Best Climbing Plants for Your Trellis or Pergola

Pergolas and trellises are red hot for backyards—and they're also a great way to introduce some much-needed shade for outdoor entertaining. While you can always opt for canvas shades or other manmade options, adding climbing plants to your garden adds beauty along with some much needed respite from the shade.

But choosing the right climbing plants for your trellis or pergola can be challenging with so many gorgeous options out there, from flowering plants to intriguing foliage to even fruits and vegetables. Here's what to consider—and a few different plants to get you started.

Tips for Choosing Climbing Plants for Your Garden

Keep in mind how the pergola or trellis will be used

For an archway trellis in an out-of-the-way part of your garden, the sky's the limit, but if you're planning to use the space under your pergola for entertaining or as a well-trafficked entryway, you may need to be more mindful about your plant choices.

"Vines like bougainvillea and climbing roses can grow quite large and their thorny branches can be an issue if planted next to a walkway," says Zolene Quindoy, head horticulturist at Yardzen. If bees buzzing around your patio will disrupt your get-togethers, look for low-fragrance flowers that don't attract pollinators.

And you may need to be on regular cleanup duty if your pergola is over your outdoor living space. "All plants shed in some capacity and so will a vine," says Blythe Yost, co-founder and chief landscape architect of Tilly Design. "Tables or furniture underneath may be covered in debris at certain times of the year." My own grapevine-covered trellis becomes a bird feeding frenzy mid-summer, resulting in a constant need to clean my patio.

Understand the plant's growth habits

A plant that can grow up to 20-feet long could easily overpower a small trellis, while a more delicate vine may not provide enough shade for your space.

Climbing plants use different techniques to climb a structure—some of which may not be something you desire. "Some have twining stems or tendrils that wrap around vertical supports—think sweet peas, clematis, passionflower—while others attach themselves to surfaces via aerial pots or adhesive pads, including true ivy, Boston ivy, Virginia creeper, and climbing fig," says Quindoy. "These vines can be extremely difficult to remove and can damage the surfaces they were once attached to."

You'll also need to consider what the plant needs to thrive. "Remember that plants have light and water requirements that you need to take into consideration for the specific space you are looking to add climbing vines," Yost says. "The north side of any building is generally shady, so you’ll need something that works in shade."

Watch out for invasive plants

"By definition climbing plants are invasive," Yost says. "Some with rapid growth habits—ivy, wisteria, and akebia—can get out of hand and take over a garden. Others are more well behaved, such as clematis and lonicera."

A few climbing plants to reconsider for your garden:

• Chinese Wisteria 

• English Ivy

• Chinese Bittersweet

• Kudzu

• Concord Grapes

• Porcelain Vine

• Silver Lace Vine

• Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata)

Keep your pets and kids safe

A few common vines, like wisteria and Carolina jessamine, can be toxic to pets and kids, so you may want to reconsider them if you're concerned about the exposure.

Consider mixing two or more plants on the same structure

If you fall in love with more than one type of plant, you might be able to mix and match to create a perfect look. "Climbing roses and clematis are a great combination," Yost says. "The rose provides a structure for the clematis to climb up and the clematis adds substance to lower spindly stems."

Best Climbing Plants for Your Garden