11 Stunning Flowering Vines for Shady Gardens

Flowering vines are a great way to add some life to a dark corner of your landscape. Mountain climbers make bold statements while using minimal ground space. The trick is choosing the right vine. Is your garden shaded for part of the day or has intermittent shade—allowing sunlight to stream in all day? Either way, a vine that grows in partial shade is your best bet. But don’t worry if full shade describes your space better. Some flowering vines also thrive in this type of shade. Choose the best vines for shade from the list below, provide support, then stand back and enjoy the show.

01. Chocolate Vine

This vigorous, tangled vine has attractive compound leaves, each with five rounded leaflets. In early spring, fragrant purplish-red flowers appear, followed by edible, sausage-shaped fruits. While chocolate vine (Akebia quinata) is deciduous in cooler areas, it is semi-evergreen in warmer climates. It may require heavy pruning to keep all lush growth within bounds, and is considered invasive in some areas.

02. American Wisteria

The purple or white, grape-like flower clusters that hang from woody stems of wisteria frutescens appear about a month after the Asian species, after its glossy green compound leaves open. Additional flowers may appear sporadically throughout the summer. Despite its vigor, American wisteria is not as vigorous as non-native wisteria. Its twining stems climb easily to supports.

03. Canary Creeper

Commonly grown as an annual, canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum) is a close relative of nasturtiums and makes a good choice for a planting bed or hanging basket. It has slender stems and attractive dark blue-green leaves. From early summer to fall, it produces an endless stream of bright yellow, finely edged flowers.

04. Star Jasmine

This evergreen vine is highly prized for its star-shaped white flowers that emit an intoxicating scent. The flowers appear in late spring and summer and are about an inch and a half across. Plant Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) near your patio or deck where you can easily enjoy its sweet scent.

05. Coral Honeysuckle

Although Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is an invasive nuisance in most areas, the native American coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is very easygoing and undemanding. Its double, bluish-green leaves are semi-evergreen. From spring through summer, the vine blooms with clusters of coral-colored tubular flowers. If you need to prune this vine to control its size, the best time is in the spring after the first sight of its flowers.

06. Yellow Butterfly Vine

This vine is an evergreen perennial in warm climates but can be grown as a summer annual in cooler climates (it grows well in containers). Yellow Butterfly Vine (Mascagnia macroptera) grows quickly and is easy to train up fences or trellises. From late spring to mid-summer, clusters of bright yellow, orchid-like flowers bloom on dark green foliage. These are followed by light green, papery seed pods that look like tiny butterflies.

07. Virgins Bower or Woodbine

This perennial climbs by wrapping its twisted leaf stalks around its supports. Clematis virginiana is native to eastern North America and produces clusters of bright white, fragrant flowers in the fall, which attract a variety of pollinators. If this vine is not supported, it will spread across the ground, creating a dense ground cover.

08. Purple Bell Vine

This delicate perennial is usually grown as an annual. Purple Bell Vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineus) has green, heart-shaped leaves that are often burgundy along the edges. The bell-shaped flowers are two inches long, deep violet-pink with a deep burgundy bell-shaped center. They hang beautifully along the stems from early summer through fall.

09. Dutchman’s Pipe

This deciduous plant climbs on twisting stems and is often grown to provide privacy for a patio, pergola, or deck. Its heart-shaped leaves can reach 12 inches across. As you might guess from the name, Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla) has green and purple tube-shaped flowers, but you may have to look under the foliage to catch a glimpse.

10. Climbing Hydrangea

Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomola subsp. petiolaris) is a woody, deciduous vine that climbs along the trunk by aerial roots that attach to a wall, fence, or tree bark. The stems can grow several feet from the supporting structure. From late spring to early fall, large white flowers bloom—the fragrant white flowers of early spring. As the vine ages, its bark provides winter interest.

11. Japanese Hydrangea

The Japanese Hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) is closely related to the Hydrangea petiolaris, and looks similar to its cousin. Also called the False Hydrangea, this plant blooms late in the season, and its branches do not spread much, giving it an elegant appearance.

Most of these flowering vines need shade with three to six hours of bright light each day. Many will also grow well in full sun. In areas In hot weather, shade in the afternoon is very beneficial because the sun is at its strongest.