11 Vines and Climbing Plants With Purple Flowers (2024)

Looking to add some vines or climbers to your yard, but want to make sure they have purple flowers before you start planting? Well, the good news is that there’s many different plants that you can choose from. Most of these purple flowered vines grow quickly, which means you can expect to see them cover their intended area often in just one single season.

If you want an arbor or trellis in your backyard, these plants are the perfect choice for nurturing a greener space. You can train them over various surfaces for decoration, and train some of them to climb up walls, if they have proper support.

Keep in mind that some of the vines we discuss may be a bit too invasive for your gardening goals. But with some regular pruning, they can function just fine as an ornamental plant. Let’s jump in and look at some of our favorite purple flowered vines that you can plant in your home garden!

Blue Sky Vine

Scientific Name: Thunbergia grandiflora

• Plant Type: Perennial (zones 8-9), Annual
• Geographic Origin: India and South Asia
• Plant Size: 15 to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, mostly sun, or partial shade
• Plant Zone: 8-11

The Blue Sky Vine has large, trumpet-shaped blossoms usually three inches in diameter. A tropical vine, the flowers have yellow throats and will attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds to your garden. This perennial flowering vine is one of the lesser planted vines when compared to clematis, or others.

Though known as Blue Sky, this vine produces pale bluey-purple flowers of a similar shade to a lilac. The Blue Glory Vine, a relative to Blue Sky, produces a much more vibrant blue, leading away from the purplish tints.

Despite its tropical origins, the Blue Sky Vine is a hardy plant able to return after winters. It climbs medium to large trellises, arbors, or even metal fences. It can also thrive in a container as an indoor plant.

Bougainvillea

Scientific Name: Bougainvillea spectabilis

• Plant Type: Perennial, Annual
• Geographic Origin: Brazil
• Plant Size: 15 to 40 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 9-11

The Bougainvillea vine produces vibrant colors including orange, red, and of course, purple. The true flowers of the Bougainvillea are small and white, but their surrounding bracts (large modified leaves) provide the stunning color.

A dense and woody vine, the Bougainvillea blooms in the early spring and lasts until fall. As a producer of one of the most brilliant purple vines, the Bougainvillea is a worthwhile investment for any gardener who loves purple. Keep in mind that in some areas of the country, this plant is considered invasive.

Clematis

Scientific Name: Clematis viticella

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: China, Japan, Europe
• Plant Size: 10 to 15 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun or partial shade
• Plant Zone: 4

The purple flowering vine Clematis has star-shaped blossoms that usually flower at the height of summer. The Clematis uses tendrils to climb any available surface, such as metal fences, trellises, walls, or even poles.

As one of the hardiest climbing vines, the Clematis grows quickly and thrives even in areas with colder temperatures. Though this plant has origins in China and Japan, it is also commonly found in England. There are over 300 different types of clematis, making it a very versatile vine.

Clematis has several hybrid versions that gardeners enjoy, as they offer stunning flowering vines that can add a sense of the mystical to a backyard arbor.

Dutchman’s Pipe

Scientific Name: Aristolochia gigantea

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: North America
• Plant Size: 15 to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
• Plant Zone: 10-12

Though not the first choice for many gardeners looking for climbing vines with purple flowers, Dutchman’s Pipe is a unique option that can help your garden stand out. The name “Dutchman’s Pipe” refers to the shape of the flower and lobes that resemble a Dutch smoking pipe.

The blossom has a greenish-yellow flower and two to three surrounding lobes of a dark maroon-purple shade. Dutchman’s Pipe prefers moist soil and will not do well in drier soils.

This particular vine can create serious health issues if consumed. Though it will look fantastic winding around your fence, walls, or trellises, the Dutchman’s Pipe is a plant you do not want to eat.

Hyacinth Bean Vine

Scientific Name: Lablab purpureus

• Plant Type: Annual
• Geographic Origin: Africa, Asia
• Plant Size: 10 to 15 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 10-11

The Hyacinth Bean Vine is thick and dense, producing burgundy stems covered in pale purple bracts. The leaves are large and shady, and the bean pods are noticeable as a deep purple.

Though it grows rapidly, the Hyacinth Bean Vine is non-invasive, so you can instill it in a specific spot without the worry of it spreading out of control. For instance, planting the vine near a trellis will encourage it to quickly drape over the sides and top, but it will not branch out to other areas of your yard.

Although the new blooms of the plant are edible, a mature or dried bean from the Hyacinth Bean Vine is toxic. If you prefer to have non-poisonous vines in your yard, this one might not be for you.

