Grow these fall vines to brighten your autumn landscapes with blazing foliage, colorful berries and fetching flowers.
Top 10 Backyard Vines With Fall Flair
Vining plants aren’t for everyone. They need proper support, they can require a little more maintenance and many can quickly get aggressive. But with a little research and planning, you can choose perennial fall vines that look charming throughout the growing season, staging a grand finale just as summer wanes.
Check the invasive species list in your area before planting, and then enjoy the top picks that will work well in your backyard.
Crimson Glory Vine
Vitis coignetiae, Zones 5 to 9
Native to Japan, crimson glory vine’s grapes are loved by birds, and its showy gold-red-purple fall foliage is loved by gardeners. Be aware and prepared to prune because this aggressive grower can readily overtake nearby plants and structures.
Why we love it: After the leaves drop, the flexible bare vines are great for crafting festive decor such as wreaths, orbs and garlands.
Love-in-a-puff
Cardiospermum halicacabum, Zones 9 to 11 (annual elsewhere)
Easy to grow from seed, love-in-a-puff has tiny white flowers followed by light green, inflated balloonlike seedpods. This warm-weather annual is considered invasive in some southern states, so check before planting in your area.
Why we love it: The unique “balloons” can be used in floral arrangements, and the black seeds with white hearts are easy to save and sow again.
Firecracker Vine
Ipomoea lobata (formerly mina lobata), Zones 9 to 11 (annual elsewhere)
Firecracker vine is a warm-weather vine that blooms later, from mid-summer to frost, attracting many pollinators. Flowers are like little flags of yellow, orange and red tubular blooms stacked up along the stem.
Why we love it: Because of its light weight, this vine can be grown in a container and trained up a structure such as a bamboo trellis.
Boston Ivy
Parthenocissus tricuspidate, Zones 4 to 8
Boston ivy grows in sun or shade, adheres to surfaces readily and turns scarlet and purple in the fall. Be careful where you plant this long-lasting, woody vine as it is invasive in scattered parts of North America and may damage the structures it climbs.
Why we love it: This ivy can serve many purposes in garlands, in arrangements or as a spiller in containers.
Wood Vamp
Hydrangea barbara (formerly decumaria barbara), Zones 6 to 8
A cousin of climbing hydrangeas, wood vamp is native to the Southeast. It can climb trees or cover stone or brick buildings without causing damage. It blooms if it is climbing but not if it is grown as a ground cover. Fall foliage is butter yellow.
Why we love it: Bees and butterflies love the fragrant white flowers which bloom from spring to summer.
Golden Clematis
Clematis tangutica, Zones 4 to 9
After blooming bell-shaped yellow flowers, golden clematis produces seed heads straight out of a Dr. Seuss book: large fluffy mopheads. This vine must be trained up a lattice or trellis.
Why we love it: This lightweight perennial vine can cascade over evergreen shrubs, providing summer flowers and fall interest with the silver whorls of seed heads.
Magnolia Vine
Schisandra chinensis, Zones 4 to 7
Magnolia vine thrives in moist shady places and has lush foliage that turns yellow in the fall. The female plant produces red berries that ripen in the fall. Instead of purchasing male and female plants, try growing the self-fertile cultivar Eastern Prince.
Why we love it: If birds do not get to them first, the flavorful fruit can be eaten or used in beverages. The foliage is lemon-scented and the flowers are fragrant.
Autumn Revolution American Bittersweet
Celastrus scandens, Zones 3 to 8
This cultivar of native bittersweet has both male and female reproductive parts, so you only need one plant to get large red-orange berries in the fall.
Why we love it: The vibrant berries are perfect for fall crafts, decorations or cut arrangements, and the flexible vine is ideal for creating wreaths.
Moonlight Chinese Hydrangea Vine
Hydrangea hydrangeoides (formerly schizophragma hydrangeoides), Zones 4 to 8
With white flowers similar to lacecap hydrangeas, this vine can cover brick and stone walls and does well in partial shade. In the fall, leaves turn yellow.
Why we love it: Easy to care for, Moonlight has beautiful silvery blue-green heart-shaped leaves.
Hops
Humulus lupulus, Zones 4 to 9
These very vigorous vines cover arbors and pergolas and can serve as a screen, if trained. Male plants produce flowers and female plants produce the cones best known as an ingredient in beer.
Why we love it: The cones add an interesting touch to wreaths and dried or fresh floral arrangements.
Other Vining Plant Tips and Advice
- Some vines are perennials and get heavy with age. Plant them near a strong, permanent structure that can handle the weight, such as an arbor. Don’t rely on light wooden or vinyl fences, as they may buckle under too much weight.
- If you’re considering adding these vines after growing season has ended, start by making a plan and deciding where to plant. Bookmark this article or take note of the plants you like, because you won’t be purchasing or starting the seeds until spring.
- After the foliage dies off on grapevines such as crimson glory, try making crafts such as wreaths, baskets, or even rustic Christmas trees. Don’t forget to add miniature lights, decorations and ribbons!
