While it takes years for perennial vines, such as climbing rose or wisteria, to properly take hold, annual vines can really shine—and grow quickly in a single growing season. There are several flowering vines that are breathtaking and also pretty easy to grow. So, whether you’re drawn to vibrant blooms and intoxicating scents or especially unusual leaves, you’re bound to find a few contenders here. Best of all, you can use these annual vines to address specific challenges in your landscape, attract bees and other important pollinators, create interesting container and window box arrangements, and more.

Why grow annual vines?

There are so many good reasons to grow annual vines. For instance, you might train a series of quick climbers to block an unsightly view or to make outdoor garden “rooms” feel a little more private.

Have upper-level windows or a balcony? In that case, you can plant annual vines in window boxes or hanging baskets and let the foliage and flowers drape down for extra color, drama, and fragrance. You can also grow annual vines to provide a windbreak or sun shade for other plants. Finally, hummingbirds and butterflies happen to find many annual vines particularly irresistible, too!

Tips for siting annual vines

Most of the dozen annual vines mentioned below thrive in full sun and warm, moist growing conditions. The way different vines grow and climb is another factor to consider when figuring out where to plant them. Some will naturally corkscrew themselves around whatever’s nearby. These twining-type vines need very little coaxing to latch onto any sturdy support trellis. Other vines, by contrast, affix themselves via thin, delicate tendrils. Soft trellis netting is ideal for these.

You should set up any trellises you may need before you plant (or transplant) annual vines. Also, keep in mind that sometimes you may be able to plant vines along fences or near other existing structures in lieu of setting up a separate support system.

Planting annual vines

You can grow annual vines in large pots or establish them directly into a planting bed. However, since some of them can be slow to start, you may want to sow their seeds indoors well before your last average frost date. (See the individual vine types below for more specific instructions.)

The best annual vines for bright colors and fast cover

Want floral color? Sweet pea vines, black-eyed Susan vine, and passionflowers offer a lot of variety. If it’s only speed you need, the cup and saucer vine and hyacinth bean vines can’t be beat.

But what about speed and color? Morning glories can grow as much as two feet per week and they come in an gorgeous range of reds, blues, purples, and pinks, as well as bicolor combinations.  As for shades of yellow, orange, and rosy apricot you might try this Sunrise Surprise black-eyed Susan vine mix, which will grow up to eight feet.

Black-eyed Susan vine

Native to tropical Africa, the black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata) grows three to eight feet tall and likes warm, moist conditions. Comprised of five petals around a dark center, bright yellow flowers are most common, but creamy-white flowers and other color variations are also available. Start seeds indoors two months before your last average frost date.

Cup and saucer vine

Commonly known as cup and saucer (Cobaea scandens) this tropical vine can be grown as a perennial in very warm climates. This fast-growing vine puts out fragrant, bell-shaped flowers which start out pale green and darken with age. Germination can take two to three weeks. Pre-soak and nick tough seed coats before planting.

Sweet pea

Not to be confused with edible sweet peas, this sweet pea vine Lathyrus odoratus is strictly ornamental. Fragrant flowers range from pale pink to dark purple. (Deadhead spent blooms to keep the show going throughout the summer!) Soak seeds before planting and cover them well, because darkness helps with germination. Seeds should sprout in about two weeks.

Hyacinth bean vine

Native to Africa and parts of India, the hyacinth bean vine (Lablab purpureus) can grow up to 20 feet in a season. The vines produce purplish foliage, pea-like flowers, and striking burgundy beans. Direct sow seeds after your last frost or start pre-soaked seeds inside a couple of months before you intend to transplant them to the garden.

Spanish flag vine/firecracker vine

Also known as “firecracker vine,” Spanish flag (Ipomoea lobata) produces a series of penant-like blooms on long stalks. Floral colors morph from deep red to orange to pale yellow. Another fast-grower, Spanish flag can grow up to 18 feet tall. Plant seeds outdoors after all danger of frost in your area has passed.

Mexican flame vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides, syn. Senecio confusus)

Mexican flame vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides syn. and formerly known as Senecio confusus) puts on an impressive display of bright orange, daisy-like flowers and handsome, toothed foliage. With adequate trellising, Mexican flame vine can grow up to 12 feet in a single season. Because its seeds can be fussy, you might want to go with a nursery starter plant instead of starting it from seed.

Cypress vine

Featuring airy, feather-like foliage and brilliant red flowers, cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) can extend from 10 to 15 feet. You may also hear it referred to as “hummingbird vine” because hummingbirds love it. Direct sow seeds after frost danger has passed. (Pre-soak and nick seed coats before planting.) Seedlings should emerge in three weeks or less.

Candy corn vine

Candy corn vine (Manettia luteorubra) is gets its name from its similarity to the color and shape of the common Halloween candy. The plant puts out fuzzy-looking, orangey-red flowers with bright yellow tips. Besides its floral color combinations, hummingbirds are also drawn to the candy corn flower’s tube-like shape.

Passion flower

Sometimes called the scarlet passion flower, Passiflora coccinea is a South American vine that  hummingbirds love. This vine’s showy, crimson blooms can be more than three inches wide. However, individual flowers are short-lived. Because the seeds can be difficult to start, you might opt for a nursery-grown plant.

Purple bell vine

Purple bell vine (Rhodochiton atrosanguineum) grows up to 10 feet in a season. It produces dramatic pink-and-purple, bell-shaped flowers. Start purple bell vine seeds 10 weeks before your last frost date or direct sow in late spring. (Don’t cover the seeds—they need light in order to germinate.) Pinching back early growth will help spur plant branching.

Corkscrew vine

Sometimes confused with the snail vine (Phaseolus giganteus), the corkscrew vine (Cochliasanthus caracalla, syn. Vigna caracalla) is an incredibly fragrant native of the South American tropics. Flowers start out in clusters of tight spirals that gradually open to reveal complex pinkinsh-purple blooms. Direct sow seeds after danger of frost has passed.

Morning glory

Morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea) can be grown as perennials in USDA hardiness zones 10 and up. The vining plants that come in a dizzying array of colors provide new trumpet-shaped flowers every day. Direct sow morning glory seeds in late spring or start them indoors in plantable coir pots a month before your last frost. Be warned, though. Morning glories can vigorously reseed and may become invasive.

Other colorful annuals

• Coleus
• Climbing nasturtiums
• Fuchsias
• Calendula
• Dichondra Silver Falls
• Zinnias