🌿 Choose well
🏙️ Balcony and patio
🌿 In brief
A climber dresses up a balcony without taking up floor space: just a few inches of width are enough to cover a wall, railing, or trellis. Choose it according to the exposure and what you want it to do (screen an overlooking building, add flowers, add fragrance), give it a large, heavy pot and a support suited to how it climbs, and prune it at the right time.
On a city balcony, floor space is scarce, but there's almost always room to grow upward. That's where climbers make all the difference: star jasmine covering the railing, clematis flowering on a bare wall, ivy screening the windows opposite. You just need to choose the right plant for the exposure, give it a pot and support suited to its needs, and know when to prune it. Here's how to choose, install, and care for a climber, followed by an overview of the different types.
Choose according to your goal
Before choosing a species, ask yourself a simple question: what do you want this climber to do? The answer already rules out half the options.
Screen an overlooking building all year
You need an evergreen climber that keeps its leaves in winter: star jasmine, Armand's clematis, 'Henryi' honeysuckle, or ivy. The others lose their leaves and leave the trellis bare from November to March.
Add flowers to the balcony
Large-flowered clematis, wisteria, trumpet vines, passion flowers, climbing roses, and bougainvillea offer the most spectacular blooms. Combine two species to enjoy flowers from spring through fall.
Add fragrance
Star jasmine, honeysuckles, and Armand's clematis are the most fragrant climbers. Our guide to fragrant plants explains how to enjoy them to the fullest.
Cover quickly
'Halliana' honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, trumpet vine, and passion flower grow one to two meters a year once established. Star jasmine and ivy are slower to get started, but easier to keep in check afterward.
Depending on exposure
Sunlight is the second criterion after your goal. A wisteria in the shade won't flower, and ivy in full southern sun will suffer in summer. Count the hours of direct sunlight your balcony receives in June.
| Exposure | Direct sunlight | Suitable climbers |
|---|---|---|
| Full sun (south, west) | 6 hours or more | Wisteria, trumpet vine, bougainvillea, passion flower, climbing rose, star jasmine |
| Partial shade (east) | 3 to 5 hours | Clematis, honeysuckle, star jasmine, Virginia creeper |
| Shade (north) | Less than 3 hours | Ivy, 'Henryi' honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, mountain clematis |
Clematis have a particular requirement: their tops in the sun, their roots in the shade. Protect the pot from the sun with a low-growing plant in front or a wider pot. Bougainvillea is the only climbing plant on this list that is truly sensitive to frost: below 0 °C, it needs to spend the winter sheltered. For more information, our guides to full-sun balcony plants and shade-loving balcony plants complete these lists.
How they climb
Climbing plants do not all cling in the same way, and that determines the support they need. Clematis will never climb a smooth wall, while Virginia creeper does not need a trellis. Identify your plant's family before buying a support.
| Clinging method | Plants concerned | Suitable support |
|---|---|---|
| Twining stems | Star jasmine, honeysuckle, wisteria | Trellis, taut cables, railing with bars |
| Coiling leaf stalks | Clematis | Fine-mesh trellis, wire or mesh: the leaf stalk must be able to wrap around it |
| Tendrils | Passionflowers | Trellis, wire mesh, taut wire |
| Suckers or clinging roots | Virginia creeper, ivy, trumpet vine | Wall or board, no support needed |
| Canes to train | Climbing roses, bougainvillea | Sturdy trellis and soft ties: they do not cling by themselves |
Plants with suckers or clinging roots attach directly to the wall and can mark render or paint. On a shared building facade or in a rental, train them up a board or panel fixed in front of the wall. Our article on staking and trellising explains how to guide the stems.
Pot, support and setup
In the ground, a climbing plant spreads its roots over several meters. In a pot, everything comes down to a few dozen liters of soil. A good start depends on a few simple rules.
- A pot at least 40 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep after the first year, 50 to 60 liters for wisteria or trumpet vine.
- A heavy, stable pot made of terracotta or ceramic, or weighted down: with a trellis covered in foliage, the wind can topple lightweight pots.
- An unobstructed drainage hole and a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom.
- Rich, well-draining potting soil mixed with a little compost. Our guide which potting soil for which plant gives you the right mixes.
- A support installed when planting and secured to the pot, railing, or wall, never added later, as this could break the stems.
- A 3 to 5 cm layer of mulch over the potting soil to retain moisture and protect the roots from sun and frost.
⚠️ Before drilling
On an apartment balcony, the facade and railings often belong to the building's co-owners: check the rules before attaching a trellis or letting a plant climb the wall. Also consider the weight: a large planter filled with damp soil can quickly weigh more than 80 kg. Place it against a load-bearing wall rather than at the edge of the balcony.
Watering, fertilizing, and pruning
Water regularly
In a pot, a climbing plant in full sun may need watering every day in July. Water as soon as the top few centimeters of potting soil are dry, until the water runs out through the drainage hole. In winter, water much less often, but never let the root ball dry out completely, especially for evergreens.
