Thick Vines That Bloom

Lianas

• Some of the world’s thickest, longest vines belong to a group known as lianas. These climbing vines grow in tropical rain forests and grow up to 3,000 feet long. Lianas have woody, thick stems and climb up trees using twining tendrils or aerial rootlets. Ornamental lianas include 100 species in the Mandevilla genus. These tropical, woody vines are generally grown as annuals in the United States. Selections include Splendens, an evergreen with 4-inch flowers that bloom light pink and age to deep rose. Laxa has deciduous, heart-shaped foliage and blooms with clusters of white, fragrant flowers in summer, while Alice du Pont has lustrous, evergreen foliage and produces pink, trumpet-shaped blooms from spring through fall.

Monstera

• Several vines from the Monstera genus grow as ornamentals. These thick vines have stems up to 4 inches in diameter. They are native to Central American tropical and subtropical rain forests, where they grow on the ground and climb trees using aerial rootlets. Monsteras flower with spikes covered with white floral bracts. Several species are commonly grown as houseplants in the U.S., including M. dissecta, M. friedrichsthalii, M. lechleriana and M. pertusa. Landscape ornamentals include M. deliciosa, which grows to 70 feet long and has heart-shaped, 3-foot-long foliage. They require lightly shaded, warm sites.

Other Non-Native Vines

• Costa Rican nightshade (Solanum wendlandi) grows rapidly and has thick, thorny stems and large, spiny leaves. This evergreen blooms with 1-foot-wide clusters of blue-purple flowers in spring and summer. It climbs by twining and thrives in shaded sites. Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.) also has stout, thorny stems. This tropical perennial is often grown as an annual. It flowers spring through fall with white, pink, red or purple flowers and climbs by twining. Bougainvillea grows best in sunny sites.

Other Native Vines

• Bittersweet (Calastrus scandens) is native to the southeastern U.S. This thick, twining, deciduous vine blooms with white-green flowers on new growth and produces long-lasting red seeds. It grows quickly to 25 feet long and turns yellow in autumn. The Dutchman’s pipe or pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla or durior) grows to 30 feet long. It has a thick, woody stem and dark, heart-shaped foliage. These native vines prefer sunny or lightly shaded sites and clump by twining. They bloom with scented, white and reddish-brown flowers in spring.