Lavender Trumpet Vine

Scientific Name: Clytostoma callistegioides

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Brazil
• Plant Size: 15 to 20 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
• Plant Zone: 4 to 10

A woody vine with dense foliage, the Lavender Trumpet Vine boasts flowers that look exactly as the name suggests. These three-inch-wide blossoms resemble the bell of a trumpet, and the soft purple shading perfectly mixes a pastel tone into your garden.

Thanks to the density of its vines, the Lavender Trumpet Vine easily climbs any available surface, including telephone poles or house walls. However, the vine can also cause serious damage to its support if not kept in check. Pruning your Lavender Trumpet Vine will keep it under control and prevent it from invading your neighbor’s yard or the surrounding habitat.

Morning Glory

Scientific Name: Ipomoea purpurea

• Plant Type: Perennial (zones 9-11), Annual
• Geographic Origin: Mexico, Central America
• Plant Size: 6 to 10 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Plant Zone: 2-11

Named for its pattern of blooming every morning, the Morning Glory vine will unfurl its blossoms early in the day and close them for the night. There are thousands of different morning glory varieties to choose from, making it a versatile plant.

The blooms are roughly one to two inches in diameter, with a wide trumpet shape. The purple hue is sometimes tinged with blue, creating shades of indigo or deep purple. Viewed from the front, each flower has a star-shaped pattern.

Morning Glories are resistant to droughts and often self-seed, which makes them potentially invasive. Careful cultivation can help you limit your Morning Glory vine to one specific area of your garden. The seeds are also poisonous, so make sure you keep them away from pets or children.

Nightshade

Scientific Name: Solanum xanti

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: North America
• Plant Size: 8 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade, or full shade
• Plant Zone: 7-10

This version of Nightshade is the Purple Nightshade, which grows similar to a shrub but can climb nearby objects like fences. Purple Nightshade has a similar distinct flower to other versions of Nightshade, featuring flared purple petals surrounding a bright yellow pistil.

Like many other climbing plants with purple flowers, the Purple Nightshade is poisonous. Due to its toxicity, grazing animals like deer will not go near it. Some gardeners will instill Purple Nightshade as a way to repel deer and protect the rest of their garden.

Passion Vine

Scientific Name: Passiflora

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Central, North, and South America
• Plant Size: 6 to 30 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
• Plant Zone: 6-10

The Passion Vine blooms the passionflower, a fantastically unique flower named for the passion of Christ. They are often ornamental, but most species will also produce passionfruit.

Passion Vine flowers are distinct due to their radial filaments, ten petals, and three stigma. Though they may range in color, the radial filaments, in particular, are often pale purple or indigo.

Gardeners who plant Passion Vines usually train them over trellises to better display their tropical-looking flowers. While they tend to fare best in tropical climates, they are quite hardy all the way down to zone 6, but are native to areas that are tropical and subtropical.

Twining Snapdragon

Scientific Name: Antirrhinum kelloggii

• Plant Type: Annual
• Geographic Origin: North America
• Plant Size: 1 to 3 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
• Plant Zone: 9-10

Though not a true vine, the Twining Snapdragon climbs other plants and surfaces in a vine-like way. The flowers retain the unique shape of the standard Snapdragon, with distinct snout and mouth-like shapes.

The Twining Snapdragon has indigo or deep purple flowers, sometimes with blue or white accents. The stems are slender and clingy, resulting in this plant’s smaller stature. If you do not have a trellis or similar structure for a climbing vine, the Twining Snapdragon is a good substitute for denser or woodier plants.

Image Credit: Bill Bouton via Creative Commons (Use Allowed With Attribution)

Wisteria

Scientific Name: Wisteria

• Plant Type: Perennial
• Geographic Origin: Asia, North America, Iran
• Plant Size: 30 to 60 feet
• Sun Exposure: Full sun, partial shade
• Plant Zone: 5-9

Wisteria is a woody twining vine with hanging lavender flowers. Due to the twining nature of its vine, Wisteria requires sturdy support to thrive. Careful pruning will help gardeners control their Wisteria so that it can grow strong and beautiful.

When Wisteria is in flower, the blooms look similar to a cone brush with multiple small flowers clustered together along the vine. The hanging flowers sometimes have shades of blue, pink, or white, but they primarily keep their purple hue. While wisteria is commonly known to do very well in sun, they can also make a great option as a vine in shade gardens, depending on your hardiness zone.