Plant Name: Campsis selections Size: Climbs to 30 feet Zones: 5-9 Test Garden Tip: The native trumpet vine (Campsis radians) can spread aggressively via underground stems and may become weedy in a garden unless planted someplace it can be contained. The Chinese trumpet vine (Campsis grandiflora) is a little less vigorous so can be easier to keep in bounds. Plant Name: Schizophragma hydrangeoides Size: Climbs to 40 feet Zones: 5-9 Test Garden Tip: The variety ‘Moonlight’ has especially beautiful foliage; the dark green leaves have a noticeable silvery overlay. Plant Name: Aristolochia macrophylla Size: Climbs to 30 feet Zones: 5-8 Test Garden Tip: This vine is a host plant for a variety of swallowtail butterfly, so if you see caterpillars munching the leaves, don’t be alarmed. They’ll soon be beautiful butterflies. Plant Name: Celastrus scandens Size: Climbs to 30 feet Zones: 3-8 Test Garden Tip: Choose native American bittersweet and avoid growing Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), which may look similar but is an invasive weed. Plant Name: Passiflora incarnata Size: Climbs to 8 feet Zones: 6-8 Test Garden Tip: Like Dutchman’s pipe, this plant is a host plant for some butterflies. Allow the caterpillars to eat the foliage—plants quickly recover and grow back—and enjoy the butterflies weeks later. Plant Name: Clematis selections Size: Climbs from 4 to 25 feet, depending on type Zones: 3-9, depending on type Test Garden Tip: If you want to go native, select species such as C. pitcheri and C. texensis—they’re native to North America. Plant Name: Akebia selections Size: Climbs to 30 feet Zones: 4-9 Test Garden Tip: If you plant two different varieties of akebia, they may produce fleshy, edible fruit. Plant Name: Hydrangea petiolaris Size: Climbs to 50 feet Zones: 5-9 Test Garden Tip: Climbing hydrangea is not as fussy as its pink- and blue-flowering bigleaf hydrangea cousins, but it’s a slower grower, so be patient. Plant Name: Parthenocissus tricuspidata Size: Climbs to 60 feet Zones: 4-8 Test Garden Tip: Unlike most vines, it climbs using suction cups at the ends of its tendrils. Pulling it off a wall can be tricky because the small suction cups will stay attached. Plant Name: Lonicera selections Size: Climbs to 20 feet, depending on type Zones: 5-9 Test Garden Tip: Some varieties, like trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) are native to North America, but others aren’t and can become invasive in some areas; check local restrictions before planting. Plant Name: Actinidia kolomikta Size: Climbs to 15 feet Zones: 4-8 Test Garden Tip: Gardeners in cold-winter climates can grow A. arguta, a hardy species that bears delicious fruits. They’ll be much smaller than what you’re used to seeing at the grocery store, though. Plant Name: Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’ Size: Climbs to 25 feet Zones: 6-9 Plant Name: Lathyrus latifolius Size: Climbs to 6 feet Zones: 5-9 Note: Perennial sweet pea may be weedy or invasive in some areas, so check local restrictions before planting it. Plant Name: Wisteria selections Size: Climbs to 30 feet Zones: 5-9 Test Garden Tip: Check local restrictions before planting non-native species and varieties, because they are considered noxious weeds in warmer regions.
