A bare fence, an empty trellis or a naked pergola is wasted growing space. Flowering climbing plants turn those structures into the most generous display in the garden: colour at eye level and above, scent drifting across the patio, shade where you actually sit, and privacy that a plain fence never gives you. The only real secret is matching the plant to the support. Some climbers twine, some scramble with tendrils, some cling by themselves, and a few — roses and wisteria — need to be tied in and given something strong to hold them. Get that one decision right and the plant does the rest. Here are 15 flowering climbing plants worth growing, with the support, sunlight and flowering season each one needs.

1. Clematis

The most versatile flowering climber of all. Large-flowered hybrids bloom from late spring into summer, early types flower in spring, and late types carry a fence into autumn — plant one of each group and a single trellis flowers for half the year. Clematis climbs by twining its leaf stalks, so it needs mesh, netting or thin trellis to grip. Keep the roots cool and shaded, the head in sun, and prune according to its group.

2. Climbing Roses

Roses do not climb by themselves — they produce long, arching stems that you tie in to wires, trellis or a pergola post, and that is what gives you control over the display. Fan the stems out horizontally and flowers break along their whole length. Choose repeat-flowering varieties for colour from early summer to the first frosts. They want full sun, air around the leaves, and a yearly tie-in and prune to stay a flowering wall rather than a thicket.

3. Wisteria

The showpiece pergola plant: long hanging racemes of lilac, white or pink flowers in spring, then a dense canopy of foliage that gives real shade all summer. Wisteria is powerful — its stems become woody trunks — so give it a strong pergola, heavy wires on a wall, or a very sturdy fence, never a light trellis. Prune twice a year, in summer and winter, and it rewards you with heavier flowering every season.

4. Honeysuckle (Lonicera)

Grown for scent as much as flowers, honeysuckle twines happily through trellis, wires and pergola posts and asks for almost nothing in return. The trumpet flowers open through summer, draw bees all day and release their strongest perfume in the evening — plant it where you sit at dusk. Semi-evergreen and evergreen types hold some leaf in winter in mild gardens. Prune after flowering to stop the base going bare.

5. Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

The neatest evergreen option for a fence or trellis in a sheltered, sunny spot. Glossy dark leaves give a tidy green screen all year, and in early summer the plant covers itself in small white star flowers with an intense sweet scent. It twines slowly and steadily rather than rampaging, which makes it ideal near doors and seating. In colder gardens, grow it against a warm wall or in a large pot you can shelter in winter.

6. Bougainvillea

Where summers are hot, nothing out-flowers bougainvillea. The colour comes from papery bracts in magenta, purple, orange or white that last for months, on thorny stems that scramble and need tying in to trellis, wires or a pergola. It wants maximum sun, sharp drainage and heat reflected from a wall. In cooler climates it is a superb conservatory or patio-pot climber that you move under cover for winter.

7. Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea)

The fastest flower show on the list. Passion flower climbs by tendrils, grows several metres in a single season, and carries intricate blue-and-white flowers from mid-summer into autumn, sometimes followed by orange fruit. It is the plant to choose when a bare fence needs covering this year, not in three years. Give it a sunny, sheltered fence, train the main shoots along wires, and let it weave the rest itself.

8. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)

A vigorous self-clinging climber for big fences, walls and sturdy pergolas, with clusters of orange-red trumpet flowers through late summer that hummingbirds and bees queue for. It holds on with aerial roots, so it needs no trellis — but keep it off house walls, gutters and roof edges, because a mature plant is heavy and relentless. Prune hard in late winter; it flowers on new growth, so cutting back costs you nothing.

9. Morning Glory (Ipomoea)

The easiest flowering climber you can grow: an annual that you sow where it is to flower and watch it twine up canes, netting or a sunny fence within weeks. The trumpet flowers — sky blue, purple, pink — open fresh every morning through summer and close by afternoon. It is the perfect gap-filler while slower perennial climbers establish, and ideal for renters or a first garden because nothing is permanent.

10. Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

An annual climber grown for scent and for cutting. Sweet peas climb by tendrils up netting, pea sticks or a wigwam of canes, and flower from early summer as long as you keep picking — every bunch you cut encourages more blooms. Sow in autumn or early spring for the strongest plants. No other climber fills a room with perfume like a jar of sweet peas, and a trellis of them screens a seating corner for a whole season.

11. Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)

The climber for the shady fence everyone else gives up on. Climbing hydrangea clings by aerial roots, covers a north-facing wall or fence with glossy leaves, and opens flat heads of lacy white flowers in early summer. It is slow for the first year or two while it establishes, then grows away strongly and needs almost no pruning. If your fence gets little sun, this is your plant.

12. Mandevilla

A tropical twiner with glossy leaves and big trumpet flowers in pink, red or white that keep coming from late spring until the first frost. Mandevilla loves heat and sun and climbs a trellis, obelisk or pergola post steadily through summer. In cooler climates, grow it in a pot on a support frame and bring it indoors before frost — treated as a houseplant over winter, it climbs again the next year.

13. Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata)

A cheerful, fast annual twiner for trellis panels, hanging baskets with supports, and pergola posts. The small orange, yellow or white flowers with dark centres open all summer, and the plant stays light and manageable — it will not swamp a small structure. Sow indoors in spring and plant out after frost, or buy young plants for an instant start. Perfect for adding a season of colour to a new trellis while the perennials fill in.

14. Common Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

The classic scented climber for a sunny fence, wall or pergola near a door or window, where its perfume belongs. Loose clusters of white flowers open from summer into early autumn on twining stems that need wires or trellis to climb well. It is semi-evergreen in mild winters and grows fast once settled. Prune after flowering to keep it in bounds and stop the centre going woody and bare.

15. Chocolate Vine (Akebia quinata)

An elegant semi-evergreen twiner with slim, five-part leaves and dangling clusters of deep purple, vanilla-and-spice-scented flowers in spring — earlier than almost any other flowering climber. It is vigorous and will thread itself through trellis, wires and pergola beams, giving light shade and gentle privacy. Plant it where spring scent can be caught on a path or near a bench, and thin out tangled stems in summer to keep it graceful.

How to choose and plant

Match the climber to the structure first: self-clingers (trumpet vine, climbing hydrangea) for bare walls and fences, twiners and tendril climbers (clematis, honeysuckle, jasmine, passion flower) for trellis and wires, and tie-in plants (roses, wisteria, bougainvillea) for pergolas and strong supports. Plant at least 30–45 cm away from the base of a fence or wall — the soil right against a structure is dry and poor — and lean the plant in towards its support. Water deeply through the first season, mulch the roots, and tie in new growth loosely as it comes. Do that, and a structure that was bare this spring can be a flowering wall by next summer.