If you’re looking to add vertical interest and a splash of rich color to your garden, look no further than climbing plants with purple flowers. These beautiful bloomers can turn a plain fence or bare wall into a stunning floral display that lasts for months.
They come in many forms, from annual vines to perennial powerhouses, offering options for every climate and garden style. Whether you have a sunny patio or a shady corner, there’s a purple-flowered climber ready to thrive. Let’s look at how to choose, plant, and care for these spectacular plants.
Climbing Plants With Purple Flowers
This category includes a wonderful range of plants. Some are known for their fragrant blossoms, while others boast incredible flower size or foliage. Here are some of the most popular and reliable choices to consider for your garden.
Excellent Perennial Choices
These plants come back year after year, forming the backbone of your vertical garden.
- Clematis: The queen of climbers, with many purple varieties. ‘Jackmanii’ offers deep violet, velvety flowers from summer to early fall. ‘Etoile Violette’ has nodding, bell-shaped blooms with a lovely fragrance.
- Wisteria: A vigorous, woody vine known for its breathtaking, drooping clusters of lilac-purple flowers in spring. It needs strong support and patience, as it can take a few years to start blooming well.
- Passion Flower (Passiflora): Features exotic, intricate flowers often in shades of lavender and deep purple, followed by edible fruit in some species. It thrives in warm, sunny spots.
- Climbing Hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides): While often white, some cultivars and related species like Schizophragma integrifolium offer lace-cap flowers with subtle purple tints. It’s excellent for shade.
Fantastic Annual & Tender Options
Perfect for quick coverage or adding color to containers in a single season.
- Purple Bell Vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineus): A unique tender perennial often grown as an annual. It produces charming, dangling flowers with a dark purple bell and a pinkish-red base.
- Hyacinth Bean Vine (Lablab purpureus): A fast-growing annual with purple stems, rich purple-veined leaves, and clusters of fragrant purple pea-flowers, followed by shiny purple pods.
- Morning Glory (Ipomoea): Classic annual vines like ‘Grandpa Otts’ or ‘Star of Yelta’ produce vibrant purple, trumpet-shaped flowers that open in the morning sun. They grow very quickly from seed.
- Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata): Usually seen in orange or yellow, but look for varieties like ‘Arizona Purple’ which offer beautiful soft purple blooms with a dark center.
Choosing the Right Plant for Your Space
Before you buy, think about your garden’s conditions. Match the plant to the place for the best results.
- Sunlight: Most climbers need at least 6 hours of sun for the best flowering. Wisteria, Clematis, and Morning Glory love sun. Climbing Hydrangea and some Clematis varieties (check the tag) tolerate partial shade.
- Support Structure: Is it a trellis, arbor, or fence? Twining vines like Wisteria and Morning Glory need thin supports to wrap around. Clinging vines like Climbing Hydrangea attach themselves to walls or fences.
- Climate Zone: Check your hardiness zone. A perennial Wisteria will survive cold winters, but a Passion Flower might need protection or be grown in a pot to bring indoors.
- Mature Size: Be realistic about space. Wisteria can become massive, while a Hyacinth Bean Vine is much more manageable for a single season.
How to Plant Your Purple Flowering Climber
Proper planting gives your vine the best start. Follow these steps for success.
Step 1: Prepare the Site
Dig a hole about twice as wide and just as deep as the plant’s root ball. Loosen the soil at the bottom and sides of the hole. Mix some compost or well-rotted manure into the excavated soil to improve fertility and drainage.
Step 2: Position and Plant
Gently remove the plant from its container. Place it in the hole so the top of the root ball is level with the surrounding soil. For Clematis, it’s often recommended to plant it slightly deeper, burying the first set of leaf nodes to encourage a bushier base. Backfill with your improved soil, firming it gently as you go.
Step 3: Water and Mulch
Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch (like bark chips or compost) around the base, keeping it a few inches away from the stem. This helps retain moisture and keeps roots cool.
Step 4: Provide Initial Support and Training
Gently tie the main stems to your support structure with soft plant ties. Guide the young growth in the direction you want it to climb. Check on it weekly, redirecting any stray shoots to encourage even coverage.
Caring for Your Blooming Beauties
Once established, these plants are relatively easy to maintain with a few key tasks.
Watering and Feeding
Consistent watering is crucial in the first year. After that, water during prolonged dry spells. Feed in early spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer to support new growth. A fertilizer higher in potassium (like a tomato feed) can encourage more prolific flowering as buds form.
Pruning Guidance
Pruning can be confusing, but it’s simple once you know when your plant blooms. The main rule is to prune right after flowering for spring bloomers, and in late winter for summer/fall bloomers.
- Spring Bloomers (e.g., Wisteria): Prune in late summer, cutting back long whips to 5-6 buds from the main stem.
- Summer/Fall Bloomers (e.g., Clematis Jackmanii, Hyacinth Bean): Prune in late winter or early spring before new growth starts. Cut back hard to a pair of strong buds low down on the stem.
- Repeat Bloomers: A light prune after the first flush of flowers can often encourage a second bloom.
Common Pests and Problems
Keep an eye out for a few common issues. Aphids can cluster on new growth; a strong spray of water usually dislodges them. Slugs may attack young seedlings. Powdery mildew, a white fungus on leaves, can occur in dry soil and humid air; ensure good air circulation and consistent watering to prevent it. If your wisteria isn’t flowering, it might be due to excess nitrogen fertilizer, pruning at the wrong time, or simply needing more maturity.
Design Ideas for Purple Flowering Climbers
Think beyond the basic trellis. Use them to create privacy screens on a balcony, soften the lines of a pergola, or frame a doorway or window beautifully. Plant a clematis to grow through a spring-flowering shrub for a sequential color show. Combine a purple Hyacinth Bean Vine with a yellow Canary Creeper for a striking contrast. In a container, a purple Bell Vine or Morning Glory can create a stunning “thriller” element in the center, trailing down the sides.
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
What is the fastest growing climber with purple flowers?
Morning Glory and Hyacinth Bean Vine are among the fastest. They can grow several feet in a single season from seed, providing quick color and coverage.
Are there purple flowering climbers for shade?
Yes. Some Clematis varieties, like ‘Nelly Moser’ (pink with stripes, but often grouped with purples) or ‘Betty Corning’ (lavender), do well in partial shade. Climbing Hydrangea is another excellent option for shadier walls.
Which purple flowering vine is fragrant?
Wisteria has a strong, sweet grape-like scent. Some clematis, like ‘Etoile Violette,’ are lightly fragrant. The Hyacinth Bean Vine and Sweet Pea (available in purple) also have lovely fragrances.
How do I get my wisteria to bloom?
Ensure it gets full sun, avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer, and prune correctly in late summer. Sometimes, root pruning by digging a spade in a circle around the plant can shock it into blooming. Most importantly, be patient; grafted plants bloom sooner than those grown from seed.
Can I grow these in pots?
Absolutely. Choose a large, sturdy container with drainage holes. Use a high-quality potting mix. Annuals like Morning Glory are perfect for pots. For perennials like Clematis, choose a compact variety and be prepared to water and feed more regularly. Providing a obelisk or small trellis in the pot gives them support.
Adding climbing plants with purple flowers to your garden is a rewarding project. With their vertical habit and stunning blooms, they maximize your space and create a beautiful, layered look. By selecting the right plant for your conditions and providing simple care, you’ll enjoy a magnificent display of purple blossoms for seasons to come. Start planning your purple vertical garden today—you won’t regret the vibrant beauty it brings.