What Vines Grow Fast & Run Upwards?

Annual Vines

• Morning glories and their cousins moonflowers belong to the Ipomoea family and grow quickly each year. Plant them in full sun and provide them with a lightweight support. Both plants climb by twining and may reach 15 feet in one season, depending on the cultivar. Morning glories produce white, purple, pink or blue flowers in the morning, while moonflowers produce fragrant white flowers in the evening. Other options for fast-growing annual vines include the hyacinth bean vine or black-eyed Susan vines. Plant annual vine seeds indoors four weeks before the last frost, or sow them directly in the garden in late spring.

Flowering Perennials

• Most perennial vines take a year or two to become established and then take off, growing vigorously. Try honeysuckle, silver fleece, hardy kiwi, trumpet vine or clematis for fast-growing flowering vines. Honeysuckle grows so vigorously that it may become invasive without annual pruning. All perennial vines benefit from trimming to remove dead growth and control size. They bloom at various times throughout the season, and most prefer full sun.

Evergreen Vines

• English ivy is evergreen in most climates and climbs quickly, scaling buildings and fences via aerial rootlets. It can become invasive in moist, mild climates, but provides year-round screening for privacy. Wintercreeper euonymus grows more slowly than English ivy, but has less potential for becoming invasive. It spreads by aerial rootlets, as well. Plant English ivy and wintercreeper in partial shade to full sun.

Deciduous Vines

• Virginia creeper is a rampant grower known mostly for its foliage, although it produces small flowers and berries, as well. The plant has large, deeply lobed leaves in clusters of five and is sometimes mistaken for poison ivy. It scrambles over fences and up walls and turns brilliant red and purple in the fall. American bittersweet is another rampant grower, known mainly for its brilliant red and orange berries in the fall. The berries are decorative, but toxic.