Ten Popular Native Vines

Pipevine (Aristolochia macrophylla) grows 20-30 feet long and produce Dutchman pipe-shaped bronze flowers in summer. Butterflies, particularly the Pipevine Swallowtail, flock to the fragrant flowers.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is fast growing evergreen vine that grows up to 20 feet long. Fragrant, tubular, orange-red flowers appear in late spring. It has tendril branches that terminate in adhesive disks that easily attach to walls. ‘Tangerine Beauty’ is a popular cultivar.

Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) is an extremely vigorous fast-growing woody vine up to 40 feet long with trumpet-shaped flowers that should be supported on sturdy arbors or fences. Choose from yellow, orange, or red blooms. Warning: this vine suckers profusely and grows too aggressively.

Texas or Scarlet Clematis (Clematis texensis) blooms from mid-summer to fall and tops out at 6-10 feet length. This sparsely leafed vine is often trained to intertwine through nearby shrubs. Cultivars: ‘Gravetye Beauty’ (red flowers) and ‘Duchess of Albany’ (pink flowered).

Leatherleaf clematis (Clematis glaucophylla) produces lavender to purple urn-shaped flowers with curling white tips. Vines grow 6-10 feet long is native to portions of Tennessee. Treat this vine as a deciduous perennial and allow it to ramble over small to mid-sized shrubs.

Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is a vigorous vine, up to 20 feet that add a dash of yellow blooms to walls and sturdy arbors in very early spring. Train it as a 3-5 feet tall mound shrub or attach one on your mailbox post. Favorite cultivar: ‘Margarita’.

Coral Honeysuckle, Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a 12-15 foot in sun or partial shade. Red or yellow trumpet like flowers appear early spring into mid-summer. Evergreen leaves are circular. Favorite cultivars: ‘Major Wheeler’ (orange-red flowers) and ‘John Clayton’ (yellow flowers).

Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) grows 6-8 feet long and is frequently seen growing up trees. Its deciduous foliage turn beet red in the fall. Blue-black berries form in late summer and quickly consumed by birds. Warning: aggressive grower and seeds freely.

American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) grows a lot less aggressive compared to its Asian counterparts in in sun or partial shade. Train it up a 15-20 foot pole or tree trunk; blooms are blue or purple in mid-spring. Favorite cultivar: ‘Amethyst Falls’ (lavender purple).

Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata) is a hardy fast grower vine, up 12 feet in length that climbs by tendrils. Its unique 2-3 inch wide flowers are white with purple filaments. Grows in full sun to partial shade, dies back in winter, and restarts in spring. Warning: roots may spread aggressively and become weedy.