The Best Climbing Plants For Beautiful Living Green Screens

The best landscape designs creatively take up space, exploring the vertical axis and creating 3D effects with climbing plants that grow upwards. Living green screens are by far one of our favorite new landscape design trends, because not only are they ridiculously beautiful, but they also help to create modular sections of the space. This way, you can strategically section off certain areas, like your sitting area or a cozy nook for curling up outside with a book. Sounds pretty dreamy, right? 

If you’d like to transform your outdoor walls or fencing into a swoon-worthy scene straight out of a Jane Austen novel, consider building a living green screen to show off some colorful climbing plants. Here’s a breakdown of Houston’s best climbing plants that can be found right here at Plants for All Seasons.

Mandevilla: Pinwheel-shaped flowers adorn this fabulous climbing plant, adding pops of color and exotic tropical vibes for a mini-desert oasis right in your backyard. Like many tropical plants, they prefer a bit of dappled shade rather than intense direct sun, or else they might get scorched. They grow best in well-draining, sandy soil that has plenty of compost or organic matter tossed in the mix and will grow beautifully if you treat them often with a water-soluble, high-phosphorus fertilizer. Pinch flowers back occasionally to promote faster and more voluminous growth.  

Bougainvillea: These full sun vining plants are a trademark of the tropics, growing to colossal sizes and boasting bright magenta blooms. Bougainvilleas can reach heights of up to 30 feet, depending on the cultivar. These colorful climbers are definitely more flower than foliage, so you may end up with a living wall that’s more pink than green—you won’t hear us complaining about that! For these guys, the more sunlight, the better—six hours or more of sun per day will ensure your Bougainvillea is supercharged with color. They’re quite tolerant of drought once their root system has established, and you’ll only need to water them deeply about once per month. 

Katrina Rose: These baby-pink flowers are, without a doubt, one of the easiest climbing roses to grow in Houston. They’ll reach up to 15 feet tall at maturity, and should be planted at least a few feet away from any walls so the breeze can whisk away any excess moisture and prevent disease.

Trumpet Vine: As you can probably guess by the name, this climbing vine has cute trumpet-shaped flowers that will totally jazz up your landscape! Not only are trumpet flowers an adorable addition to the yard, but they also attract hummingbirds like magnets, as their shape is perfect for sipping sweet nectar. The flowers are usually bright orange but are also available in more reddish or yellow tones. Some even sport a highly-trendy coral ombré effect. One thing to keep in mind with the trumpet vine is the fact that it’s a vigorous grower—as in, 40 feet in one single growing season. If you don’t prune regularly, it can get a bit out of hand, but it’s otherwise pretty low-maintenance. If you don’t mind getting out there with the pruning shears every few weeks, you shouldn’t have any trouble. 

Star Jasmine: If you want some lush greenery to fill out your living wall of climbing plants, this foliage plant will fit the bill. Its star shaped flowers are pretty and super fragrant.  Star Jasmine is pretty easy to please — whether your yard is brightly lit or patially shaded, or if your soil is dry as a desert or completely waterlogged, this climbing plant will keep on creepin’ on!

Need a little guidance on assembling your outdoor green screen? Our experts will be happy to get you started with all the tools and equipment you need to install this ultra-modern, vertical garden. To see more climbing plants and flowering vines, visit our garden center in Houston and browse our whole collection.