Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 09:06 pm
To bloom without waiting in your garden or balcony, fast growing climbers are perfect!
Climbing plants are beautiful and have no equal for dressing up a bare wall, a fence, a pergola or a trellis. However, the effect is not immediate and the young plants will need time and care from you to grow to the desired size. Good news however: if you are eager to hide a face, to green up a border, to shade a pergola or to hide an ugly wall, know that some climbing plants grow faster than others! Here is our selection of fast-growing vines and climbing plants for gardeners in a hurry!
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The Virginia creeper
The Virginia creeper is a climbing plant well known to gardeners in a hurry; with its rapid growth (it grows about 2 to 3 meters per season) and its dense foliage, it has no equal to cover a low wall, a pergola or a trellis in less time than it takes to say it. It is so well known for covering large areas in a short time that many gardeners, surprised by its rapid growth, find it too invasive!
If you are looking for an aesthetic climbing plant that grows in a short time, the Virginia creeper is ideal. Moreover, to spoil nothing, know that the Virginia creeper is among the plants very easy to maintain and without parasites!
Visually, the deep green foliage of the Virginia creeper turns red in the fall and is a good base for other climbing plants with less foliage. The only downside: if the plant persists into winter, the deciduous foliage leaves the support bare during the colder months.
Good to know: if you have a wall in excellent condition, do not hesitate to opt for the Japanese Virginia creeper; the latter has indeed spikes (or suction cups) thanks to which it can attach itself to a wall. Conversely, the common Virginia creeper will need a support around which its tendrils can wrap.
Golden hops, a fast growing foliage covering
If you prefer an even more decorative foliage but just as vigorous as the Virginia creeper, the golden hop is for you! Fast growing, even very fast (after planting, the hop will grow 3 cm in the first week, then 10 cm the following week, and already one meter after the first month if the growing conditions are right!), this magnificent climbing plant wraps itself around any support and can reach 6 meters high in less than one year. Its beautifully cut leaves turn from yellow to green during the summer and dress up fences, trellises and other pergolas nicely.
To avoid becoming invasive, the hop requires an annual winter pruning.
Banks’ rose, perfect for brightening up a fence
Another solution to dress up a wall or a trellis in no time at all: opt for a very fast-growing climbing rose. The Banks rose has many advantages: firstly, it is thornless; secondly, it is very vigorous, easy to care for and disease-free; thirdly, it can grow up to 15 m high; and above all, it is a rose that keeps its foliage even in winter. This climbing plant is therefore perfect for covering a fence or railing quickly, and all year round!
As a bonus, its profusion of small white or yellow flowers will not fail to brighten up its dark green foliage in spring. Be careful, however: the Banks rose does not tolerate too much cold and is best suited to regions with mild temperatures.
An evergreen clematis, for an avalanche of flowers
Another fast-growing vine, the famous clematis can double in size in as little as a month and quickly cover pergolas, fences and trellises in a garden. Be careful, however, to choose an evergreen variety of clematis (such as Armandii, Michiko or Avalanche) so that you can enjoy it all year round, especially if you want to hide an unsightly low wall or face.
If the Armandii clematis is covered with white flowers at the end of winter, the Cirrhosa variety offers more colorful flowers, but is less resistant to the cold: choose the variety adapted to your region, but also to your type of soil and the exposure of your garden!
Easy to maintain and to prune, evergreen clematis can reach 4 to 5 meters high in a very short time, but there are also slower growing varieties!
A passion flower, an original and generous climber
Do you want to quickly dress up your fence or trellis with pretty, spectacular flowers and climbing plants? The passion flower is for you!
With a very fast growth, an evergreen foliage that can exceed 5 meters in height and a flowering period that lasts from May to October, you are sure to quickly fill your fence or pergola. The orange fruits of the plant, although not edible, also bring in summer a touch of contrasting color. Don’t hesitate to plant your passionflower at the foot of a spring flowering tree to give it some nice colors during the summer season!
A starry, fragrant and rustic jasmine
The star jasmine, also called false jasmine, has little to do with the classic jasmine. More resistant, it can better withstand low temperatures (up to -15 degrees) and its dense, evergreen foliage can be used all year round on walls, railings and pergolas.
Not only is its growth fast, but the star jasmine blooms from the first year and can quickly reach several meters for a height that can be between 2 and 4 meters. Its flowering, from June to September, will nicely dress its dark green foliage and its perfume, close to that of its cousin, will happily embalm the garden or the balcony where you will have chosen to plant this splendid climbing plant.
Cherry on the jasmine: if you want to dress a wall or an arbour with the false jasmine, you do not need to have a green thumb! Indeed, the cultivation of star jasmine is undemanding and requires little maintenance.
Annuals to complete the decor
Annual climbers, if they are not winter hardy, can nevertheless be precious allies to flesh out another creeper with less foliage, to bloom a basic foliage such as that of the Virginia creeper or simply to renew your plant decor every year. Ipomoeas are perfect for this purpose because they grow very quickly and bloom generously with blue, red, purple, pink or white corollas. Be careful though, they are prolific, reseed easily and can quickly become invasive!
The scented peas are also an interesting alternative with a fast development, a bloom from May to October, a great ease of implementation and a delicate perfume.