Climbing Plants: Green Walls, Trellises & Arbors

Climbing plants – a green transformation for walls & fences

Climbing plants think vertically. Where there's no room for beds, they create maximum greenery with minimal footprint – and with it, cooling, food for insects, and privacy.

Climbing plants by climbing type

Self-clinging species (need no climbing aid):

• Ivy – evergreen, very robust, shade plant
• Virginia creeper (Boston ivy) – spectacular autumn colors, grows very fast
• Climbing hydrangea – slow to start, then gloriously white-flowering

Twining/tendril species (need a trellis, ropes, poles):

• Clematis – the queen of climbing plants, huge variety of cultivars
• Roses (climbing roses) – romantic, fragrant, requires maintenance
• Wisteria – breathtaking, but patience required (doesn't bloom until 3–5 years)
• Honeysuckle (Lonicera) – fragrant, bee-friendly

Annual climbers (fast, cheap from seed):

• Ornamental gourds – colorful and decorative, but not for the kitchen (they can contain bitter cucurbitacin)
• Runner beans – both useful and decorative (red flowers, and beans you can eat – but only cooked; raw they are toxic because of phasin; according to the BfR, cook them in boiling water for at least 30 minutes)
• Nasturtium – edible, flowers and leaves, very robust

Building trellises & structures yourself

Simplest method: stretch steel cables (5–8 mm) horizontally on the wall, 30–40 cm apart – most climbing plants will climb them.

Wooden trellis: slats in a diamond pattern, mounted on the wall – timelessly beautiful, about 10 years of durability.

Pergola: freestanding or against the house wall, for vigorously growing species like wisteria, hops, grapevine.

Shading an arbor or seating area

Fast-growing shade providers:

• Hops (up to 6 m/year!) – quickly casts dense shade
• Kiwi – edible privacy screen, requires planting both sexes
• Grapevine – elegant, light-permeable shade, with grapes as a bonus

Care

• Guide young plants to the trellis and tie them loosely
• Annual pruning keeps the plant in shape and promotes flowering
• Regularly keep self-clinging species like Virginia creeper away from gutters and window frames

Sources

• German Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE): Bittere Kürbisse und Zucchini nicht essen, as of 15 Oct 2025, accessed 5 Oct 2026
• German Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE): Grüne Bohnen vielseitig zubereiten, accessed 5 Oct 2026
• German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Lektine in pflanzenbasierten Lebensmitteln: Gibt es ein gesundheitliches Risiko? (Stellungnahme 03/2024), as of 23 Jan 2024, accessed 5 Oct 2026

The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.