Climbing Plants for Pergolas & Arches – Shade, Colour & Fragrance

Star Jasmine is beloved for its intoxicating fragrance that transforms fences, arches, and pergolas into living features while creating stunning vertical displays in Western Cape gardens. This versatile evergreen climber provides year-round structure with its glossy foliage, while the profusion of starry white blooms in spring and summer fills the garden with heavenly scent. It can also be clipped into hedges or used as groundcover, making it one of the most adaptable climbers for entrances, patios, and pergolas. Plant 1.5-2m apart for screening or use as specimen plants against walls and structures. Feed annually in spring with a balanced slow-release fertilizer and ensure well-drained soil enriched with compost for optimal growth. Learn more about successful coastal gardening with versatile climbers like Star Jasmine, or discover how to create privacy with plants for beautiful, fragrant screening solutions.

Plumbago auriculata is a Western Cape favourite, an indigenous shrub treasured for its masses of soft sky-blue blooms, mainly from November to May. Fast-growing and easy to train, it’s perfect for informal hedges, sprawling against fences, or cascading over walls. In pots, Plumbago can be trimmed into a neat, compact shape for a stunning, controlled display. Hardy, water-wise once established, and adored by butterflies, it’s one of the most rewarding shrubs for long-lasting seasonal colour.

Chinese Wisteria Creeper is a truly special garden climber that's not always easy to find, making it a prized addition when you can acquire one for your Western Cape garden. This vigorous, deciduous climber produces spectacular cascades of violet-blue or sometimes white, sweetly scented flowers in spring, creating breathtaking displays that transform any outdoor space. Perfect for training over sunny walls, pergolas, or arches, it also looks enchanting when left to ramble naturally through mature trees and shrubs, creating romantic, woodland appeal. Wisteria requires sturdy support structures as mature plants become heavy with age, so ensure proper installation before planting. Plant 2-3m apart in fertile, well-draining soil enriched with quality compost in full sun for optimal flowering. Apply pine mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds. Feed in spring with balanced fertilizer and prune twice yearly - once in midsummer to control growth and again in late winter to encourage flower buds. Learn more about creating privacy with plants using spectacular flowering climbers like Wisteria, or discover tips for creating a scented garden with these coveted, fragrant flowering climbers.

Petrea volubilis is one of the most distinct and beautiful cultivated climbers, celebrated for its long sprays of violet-blue, star-shaped flowers that appear in spring. The flowers create a striking display, often likened to wisteria in their cascading form.

This evergreen plant features rough, leathery leaves that contrast beautifully with its soft, elegant flowers. It needs strong support and guidance to climb, making it ideal for pergolas, arches, fences, and sunny garden walls.

Perfectly suited to Cape Town’s winter-rainfall climate, Petrea volubilis is a fast grower that brings softness, height, and colour to any outdoor space. A white-flowering form is also available for a more delicate look.

• White flowers appear in spring
• Requires strong support to climb
• Good drainage preferred

Pandorea Jasminoides is a fast-growing, woody climber that transforms fences and trellises with its stunning trumpet-shaped flowers from spring to summer. Available in three beautiful color forms: classic pink with deeper pink throats, pure white with yellow centers, and soft light pink varieties. Each produces masses of fragrant blooms that attract pollinators and add vibrant color to vertical spaces. Feed with a balanced fertilizer monthly during the growing season to encourage prolific flowering. This versatile climber is easily pruned to your desired height and thrives equally well when grown in large containers, making it perfect for patios and courtyards where space is limited.

 Turn your garden into a showpiece with Dipladenia (Mandevilla) Jade White. This compact evergreen climber shrub produces a dazzling display of pure white, trumpet-shaped blooms from spring into early autumn, shining brightly against glossy green foliage. Perfect for flower beds, patio pots, or planted in groups for a breathtaking mass of colour, it brings a touch of elegance to any outdoor space.

Hardy yet refined, Jade White thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, rewarding you with months of effortless beauty. Simply water regularly, feed during the growing season, and enjoy a long-lasting floral display tailored to Cape Town and Western Cape conditions.

 Dipladenia Diamantina Jade Pink is a magnificent, free-flowering climber shrub that produces cascades of soft pink blooms from spring right through to autumn. Compact yet vigorous, it’s a standout choice for pots, trellises, and mixed flower beds, bringing long-lasting colour and elegance to the garden.