Feed without overdoing it
A fertilizer for flowering plants every two to three weeks, from March to August, is enough. Stop at the end of summer to let the stems harden before winter. Too much nitrogen produces lots of leaves and few flowers, especially on wisteria.
Prune at the right time
This is the rule that makes or breaks flowering: a climbing plant that flowers on last year's wood should be pruned just after flowering, while one that flowers on the current year's shoots should be pruned in late winter.
- Spring-flowering clematis (Armand's, mountain): light pruning just after flowering, only to keep the plant in check.
- Early large-flowered clematis ('The President', 'Miss Bateman', 'Multi Blue'): light pruning in late winter, removing dead wood and cutting back above a pair of buds.
- Summer clematis ('Jackmanii', 'Hagley Hybrid'): prune hard at the end of winter, to 30 or 40 cm above the ground.
- Wisteria: prune twice, in summer to shorten long shoots to five or six leaves, then in winter to two or three buds.
- Star jasmine and honeysuckle: prune lightly after flowering to keep a compact shape.
- Ivy and Virginia creeper: prune whenever you like to keep them within the desired space.
Our guide to pruning your plants properly shows you where to make the cut.
Mistakes to avoid
⚠️ Avoid
Keeping the climbing plant in its nursery pot. A 15 cm pot is fine for delivery, but not for life on a balcony. Repot it the following spring in a proper planter.
Choosing the support after the plant. A clematis on a smooth wall or a rose without ties will never climb.
Pruning spring bloomers in winter. This cuts off the year's buds, so Armand's clematis or wisteria won't bloom.
Forgetting to water evergreens in winter. Jasmine, ivy, and Armand's clematis continue to lose the water through their leaves, even in cold weather.
Letting a vigorous plant grow unchecked. Wisteria, Virginia creeper, and trumpet vine can reach the gutter or a neighbor's balcony in a single season.
Climbing plant groups
You now know how to choose, install, and care for a climbing plant. Here are the main groups, with the right support, exposure, and pruning time for each.
Star jasmines
Evergreen, fragrant, and undemanding: the most versatile climbing plant for a balcony. Their twining stems can be trained on a trellis or railing, in sun or partial shade. A light prune after flowering is all they need.
Spring clematis
Vigorous and easy to grow, they start flowering as early as March or April, and Armand's clematis keeps its leaves in winter. They cling using their leaf stems, so provide a fine-mesh trellis. Partial shade is ideal; prune lightly just after flowering.
Large-flowered clematis
Flowers 10 to 20 cm across, in white, pink, red, blue, or purple. Less vigorous than spring-flowering clematis, they are perfect for small balconies. A fine trellis or wire mesh, with the top in the sun and the base in the shade. Prune in late winter: lightly for 'The President', 'Miss Bateman', and 'Multi Blue', hard for 'Jackmanii' and 'Hagley Hybrid'.
Honeysuckles
Evening fragrance and fast growth. Their twining stems wind around a trellis or taut wires, in sun or partial shade; 'Henryi' keeps its leaves all year and tolerates shade. Light pruning after flowering.
Wisterias
The most spectacular flower clusters of spring. In a pot, they need a large 50 to 60-liter container, a very sturdy support, and full sun. Prune twice a year, in summer and then in winter.
Full-sun climbing plants
Trumpet vines, passion flowers, and bougainvillea love the warmth and bloom all summer on the sunniest balconies. Trumpet vines cling on their own with aerial roots, passion flowers with their tendrils; bougainvillea must be trained with ties and kept frost-free over winter.
See our trumpet vines → · Passion flowers and bougainvillea →
Climbing roses
Compact roses that bloom again in waves from late spring to fall. They don't cling on their own: tie the stems to the trellis with soft ties. Sun, and light pruning in late winter.
Foliage climbers: ivy and Virginia creeper
No spectacular flowers, but a reliable green screen: evergreen ivy, fiery Virginia creeper in autumn. These are the most shade-tolerant. They cling to walls on their own with aerial rootlets or suckers: on a shared building's facade, train them up a board. Prune whenever you like.
Verdeia - Climbing Plants
A balcony growing upward
Jasmine, clematis, wisteria, ivy: discover all our climbing plants, delivered on a stake and ready to install.
Frequently asked questions
'Halliana' honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, trumpet vine, and passionflower grow one to two meters a year once established. Star jasmine gets going more slowly but is easier to keep in check.
Star jasmine, Armand's clematis, 'Henryi' honeysuckle, and ivy keep their leaves all year. Trained on a trellis, they form a screen even in winter.
After the first year, allow for at least 40 cm in diameter and depth, and 50 to 60 liters for wisteria or trumpet vine. A heavy pot is more resistant to wind.
Yes, in a large 50- to 60-liter planter, in full sun, with a very sturdy support. Prune it twice a year, in summer and winter, to keep it in check and encourage flowering.
Ivy, 'Henryi' honeysuckle, and Virginia creeper tolerate a north-facing balcony. Mountain clematis needs only a few hours of sun.
Well positioned
The right pot for your climbing plant
Large pots, planters, and decorative pots to give your climbing plants the room they need.
