8 Climbing Vines for Your Pergola in Westerville, OH

8 Climbing Vines for Your Pergola in Westerville, OH

Any size yard can support a pergola. This type of shady structure can be placed in the front, back, or on a side of your Westerville, OH, home, wherever you want some visual interest and a spot to relax. To make your pergola over-the-top beautiful, you could have climbing vines as a finish decorative touch.

Pergola Benefits

Not as overpowering in appearance as a gazebo, a pergola can give your landscape some real “oomph.” A pergola adds privacy when combined with a patio since you can add shades to any side you wish. On a warm day, a pergola allows the breeze to sift through to cool anyone relaxing underneath its beams. Because they come in a variety of sizes and finishes, pergolas offer an ideal spot for entertaining.

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Vines to Consider

Each of the following vines is a perennial vine, meaning that they come back year after year, usually more gorgeous each time:Honeysuckle is a vine that has pretty nectar-filled yellow blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Honeysuckle grows best in full sun, but can tolerate a small amount of shade. Blooming in June and July, Honeysuckle benefits from a vigorous pruning in the fall when the vine is no longer growing.Virginia Creeper is a vine that can grow over 50 feet. The leaves are deep purple in the spring, green in the summer, and brilliant red in the fall. Virginia Creeper does not have prominent flowers, but instead has berries in the fall that birds tend to love. While this vine is an aggressive grower and must be pruned back well each year, it is drought tolerant and can be planted in most any location of the yard, sun, or shade.Trumpet Vine will grow 30-40 feet at a vigorous pace. Flowering from June to September, the blooms are orange and tube-shaped with a tropical feel. It has large, deep green leaves and is heavy, so it does need ample support as it grows.Hardy Kiwi Vine grows up to 30 feet and produces fragrant white flowers from May to June. Once the flowers die away, the vine produces small, green fruit. Valued more for its beauty than for the fruit, the kind of kiwi vine that can be grown in our area usually needs pruning in the fall.English Ivy is an extremely hardy and vigorous grower that can become aggressive if not maintained. Look for “Wilson” English ivy that has small leaves and “Thorndale” English ivy that has deep, glossy leaves.

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Boston Ivy is the classic ivy that is associated with the Ivy League schools. The leaves of the vine, which can grow over 50 feet, are glossy green in the summer and turn brilliant red in the fall.Climbing Hydrangea is a relative to the hydrangea bush, but this is a vine that puts on a floral show. As a relatively carefree plant, climbing hydrangea has deep green leaves with showy cream-white flowers in the summer.Wisteria Vine has many varieties and colors. With violet blue to lavender blooms, the sweet smell of wisteria is unmistakable. It is hardy, grows quickly, and loves a sunny spot in the landscape.