annual vines
Great for many applications whether you are growing them for foliage or flowers
Vines are a fantastic plant to add a little drama to your garden. There are many annual vines that grow quickly enough in Calgary. They can be used as screens or as centre pieces to annual planters and grow up fences or hang in baskets. Vines are great for many applications, whether you are growing them for foliage or flowers. Some vines are thought to be just indoor house plants like English and German Ivy, but they do great outdoors during summer and can be brought indoors in fall to continue growing as well. Experiment, it's the spice of gardening and remember to have fun. The following is a list of annual vines that will do great in Calgary gardens. If you would like to know more about vines you can email us at:
| Plant name | Latin name | Height | Colour | Sun/shade | Planting date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASARINA | Asarina spp. | 7 ft. 2 m | pink, purple, red | sun | Feb. 15-28 | Trailing vine with large, trumpet-shaped flowers |
| BLACK EYED SUSAN VINE | Thunbergia alata | 3 ft. 1 m | orange, yellow | sun or part shade | April 10-20 | Arrow shaped leaves; colourful individually borne flowers with dark centers |
| CANARY BIRD VINE | Tropaeolum peregrinum | 7 ft. 2 m | yellow | sun or part shade | May 1-10 | Annual climber with 5-lobed leaves and cut petaled flowers |
| CHILEAN GLORY VINE | Eccremocarpus scaber | 5-6 ft. 1.5-2 m | yellow, orange, red | sun | Mar. 1-15 | Bunches of small tubular blooms |
| FUCHSIA | Fuchsia hybrida | 2 ft. 60 cm | red, purple, pink, white | part shade to shade | Mar. 1-10 | Woody shrub with bi-coloured, drooping flowers. Great for hanging baskets |
| GREATER PERIWINKLE | Vinca major | 2 ft. 60 cm | blue | part shade to shade | n/a | Variegated trailing foliage; available only as seedling |
| HYACHINTH BEAN | Dolichos lablab | 6 ft. 1.8 m | lilac | sun | Mar. 1-15 | Flowers form purple edible pods; twining climber |
| KENILWORTH IVY | Cymbalaria muralis | 2 ft. 60 cm | pink | part shade to shade | Feb. 15-20 | Tiny blooms, small foliage, tiny orchid-like flowers; available as seedling only |
| LICORICE VINE | Helichrysum petiolatum | 3ft. 1m | silver foliage | sun | n/a | Attractive lemon, silver/white, silver green, and grey foliage |
| LOTUS VINE | Lotus berthelotii | 24-30 in. 60-75 cm | red | sun | n/a | Trailing, silvery grey foliage, long, thin flowers, good for containers |
| LOTUS VINE | Lotus maculata | 24-30 in. 60-75 cm | yellow | sun | n/a | Trailing, silvery grey foliage, long, thin flowers, good for containers |
| MOON VINE | Ipomoea alba | 10 ft. 3 m | white | sun | Mar. 15-30 | Large fragrant flowers that open at night; available as seedling only |
| MORNING GLORY | Ipomoea purpurea | 10 ft. 3 m | blue | sun | Mar. 15-30 | Large trumpet-shaped flowers; great for screening |
| ORANGE TRUMPET | Pyrostegia venusta | 10/20 ft. 305/610 cm | orange | sun | n/a | Creeper. Flowers from May to August |
| PURPLE BELLS | Rhodochiton atrosanguineus | 3-5 ft. 1-1.5 m. | purple | sun or part shade | Mar. 20-31 | Good for hangers, planters; tubular flowers; available as seedling only |
| PURPLE CLIMBER | Cobaea scandens | 12 ft. 4 m | violet | sun | n/a | Bell-shaped flowers with green sepals; great for hanging baskets |
| SCARLET RUNNER BEAN | Phaseolus coccineus | 7 ft. 2 m. | red | sun | n/a / May 25 | Vine has red, flower clusters, edible beans; seeds can be planted directly outdoors |
| SPANISH FLAG | Mina lobata | 5-6ft. 1.5-2m. | red, orange, yellow | sun | April 1 | Twining climber; 3 flower colors same time |
| SWEET PEA | Lathyrus odoratus | 10 ft. 3 m. | pink, white, blue, red, cream, purple | sun or part shade | n/a / April 20 | Old-fashioned favorite with fragrant flowers; seeds can be planted directly outdoors |
| SWEET POTATO VINE | Ipomoea batatus | 2-3 ft. 60-75 cm. | purple foliage | sun to part shade | n/a | Used primarily for hanging baskets and ground cover, grown for colourful foliage |