Vines For The Southern Region: Growing Vines In Texas And Nearby States

Vines With Pink Flowers
SC vine
(Image credit: igaguri_1)
Susan Albert
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last updated
in How-to

Vines for the southern region can add a splash of color or foliage to an otherwise humdrum vertical space, i.e., fence, arbor, pergola. They can provide privacy, shade, or cover up an unsightly structure or old chain-link fence. Vines can also be used as a groundcover. The trailing vines, such as sweet potato vine, cover grounds or slopes quickly.

Vines of South Central areas provide nectar, seeds, and berries relished by wildlife. Hummingbirds are drawn to the nectar of crossvine, trumpet coral vine, trumpet creeper, and cypress vine. Below is a list of annual and perennial South Central vines for Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas.

Vines for the Southern Region

There are many South Central vines to choose from, annual and perennial, with different climbing habits which may determine the type of vine you need.

  • Clinging vines attach to a support with aerial rootlets, like suction cups. English ivy is an example of a clinging vine. They work well against wood, brick, or stone.
  • A twining vine climbs and twirls itself around a support such as lattice, wire, or stems of shrubs or even a tree trunk. An example is a morning glory vine.
  • Tendril vines support themselves by attaching thin, thread-like tendrils to its support. A passion vine climbs this way.

Growing Vines in Texas And Nearby States

Perennial vines will return year after year. Certain annual vines, such as morning glory and cypress, drop seeds in the fall that germinate the next spring.

While vines can be low maintenance, ignoring them can result in a heavy, tangled mess. Some pruning is usually necessary for perennial vines. For summer flowering vines, prune in late winter or early spring. If the vine blooms in spring, it most likely is blooming on old wood (previous season’s buds), so prune them immediately after flowering. 

Vines for Oklahoma:

Vines for Texas:

Vines for Arkansas:

Susan Albert
Susan Albert
Writer

After graduating from Oklahoma State University with a degree in English, Susan pursued a career in communications. In addition, she wrote garden articles for magazines and authored a newspaper gardening column for many years. She contributed South-Central regional gardening columns for four years to Lowes.com. While living in Oklahoma, she served as a master gardener for 17 years.