). This variety stays under 3 feet tall but spreads to 6 feet wide, making it a great spiller. Red-orange tubular blooms appear from late spring into summer. Site it in full sun.

19. Candy Corn Plant

Looking for unique foliage? Candy corn plant (Manettia luteorubra) delivers with its slender yellow-and-green variegated leaves rimmed in red. This Brazilian native also produces petite tubular red blooms in summer. Grow it in pots in full sun or bright shade.

20. Bloodroot Vine

Also known as tropical bleeding heart vine, Bloodroot vine (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) is grown for its intriguing flowers that resemble red and white hearts suspended from drooping clusters. Native to west Africa, this climbing vine needs warm temps, humidity, and filtered sunlight.

21. Cross Vine

An excellent native climber for containers is Cross vine (Bignonia capreolata). This unfussy vine produces abundant tubular orange-red flowers with yellow throats from spring into summer. Grow Cross vine in full sun to partial shade.

22. Snail Vine

Finally, give pots a tropical look with Snail vine (Vigna caracalla). Named for its unique coiled flowers resembling snail shells, this heat-loving vine blooms in summer with fragrant lavender-purple flowers. Grow Snail vine in full sun and provide regular moisture.

So there you have it—22 climbing plants that thrive beautifully in pots! Adorn your patio, deck, or balcony with these climbing beauties. With the right care, these container-friendly vines will reward you with lush greenery, abundant blooms, and vertical appeal all season long.

climbing plants that grow in pots

Add a vertical touch to your container garden by growing climbing plants for containers. Must see Best Vines for Containers!

The climbing plants in pots can bring a real touch of nature to any place, and they are a good way to add some privacy, too. These plants will create a nest of greenery where you can relax and rejuvenate and harbor in the mild soothing fragrance and lively colors.

Best Vines for Containers

Ivy is one of the best climbers for containers. Its ability to adapt to all types of position makes it an excellent choice for beginners. It can grow up to 80 feet high, and its evergreen foliage remains green even in winters. Plant it in a container that is wide and shallow rather than narrow and deep.

Morning glories are a good option and one of the best creepers or vines for containers. This old-fashioned plant is easy to grow.

Clematis is the perfect plant to add vertical height and interest to any container garden. Plant clematis in a large container. Fertilize this plant regularly and make sure to always water it thoroughly and deeply.

Virginia Creeper’s foliage turn into a beautiful red in the autumn. You can also grow it in a pot, even on a balcony. It improves privacy! To grow this, find a really big container and provide sturdy support of a trellis.

Climbing hydrangea is a great option, if you live under the USDA Zones 5-8 and have a lot of room, as this vine can grow up to 70 feet (ca. 21 m) long. It is shade-tolerant and thrives best in semi-shaded positions. This plant needs a large pot of about of the size of half of a whiskey barrel.

This big (up to 40 ft (12.19 m).) and a fast-growing vine is considered as a weed in some parts due to its invasiveness. Despite the fact, this plant is famous for its trumpet-shaped flowers that come in shades of yellow to red and attract hummingbirds. Trumpet vine is more suitable for warm temperate, still it can acclimatize and grow in cooler regions if the protection from cold is provided in winter.

The bougainvillea is not a vine but a climbing shrub, it is easy to grow, colorful and controllable. You can grow it to give a tropical touch to your container garden. As bougainvillea is a tropical plant, the protection in winter is required in temperate zones.

There are about 180 different varieties of honeysuckle available as vines and creepers and can be grown diversely in a variety of climates (USDA Zones 3-11). Most of the honeysuckle varieties are evergreen in warmer climates. When growing honeysuckle, place the plant in full sun and do a regular watering. Occasional feeding with balanced fertilizer is enough.

Wisteria is one the most popular vines and it grows best in moderately cool climate. It can become huge, however, by providing solid support to the wisteria vine and some space you can grow it in a container, too. Also, it is required that you transplant this plant time to time into one size bigger pot.

Truly the most fragrant flower. Even its heady fragrance is sometimes too much for some people. The Jasminum Officinalis is easy to grow in containers and requires well-draining soil and warmth (hardy in USDA Zones 8-11) to thrive. The plant usually blooms in summer, but in the tropics, jasmines are evergreen and in flower most of the year.

Confederate jasmine is a robust plant. It has moderate watering needs and doesn’t mind the hot and humid weather. Similar to other jasmines, it also likes warm climate and exposure to the sun. The beautiful star-shaped flowers appear in clusters. This vine is suitable for containers as it only grows up to 20 ft. long.

Climbing roses bloom prolifically, many varieties have a pleasant rosy scent. Consider the overall mature size of the variety that you are going to grow and the time you can devote to it, as roses require care and maintenance. Prune the plant on time and regularly remove the faded flowers to keep it in an attractive appearance.

Mandevilla is an eye catcher. With proper care and an optimal location to enjoy the graceful, funnel-shaped flowers of this plant appear all summer. However, Mandevilla requires warm climate to thrive but you can still grow it as an annual in cooler zones.

35 Best Vines for Containers | Climbing Plants for Pots

FAQ

What vines can you put in pots?

Some to consider include; morning glory, thunbergia, cardinal climber, cypress vine, sweet pea, hyacinth bean, mina lobata, snail flower and love-in-a- puff. Most of the annual vines support themselves by either twining or using tendrils.

What is the easiest climbing plant to grow?

Easy to Grow Climbing Plants
  • Fragrant Star Jasmine. …
  • Jasmine nudiflorum. …
  • Wisteria ‘Black Dragon’ …
  • Wisteria ‘Multijuga’ …
  • Honeysuckle ‘Gold Flame’ …
  • Honeysuckle ‘American Beauty’ …
  • Rose ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ …
  • Rose Climbing Blue Moon. Add some whimsical nature to the summer garden with these soft purple blooms.

What is the longest blooming climbing plant?

Which climbing perennial blooms the longest? Clematis is one of the longest-blooming climbing perennials. Other climbing perennials that have an extended bloom season include black-eyed Susan vine, mandevilla, and snail vine (corkscrew vine).

Can climbing clematis grow in pots?

While many clematis are suitable for being grown in a pot, these are the best for a compact and prolific display in a typical free-standing patio pot. When potting patio clematis, choose a large container, preferably terracotta not plastic, at least 18″(45cm) deep with adequate drainage holes.

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