Flowering Vines For Shade (9 Perennial Climbers That Won’t Take Over Your Garden)

Need to hide your neighbor’s shed or soften the lines of a fence or trellis? These flowering perennial vines for shade are the perfect solution…they’re pretty and practical.

When I first moved into my house, as with most new construction builder-grade houses, there wasn’t an inch of shade to be found. Being out in the yard in the summer with that sun beating down felt like being in an oven. In fact, the yard was so devoid of life that the backyard didn’t even have any grass!

Of course, being someone who loves to garden, I couldn’t have a yard with no plants! So I set out to create some garden beds. And to help out with the shade situation, I made sure to plant a lot of bushes and small trees that would help cool things down a bit.

I had just moved to South Carolina so I had no idea how fast everything grows here compared to Toronto…and I can tell you, the longer growing season definitely makes a difference!

So now my hot as blazes full-sun yard has turned into a much cooler, mostly shady garden. And that means finding plants that thrive in the shade to replace the sun-loving varieties that aren’t doing so well anymore.

Like climbing roses. I used to grow them up the fence and over arbors to add some color and block my view of the neighbor’s shed, but they don’t do very well with so little sun.

So I’ve been looking for some flowering vines for shade that can take their place.

And I’ve discovered that finding shade vines that aren’t invasive plants is actually pretty hard. Which is why I haven’t included some of the common plants you usually see on these lists (like trumpet vine, ivy and honeysuckle).

But after doing some research I’ve finally been able to come up with a list of flowering vines for shade that I should be able to grow without creating a whole bunch of extra work for myself. (I strive to have a low maintenance garden!)

Keep reading to find out what they are.

1 | Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)

Zones: 4 to 9
Light: Shade to part shade
Bloom Time: Late spring to summer
Height: 40′ to 60′
Spread: 10′ to 15′

Climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea petiolaris) are notoriously slow to get started, and can take up to 5 years to get going. I was about to give up on mine when it finally took off!

However, once they do start to grow, they are worth the wait.

Imagine a whole wall of lacy white flowers, because that’s what you’ll have if you’re patient.

They are rather heavy plants and can get very tall so make sure you have them planted on a sturdy structure with room to grow.

Click HERE to find out more about Climbing Hydrangeas.

Buy it HERE.*

2 | Japanese Climbing Hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides)

Zones: 5 to 9
Light: Part shade to shade
Bloom Time: Summer
Height: 30′ to 40′
Spread: 5′ to 8′

The Japanese Climbing Hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) is in the same plant family as the other climbing Hydrangea, and it takes just as long to get going!

It has large, lacy 8″ to 10″ flowers that look really pretty cascading down the side of a fence.

The most common variety ‘Moonlight’ has white flowers, but there is also a pink-flowered version (‘Roseum’).

If you are looking for a shade vine for the North side of your house, this could be the plant for you.

Find out more about Japanese Climbing Hydrangea HERE.

Buy it HERE.*

3 | Native Climbing Hydrangea or Woodvamp (Hydrangea barbara)

Zones: 5 to 10
Light: Part shade to shade
Bloom Time: Summer
Height: 30′ to 40′
Spread: 30′ to 40′

Are you sensing a trend here? The different versions of Climbing Hydrangeas are very popular shade vines!

This climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea barbara, previously known as Decumaria barbara), also known as Woodvamp, is native to the Southeastern United States and is another beautiful flowering vine for the shade.

Its flowers are not as large as the cultivated climbing hydrangeas but they still put on a show.  And the butterflies love it!

However, it will only bloom when climbing, so don’t use it as a groundcover if you want it to produce flowers.

Click HERE to find out more about the native climbing Hydrangea.

Buy it HERE.*

4 | Clematis

Zones: 3 to 9
Light: Part shade
Bloom Time: Spring to fall (depending on the variety)
Height: 3′ to 25′
Spread: 2′ to 6′

Okay, that’s it for the Climbing Hydrangeas.  Now onto Clematis…one of my all time favorite plants!

There are Clematis varieties in all kinds of colors (my favorites are the ones with purple flowers) and it is generally a very well behaved vine.

