Tropical Vines – Vertical Flowers and Foliage

Tropical vines are one of the most beautiful and versatile exotic plants for the garden and landscape. Their colorful flowers and attractive foliage come in a variety of colors, shapes, and textures. Annual vines and perennial flowering vines are the perfect choice for adding exotic color, texture, and style to your outdoor garden and landscape design.

Annual vines, such as Moonflower and Hyacinth Bean vines, are fast growing vines and can fill in your garden quickly while slower growing vines get established.

Perennial flowering vines, such as Clematis and Passion Flower Vines can take longer to get established; however, the final result is well worth the wait.

Tropical Vines - Tips for Selection and Proper Care

• Sprawling vines are vigorous, spreading plants. They should be tied to a trellis or other type of support.
• Twining vines come in two types. Some wrap around their supports. Others have twining tendrils that grab and wrap around anything in their path.
• Select a climbing vine suited to the climate of the hardiness zone you live in. If you live in a cold climate, consider planting the vine in a container and moving it indoors during the winter months.
• Choose the best planting location. Take into consideration lighting, temperature, humidity, and soil requirements.
• Research the tropical vine of your choice. Find out if it flowers on old or new wood or even both. Pruning vines increases flower production. The pruning schedule will be based on this information.
• Determine how the vine will be used in the garden or landscape. Climbing vines can be planted in the landscape as ground cover, trained as a shrub, or be used to decorate a structure, create shade, or define a space. They can also be planted in container, making it easy to bring them indoors during the winter.
• Consider buying tropical vines online.  You have access to multiple suppliers that offer a large selection of hard-to-find tropical plants.  Local nurseries and garden centers can only afford to stock a limited amount of choices during specific times of the year (usually spring and summer). Selection can be limited, depending on the planting zone you live in.
• Flowering vines should look sturdy, clean, and healthy.  If you are buying a potted plant from a nursery or garden center, check for signs of poor health, including yellow leaves, wilted foliage, and spindly growth.  Thoroughly check plants for signs of insects and disease.

Tropical Vines – What are Your Options?

There are a variety of vines available that are suitable for your garden and landscape.  Review the list of tropical vines below for options to consider.

Bleeding Heart Vine - Dramatic Heart-Shaped Blooms

The tropical Bleeding Heart Vine (also known as Glory Bower and Clerodendrum thomsoniae) is a beautiful flowering vine that puts on an amazing display of stunning red and white flowers. 

The magnificent flowers are long-lasting; they bloom throughout the year, but mainly in the spring. Their white sepals gradually change to light purple as they wither off. The ovate leaves have a smooth texture, are dark green in color, and grow to 5 – 7 inches in length.

Blue Jade Vine - Beautiful Cascading Flowers

The Blue Jade Vine (also known as Emerald Creeper, Flor-de-Jade, and Strongylodon macrobotrys) is a beautiful tropical vine that puts on a spectacular display of turquoise colored flowers. This exotic climbing vine produces a cascade of gorgeous blue-green flowers that dangle in midair.

The cascade of turquoise flowers grows to over a foot in length. The blue-green flowers bloom from spring through early summer.

Bougainvillea Vine - Versatile Outdoor Color

The Bougainvillea plant is known for its colorful flower bracts and quick growth rate. These evergreen climbers can be grown in containers, hanging baskets, or above-ground planters. Bougainvilleas can be trained as a shrub, or strategically planted to decorate a fence, pergola, or arbor. Smaller species can be used as ground cover.

Clematis Vine - Beautiful Colorful Flowers

Clematis care is easy when you take to time to select the best species for your comfort level and environment. With the right knowledge, many clematis species are easy to grow and care for. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is to ensure your clematis plants grow and prosper.

Clematis is a genus of evergreen or deciduous climbing vines or herbaceous perennials that are grown for their beautiful colorful flowers. This genus consists of approximately 300 species and a variety of large-flowered hybrids.

Hyacinth Bean Vine - Purple Flowering Vine

The Hyacinth Bean Vine (also known as Hyacinth Vine, Lablab purpureus, and Dolichos lablab) is a beautiful fast growing vine that puts on an amazing display of purple or white flowers, dark green foliage, and velvet-like bean pods.

Hyacinth Vine is native to Africa. It can grow up to fifteen feet tall, and should be planted near some type of vertical support, such as a trellis, fence, or wall. It can grow in any hardiness zone during warm weather. In USDA Hardiness Zones 10 – 11, it grows as a perennial.

Moonflower Vine - Night Blooming Flowers

The Moonflower Vine (also known as Moon Plant, Moon Vine, and Ipomoea alba) is a dramatic tropical vine that puts on a beautiful display of large, white, night-blooming flowers. The large, white moon flowers, which are five to six inches (12 – 15 cm) across, are surrounded by heart shaped leaves that are a rich, deep green color and four to eight inches (10 – 20 cm) long.

Passion Flower Vine - Dramatic Flowering Vine

The Passion Flower Vine (belonging to the Passiflora genus) is a dramatic flowering vine that is primarily grown for its exotic flowers and fruit. Two popular species include Passiflora caerulea and Passiflora incarnata.

Passiflora caerulea (also known as Blue Passion Flower) is native to Argentina and Brazil. This Passionflower vine is a fast growing evergreen climber with dark green, lobed leaves.

Trumpet Vine - Vibrant Trumpet-Shaped Flowers

Campsis radicans (also known as Trumpet Vine and Trumpet Creeper) is a fast-growing, woody vine that produces clusters of vibrant trumpet-shaped flowers and can grow up to forty feet (12 m) tall. It is native to the southeastern region of the United States and attracts hummingbirds. The Trumpet Vine produces pinnate compound leaves that are four to twelve inches (10 – 30 cm) long, covering the vine with bright green foliage.

Chinese Wisteria - Cascading Violet-Blue Flowers

Chinese Wisteria, also known as Wisteria sinensis, is a tropical climbing vine that can grow up to thirty feet (9 m) tall and produces flower clusters that measure six inches to one foot in length. The stems twine counter-clockwise. It is native to China and attracts bees, butterflies, and birds.

Wisteria flowers are violet-blue in color, slightly fragrant, and open all at once before the foliage has expanded. The fruit is a long, green flattened pod.

Japanese Wisteria - Delicate Cascading Blooms

Japanese Wisteria, also known as Wisteria floribunda, is a tropical climbing vine that can grow up to forty feet (12 m) tall and produces flower cascades that are twelve to eighteen inches (30 – 45 cm) in length. The stems twine clockwise. It is native to Japan and attracts bees, butterflies, and birds. Wisteria flowers are pale lavender or white in color, slightly fragrant, and bloom as the foliage expands. The pea-like flowers, which bloom in late May, open gradually from the base of the cluster to the tip. Foliage color is yellow in the fall.

More Tropical Plant and Flower Information

Tropical Plants - Exotic Foliage and Colorful Blooms

Tropical Flowers Create an Exotic Escape

Palm Tree Species – A Variety of Shapes and Sizes