Shade Tolerant Vines for Hanging Baskets

Less Than 10 Feet Long

• The black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata) grows quickly to 8 feet long. This tender perennial, usually grown as an annual in containers, blooms from summer through fall with yellow, orange and white flowers. It prefers moist, fertile soil and afternoon shade. The mandevilla (Mandevilla splendens) is a perennial that grows as an annual in cooler climates. It grows up to 8 feet long and blooms with long-lasting pink flowers. Mandevilla prefer moist, well-draining sites in partial shade. They tolerate salty soil and grow well in containers.

10 to 15 Feet Long

• A tender perennial, the purple bell vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineus) is commonly grown in containers as an annual. This cold-sensitive vine needs wind protection and grows quickly to 10 feet long. It prefers partially shaded, well-drained sites. The Athens Yellow bleeding heart (Dicentra scandens “Athens Yellow”) grows quickly to 13 feet long. It blooms with yellow blossoms through the summer months and grows well in containers. This deciduous vine is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones 7 to 9 and prefers partial shade.

15 To 25 Feet Long

• Madagascar jasmine (Stephanotis floribunda) grows to 15 feet long and has evergreen foliage. It grows slowly, but well, in containers and partial shade and blooms with aromatic, waxy flowers in summer. This vine requires well-drained soil. The stauntonia vine (Stauntonia hexaphylla “Cartwheel”), a tender perennial, is grown as an annual. This twining, 25-foot-long vine blooms with aromatic white blossoms from spring through summer. It grows well in partial shade and thrives in containers.

More Than 25 Feet Long

• The cruel vine (Araujia sericifera) is also hardy in zones 8 to 9. This fast-growing evergreen reaches lengths to 30 feet and grows best in lightly shaded sites. It blooms from summer through autumn with aromatic, white-pink flowers and grows well in containers. Blue trumpet vine (Thunbergia grandiflora) is well-suited to containers and prefers partially shaded exposures. This tropical variety climbs by twining. It grows to 30 feet long and blooms with blue, yellow and mauve flowers from summer through autumn. Creeping fig (Ficus pumila) grows well in partial shade and does well in containers. This 40-foot-long evergreen vine tolerates drought and is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 9. It is grown for its foliage and needs protection from winter cold.