Native Climbing Vines

USDA Zones 3 and 4

• Clematis virginiana, known as virgins bower or woodbine, flowers during August through October. It grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 and 4 in shade to heights between 12 and 20 feet. Woodbine, a climbing species of eastern North America, is a good fit in woodland and native plant gardens. Yellow-orange fruits of the American bittersweet, Celastrus scandens, split apart when ripe to show the scarlet seeds inside. Birds eat them, but they are toxic to humans. Bittersweet, a vine of eastern and central North America, tolerates cold winters, growing to 20 feet.

USDA Zone 5 and 6

• A Virginia creeper vine, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, features clinging tendrils, meaning it can attach to walls. Virginia creeper, appropriate for USDA zones 5 and 6, grows to 50 feet, with colorful fall leaves and blue berries that birds enjoy. Virginia creeper not only climbs structures, it grows along the ground as groundcover. The tubular, fragrant blooms gracing the trumpet honeysuckle vine, Lonicera sempervirens, bring color and the added benefit of attracting hummingbirds to a property. Trumpet honeysuckle grows in shade and sun, remaining small enough at 20 feet long to not overwhelm a fence or arbor.

USDA Zone 7 and 8

• The rootlets of the trumpetcreeper, Campis radicans, help it secure itself to trellises and trees. This native climber for USDA zones 7 and 8 grows to 40 feet. It grows with few problems in most types of soils, as long as they are not overly damp, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Its trumpet-like flowers are scarlet and orange, growing to 3 inches long. Blue jasmine, Clematis crispa, is a short vine of the southeastern states, growing to 10 feet. It requires damp soil in which to thrive, making it a possibility for planting near ponds and streams. Its blue flowers, shaped like small bells, bloom in late spring.

USDA Zone 9

• Terrace walls and arbors in USDA zone 9 are great places to plant the American wisteria vine, Wisteria frutescens. It grows to 40 feet long, with drooping 6-inch-long clusters of purple flowers. Blooming during April and May, its flowers yield seedpods up to 5 inches in length. Zone 9 is the warmest zone where crossvine, Bignonia capreolata grows; it is semi-evergreen in such a warm climate. The vine grows up to 50 feet long in a wild setting across the eastern United States, but shorter when scrambling up pillars and trellises. Its flowers bloom in May and its green leaves are 6 inches long.