It won’t bloom very well in full shade, but almost all of the 27 varieties that I grow in my garden are in part shade and loving it!

One caveat: If you want low maintenance plants, stay away from sweet Autumn Clematis which can be quite invasive in some areas.

You can find more information on growing Clematis and the best varieties for your garden HERE.

Buy it HERE.*

5 | Variegated Kiwi Vine (Actinidia kolomikta)

Zones: 3 to 8
Light: Part shade
Bloom Time: Spring
Height: 25′
Spread: 8′ to 10′

The kiwi vine has small white flowers in the spring but that’s not why most people grow it.

In light shade, it produces leaves that are a spectacular pink, white and green combination.

It comes in a female and male version (you’ll need both if you actually want to grow fruit).

For the best colors, try to get a male plant since it tends to have better variegation on the leaves than the females.

For more Kiwi Vine information, click HERE.

Find live plants at your local nursery or buy seeds HERE.*

6 | Variegated Magnolia Vine (Kadsura japonica)

Zones: 7 to 10
Light: Shade to part shade
Bloom Time: Spring
Height: 10′ to 15′
Spread: 2′ to 15′

For gardeners that live in warmer zones, Kadsura japonica is a great shade vine to try.

It is a semi-evergreen to evergreen vine that grows in the shade, is deer resistant and produces white or yellow flowers in the spring.

But most of the time, it is grown for the beautiful red berries it produces in the fall and variegated leaves that stand out in the shade garden.

Like the Kiwi vine, you will need both a male and a female plant in order to get fruit.

Read more about Kadsura japonica HERE. 

They can be a little hard to find online, but I did come across this nursery that carries them.

7 | Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

Zones: 7B to 10
Light: Part shade
Bloom Time: Spring to early summer
Height: 15′ to 20′
Spread: 4′ to 6′

If you live in the South and are looking for a beautiful flowering vine with evergreen leaves that will grow in part shade, you might want to consider Confederate Jasmine.

Once it is established, it is absolutely covered with white (or pink), star shaped flowers have also earned it the name Star Jasmine.

It isn’t picky about the type of soil it is planted in, puts on a big show in the spring and smells heavenly!

For more information on Confederate Jasmine, click HERE.

8 | Butterfly Vine (Mascagnia macroptera)

Zones: 8 to 10
Light: Part shade
Bloom Time: Spring to fall
Height: 10′ to 12′
Spread: 10′

The butterfly vine is a fast growing climber that is native to California. It will grow in part shade and produces yellow flowers in the spring and summer that eventually turn brown.

It gets its common name from the papery seed pods that are shaped like butterflies.

Although it is perennial only in the warmest zones of North America, since it grows quickly it can be used as an annual vine further North.

Click HERE to find out more about the butterfly vine.

Buy it HERE.

9 | Groundnut (Apios americana)

Zones: 3 to 10
Light: Shade
Bloom Time: Summer
Height: 25′ or longer
Spread: 8′ to 12′

I was a little hesitant about including the Groundnut (or potato bean) in this list of vines for shade because it can be somewhat aggressive.

But it’s hard to leave it off the list since it’s an easy-to-grow plant with flowers that look like red Wisteria!

Groundnut is a native plant found in Eastern North America that thrives in the shade, blooms from July to September and attracts butterflies.

As I mentioned above, it is a very vigorous grower so you probably don’t want to plant it in the garden bed with your favorite perennials.

But if you have a shady spot where it can spread out, it will put on quite a show.

And if you want to keep them from spreading too much, the tubers are edible, apparently tasting something like potatoes only sweeter.

You can find out more about the groundnut HERE.

Buy them HERE.*

That’s it for my list of (mostly) non-invasive vines that grow in the shade.

I know I’m going to try at least a couple of these in mine…and the neighbor’s shed will be gone (at least from view)!

Hopefully, you have found one or two that will make a statement in your garden, too.

Other Shade Loving Plants You Might Like

• Shrubs that thrive in the shade
• Shade-loving ground covers
• Flowering perennials that love the shade

Have comments or questions on flowering vines for shade? Tell us in the section below.