Pergolas are beautiful additions to a garden, providing not only a strong vertical element, but also protection and shade. Add life to your pergola by covering it with a beautiful, suitable climbing plant.
The best plants for a pergola are ones that will grow rapidly to cover the structure and require minimal care. But lets not forget the design aspect – color and structure is important too. By choosing the perfect plant you can add color, fragrance and what is most important you can create a private shady area in your garden. You can even combine your favorite climbers to add even more color and structure throughout the whole year. For starters, lets see which are the best and most popular pergola plants and vines to use and make sure that your pergola is built strong enough to support whichever plant you choose.
1. Clematis
Clematis is one of the most popular climbers and is widely used by gardeners mostly due to its beautiful flowers found in different colors and shapes. You can check our Complete Clematis Care Guide and learn everything you need to know about using this gorgeous climbers for covering your pergola.
Extra tip – combine Clematis with climbing roses for a quick cover.
2. Wisteria
Wisteria is a woody, deciduous, perennial climbing vine with shiny green leaves and beautiful white, blue or violet flowers. They prefer moist soil and are shade tolerant. Although very popular climber, this fragrant beauty must have sturdy support.
Extra tip – seed pods that form in late summer can be toxic to dogs when eaten.
3. Jasmine
If you would like to use your pergola to create a private, shaded sitting area then using Jasmine to cover it is the perfect choice. This is mostly because of its starry flowers and wonderful scent. Jasmine is most definitely one of the most beautiful climbers out there, although it is not a typical climbing plant as it needs a good support. This plant is very easy to maintain and can grow well in sun or partial shade.
4. Trumpet vine
The Trumpet Vine is a beautiful trumpet that produces interesting trumpet-like flowers. It is a sun-loving deciduous climber that can tolerate partial shade as well. It flowers from late summer till autumn.
5. Bougainvillea
Plant Bougainvillea in the right climate and you will get colorful flowers for 11 months a year! This beautiful climber likes hot and dry places so it is most suitable for hardiness zone 9 or higher. If you live in a colder climate you can still plant it in a pot and get it inside for the winter, but this isn’t very suitable if you want to use ti as a pergola coverage. If you are lucky enough to live in a warmer place, just choose a sunny spot for your Bougainvillea and provide rich, well drain soil.
Extra Tip: Water sparingly, fertilize regularly
6. Honeysuckle
Oh, the fragrance of the Honeysuckle – so inviting! Similar to Trumpet Wine, Honeysuckle produces trumpet shaped flowers that are popular because of their scent. No wonder they are magnets for hummingbirds. Make sure you choose a twining vine variety like the Trumpet Honeysuckle (L. sempervirens) if you’d like to use it for covering a pergola. Honeysuckle blooms from spring to midsummer.
7. Climbing Roses
Another popular choice for pergolas, even though they require extra maintenance and pruning. There are so many varieties to choose from – it all depends on your personal taste and preferred color. Some of the best varieties to choose are “Joseph’s Coat” with multi-colored flowers, “Golden Showers” with bright yellow, “New Dawn” with lite pink, and “Fourth of July” with red and white flowers.
8. Passionflower
These exotic climbers (also known as Passiflora) produces purple and white flowers and will quickly cover your pergola. There are frost hardy varieties available for the northern garden. These vines is characteristic for its vibrant flowers and appealing fragrance. But they are one of the best pergola plants because they can reach 20 feet growth in a single season. They need full sun and drained soil.
9. Climbing Hydrangea
Here is a beautiful shade loving climber for your pergola! Although a but hard to establish, this shade-tolerant climber becomes vigorous. Just make sure you plant it in rich, well drained soil. The blooming starts in summer. Plant it if you want a deep, rich texture. It is one of the best of the ornamental vines and useful because it will grow and flower even in a northern exposure.
Extra tip – Over-watering is a chief reason for losses.
10. Golden Hops
You want to brighten and quickly cover your pergola? Plant Golden Hops and you will get a great, colorful foliage in no time. They need rich, moist well-drained soil with regular watering and prefer full sun to partial shade.
Extra tip – For optimal leaf color, keep that soil moist!
The Best Pergola Plants and Vines
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