Thriving in full sun to partial shade, this dipladenia prefers well-drained soil and performs best when allowed to climb an airy trellis rather than being planted directly against a hot wall. Low-maintenance, resilient, and endlessly rewarding, it’s one of our absolute favourites for adding beauty and charm to Western Cape gardens.

A non-fruiting, fast-growing, deciduous vine grown for its remarkable foliage. Excellent for growing against sturdy fences or walls, with leaves that turn red, orange, and burgundy in autumn. Keep well-watered, especially the first year of establishment. Prefers well-drained soil

Clusters of flowers cover this popular vine-like shrub for many months of the year. Often used for covering garden banks but can be trimmed beautifully for use in pots. Flowering mainly from November to May. Indigenous.

 Mandevilla Jade Red is a magnificent climber shrub, flowering continuously from spring into early autumn. Its rich red, trumpet-shaped blooms shine against glossy green foliage, adding warmth and vibrancy to Cape Town and Western Cape gardens. Ideal for patio pots, flower beds, or grouped together for a spectacular mass display, Jade Red also climbs gracefully when supported on a light trellis. An absolute favourite for a bold, long-lasting colour show.

Easy to grow and highly rewarding, Dipladenia Jade Red thrives in full sun and moist, free-draining soil. Water regularly, feed every 2–3 weeks in the growing season, and protect from frost in cooler areas. Avoid planting directly against hot walls; instead, allow this climber shrub to twine naturally on airy supports.

A beautiful vigorous growing bougainvillea with bright magenta red bracts. Suitable to cover patios and for screening. Ideal for low maintenance, low water use gardens.

Hybrid bougainvillea with vibrant dark purple floral bracts, complimented with beautiful olive green foliage. Suitable for hedges and ideal for low maintenance, low water use gardens.

The floral bracts on this beautiful bougainvillea open orange, turning pink as they age. This variety has a full growth habit providing masses of blooms. Ideal for low maintenance, low water use gardens.

This bougainvillea variety is immensely showy and blooms abundantly with white and pink floral clusters in a mixed-colour combination. Incredibly eye-catching and provides a profusion of blooms from spring into early autumn. A quick growing vine that benefits from support due to its climbing nature. Water-wise and very hardy once established, also pest and disease resistant.

A twining evergreen climber with lustrous deeply veined, dark green leaves and vibrant scarlet flowers in summer. Will add a burst of colour to your outdoor haven. Not just a feast for the eyes, it is a low maintenance gem too. While not evergreen, its dazzling blossoms make a seasonal statement. Needs a sturdy support like a trellis or pergola. Will attract butterflies to the garden.

Vibrant deep orange bracts will add a blaze of colour to your garden or patio. Suitable for hanging baskets, containers or in the garden. Ideal for low maintenance, low water use gardens.

A moderate growing bougainvillea with vibrant flame red and orange blooms. Lovely spreading habit makes it ideal for embankments and screening. Ideal for low maintenance gardens.

A smaller variety of bougainvillea with a compact and upright growth habit. The flowers and leaves are tight and densely packed along the stems. Smarty pants has smaller thorns than other bougainvilleas.

Petrea volubilis is one of the most distinct and beautiful cultivated climbers, celebrated for its long sprays of violet-blue, star-shaped flowers that appear in spring. The flowers create a striking display, often likened to wisteria in their cascading form.

This evergreen plant features rough, leathery leaves that contrast beautifully with its soft, elegant flowers. It needs strong support and guidance to climb, making it ideal for pergolas, arches, fences, and sunny garden walls.

Perfectly suited to Cape Town’s winter-rainfall climate, Petrea volubilis is a fast grower that brings softness, height, and colour to any outdoor space. A white-flowering form is also available for a more delicate look.

• Violet-blue flowers appear in spring
• Requires strong support to climb
• Good drainage preferred

A beautiful evergreen, variegated Trachelospermum, that features bright green, white and pink leaves. It produces fragrant, small white flowers from late spring to autumn. Ideal as a wonderful ground cover and admired for its interesting foliage. Although it is a slow growing plant it makes a statement in a garden

An evergreen vine belonging to the Begonia family. From late spring the vine is covered in beautiful lavender trumpet flowers, delicately streaked in dark violet with a pale yellow throat. The vine has glossy grean leaves and is fast growing, ideal to cover fences and garden structures. Drought tolerant once established.