Native Vines in Georgia

Full Sun Vines

• Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) thrives from Georgia's southeastern coastal plain to its higher northwestern elevations. This vine, which can grow up to 50 feet, brightens spring with abundant clusters of yellow, orange or red-orange, trumpetlike flowers against glossy, deep green leaves. Winter leaves are reddish-purple. Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) grows across much of Georgia's southeastern coastal plain and sporadically through the rest of the state. Its 10- to 20-foot stems produce dark green, glossy oblong leaves and bright yellow, funnel-shaped spring flowers. Fall foliage becomes yellow or purple. This climber also makes an effective, erosion-preventing ground cover.

Hummingbird-Attracting Vines

• Coral honeysuckle's (Lonicera sempervirens) spring-to-summer clusters of fragrant, yellow-throated red flowers draw hummingbirds to moist, fertile woodland locations. This 3-to 20-foot vine is most common in southeastern, northeastern and northwestern Georgia. Coral honeysuckle pairs glossy, oblong green leaves with peeling, warm brown bark. Quail-attracting red berries follow the flowers. trumpetvine (Campsis radicans) hoists itself up northeastern and western Georgia's woodland trees and field fences. This aggressive grower may cover everything within 35 feet with twining stems of compound, deep green leaves and summer-long, 3- to 4-inch trumpet flowers. Hummingbird favorites, the blooms are yellow, orange-red or bright red.

Fragrant Vines

• American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) grows along riverbanks and in the moist woods and thickets of Georgia's coastal plain. This woody climber typically reaches 25 to 30 feet, with deciduous, glossy, green compound foliage. Its 6- to 9-inch, cascading clusters of fragrant, lilac-blue flowers open after the vine has leafed out in spring. Brown seedpods follow the butterfly-attracting flowers. Swamp leather flower vine (Clematis crispa) grows primarily along the lower edge of Georgia's upper coastal plain. Climbing up to 10 feet with support, this wetland-loving plant has compound, deciduous oval green leaves. Its fragrant, bell-shaped flowers appear in late spring and early fall, with occasional summer flushes. Their colors include white, pink, lavender and pale blue.

Fruiting Vine

• American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) illuminates the fall and winter roadsides of northwestern Georgia's Walker, Towns and Lumpkin counties with showy clusters of orange-red berries. The 30-foot vine's deciduous, oval green leaves become yellowish-green in autumn. Its modest spring flowers are pale green. Wild sarsaparilla vine (Smilax pumila), a ground- hugging vine, reaches just 6 to 18 inches high and 1 to 3 feet long. Roots of this vine native to the dry pinewoods of Georgia's coastal plain has seen long use as a root beer and tea flavoring. Its yellow-green summer flowers give way to glossy, orange or red autumn berries. They display well against its white-mottled green foliage.