Here are the 10 best flowering vines for your garden. The plants are easy to grow from seed. You can start the seed indoors six to eight weeks before last frost or directly sow them in the ground in spring. It can take 12 weeks after planting from seed for the vines to start flowering, so starting the seeds indoors can help speed things along. Use peat pots or paper pots, so you can transplant into your garden without disturbing the seedlings. Keep the soil moist, and you should see germination within one to two weeks. Make sure to harden off seedlings before planting outside. Once in your garden, water your vines once or twice a week to ensure moderate soil moisture, especially if you don’t have rainfall.
Color Varieties: White, yellow, orangeSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moderate moisture, well-draining
Canary creeper is a vigorous grower. But like its nasturtium cousins, it doesn’t really grab hold of anything. So if you want it to grow up a trellis or other support, you will need to tie it in place. It also looks good simply vining through other plants, and its vines can easily reach 10 to 12 feet long. Keep young plants consistently moist, but you typically only need to water established plants if the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
Color Varieties: YellowSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, moderate moisture, well-draining
The plants do not like being moved, so sowing directly into the garden is your best option. The hard seeds will germinate better if scarified (nicked or rubbed with sandpaper) before planting. Note that the seeds are poisonous if ingested. Moreover, the plants are generally low-maintenance, as long as you maintain evenly moist soil through watering and rainfall.
Color Varieties: RedSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining
The plant’s common name is a bit of a misnomer because this is not a snapdragon variety, and the trumpet-shaped flowers are not reminiscent of its namesake’s flowers. This vine looks lovely in containers and spilling over walls, and it will twine around strings and trellises. Climbing snapdragon can even be grown as a houseplant if you have enough sunlight. Plus, there are many hybrids of Asarina, though seeds can be hard to find.
Color Varieties: Lavender, pink, red, blueSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Average, moderate moisture, well-draining
Cup and saucer vines take a while to start blooming, so it helps to start the seeds indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost date. The flat seeds germinate better when planted on their edges, which makes them less prone to rot. Keep the seedlings indoors until you’re sure any frost has passed, as they’re sensitive to cold temperatures. The vines are typically easy to train to grow on trellises or other supports, and they require little maintenance beyond watering to keep the soil moderately moist. Blooms will come along in midsummer and continue into fall.
Color Varieties: PurpleSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, moderate moisture, well-draining
These vines do best when directly sown into the garden once the danger of frost has passed. The seeds germinate better when they’re scarified. Give the vines a support on which they can climb, such as a pergola or fence. They’re also great for hanging baskets and ground cover. Simply keep the soil moist and enjoy the blooms.
Color Varieties: Blue, pink, purple, red, white, yellow, bicolorsSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Average, moist, well-draining
Grow gourds as you would any other member of the squash family. They need a sunny spot, weekly watering, and soil with plenty of organic matter worked in. Unfortunately, they are also subject to the same pests and diseases as squash, including squash beetles, rodents, and powdery mildew. But they are prolific vines, and the colorful harvest at the end of the season makes a little pampering worth it. Many gourds are easy to dry and can be used as decorations or crafts, such as gourd birdhouses.
Color Varieties: Yellow, white, orangeSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, moderate moisture, well-draining
The plant is best grown by directly sowing seeds in the garden in the spring. As with so many flowering vines, the seeds are tough and germinate better if scarified first. Flowering generally starts in midsummer and continues through fall. The flowering will diminish once the pods form, though this is not a drawback because the pods also are attractive. Provide the plant with a sturdy support on which it can grow, and collect the seed pods in the fall for planting next year. Watering typically isn’t necessary unless you have long stretches without rainfall.
Color Varieties: Purple, white, pinkSun Exposure: Full sun to part shadeSoil Needs: Average, moderate moisture, well-draining
Some gardeners start seeds indoors around five weeks before the last frost. But others prefer to directly sow seeds in the garden once the danger of frost has passed. Other than regular watering, scarlet runner beans shouldn’t require much care. Mulch can help to keep the ground moist and cool for them, and a layer of compost in midsummer will give them an extra boost to get through the remainder of the season.
Color Varieties: RedSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, moist, well-draining
Sweet peas can be directly sown outside, or you can start them inside around five weeks before your last frost date. They have a hard seed coating, so scarification will speed germination. If you grow them in the vegetable garden, not only will they add color and fragrance, but they’ll also entice more pollinators to visit your veggies. Water your plants regularly to maintain even soil moisture, and add a layer of compost to encourage blooms. Be careful: sweet peas make look lovely, but they’re known to be toxic.
Color Varieties: Pink, red, purple, blue, white, bicolorSun Exposure: Full sunSoil Needs: Rich, medium moisture, well-draining
