Vines are used for many different purposes in the landscape. We might want to cover a fence to provide a screen, attract hummingbirds with a flowering vine, or just provide aesthetic appeal. Fortunately, we have a plethora of vines to choose from. Some things to consider before choosing a vine are its mature size, whether it requires sun or shade, if it is an annual or perennial, evergreen, deciduous, herbaceous, whether it climbs using tendrils, “holdfasts” by twining, and what attributes it can contribute to the landscape.

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Common Name Scientific Name Height Exposure Zone Evergreen  Description
Hyacinth Bean Vine Lablab purpurea 10′-15′ Sun Z9 No  

Twining vine with purple-pink flowers all summer. Collect seed to re-plant in spring. Pods are not edible. Annual.
Cypress Vine Ipomoea quamoclit 10′ + Sun Z10 No  

Vigorous twining vine with red flowers in summer which attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Re-seeds readily in Zones 6-9 and may be invasive. Annual.
Annual Morning Glory Vine Ipomoea sp. 10′-15′ Sun Z10 No  

Twining vines grow rapidly after sowing in spring. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Readily self-seeds. Annual.
Lavender Lady’ Passion Flower vine Passiflora ‘Lavender Lady’ 20′ Sun to Part Sun Z9 No  

Vigorous vine with 5″ purple flowers that bloom all summer. A sterile hybrid that does not produce fruit, and is an annual most years. Host plant for Gulf Fritillary Butterfly caterpillars. Attaches with tendrils.
Coral Vine                   (aka Queen’s Wreath) Antigonon leptopus 30′ + Sun to Part Sun Z8 No  

Deilicate vine with heart-shaped leaves and bright pink clusters of flowers. It begins its greatest round of flowers with the late summer rains. Dies back to sweet-potato like tubers at first frost. Truly an old-fashioned plant with spectacular blooms.
Yellow Butterfly Vine Mascagnia macroptera 20′-30′ Sun Z8 Yes/No  

One of the few vines that is actually reliably deer-resistant. Named for the seed pods shaped like butterflies, this twining vine boasts yellow clusters of flowers in the summer. Evergreen in mild winters, deciduous in severe winters.
Semi-Evergreen Wisteria Milletia reticulata 20+ Sun to Part Sun Z8 Yes/No  

Vigorous twining vine with lightly fragrant reddish-purple clusters of flowers June-August. Not invasive like the “true” Wisteria. Evergreen in mild winters.
Amethyst Falls’ Wisteria Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls‘ 8′-10′ up to 30′ Sun to Part Sun Z5 No  

This twining vine grows at 1/3 the rate of the Asian Wisteria. Blooms are lightly fragrant purple racemes that appear in late spring. May re-bloom lightly in summer.
Tangerine Beauty’ Crossvine Bignonia capreolata ‘Tangerine Beauty’ 30′ Sun to Part Sun Z6 Semi-Evergreen  

This self-clinging vine attaches to structures with tendrils. It boasts a long season of bloom beginning in late spring with a spectacular show of tangerine tubular blooms which attract hummingbirds. Scattered blooms throughout the summer.
Blue Caerulea Passion Flower Vine Passiflora caerulea 25′ Sun to Part Sun Z7 Semi-Evergreen  

Vigorous vine with tendrils to attach to structures, its 4″ blue and white flowers have the scent of grapes. Although it produces an edible fruit, it is not usually eaten raw but rather cooked as you would blackberries. It is the “host plant” for Gulf Fritillary Butterfly caterpillars.
Carolina Jessamine Gelsemium sempervirens 10′-20′ Sun to Part Sun Z6 Evergreen  

This vigorous twining vine will grow up trellises or along the ground as a groud cover. Flowering best in full sun, it produces scented yellow tubular blooms in early spring. All parts of plant are poisonous.
Coral Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens 10′-15′ Sun to Part Sun Z4 Semi-Evergreen  

Twining vine that flowers profusely in early spring, then sporadically throughout the summer. Tubular red-orange flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Red to orange berries attract Finches and Robins. Fairly deer resistant.
Confederate Star Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides 20′ Sun to Part Sun Z8 Evergreen  

Twining evergreen vine with spectacularly fragrant flowers in May-June. Blooms best in full sun. (Variety ‘Madison Hardy’ is a Zone 7 plant.)
Sweet Autumn Clematis Clematis paniculata 20′ Sun to Part Sun Z4 Deciduous  

Twining vines vigorously cover arbors or fences. Masses of white fragrant flowers late summer to fall are a pleasant surprise in a tired landscape.
Clematis hybrids Clematis spp. 6′-10′ Part Sun Z4 Deciduous  

Perfect for growing on trellises where a smaller vine is desired.”Tops in the sun, roots in the shade” for best growth. Spring flush of blooms with scattered blooms in summer to fall.