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Plant library  ·  Spacing charts

Vine and climber spacing chart

Center-to-center spacing for 25 vines and climbers, with mature size, hardiness zones, and sun needs — spacing measured along the support the plant will cover.

Spacing across this chart runs from 2 ft (60 cm) to 8 ft (2.4 m). Click any column heading to sort.

Vines & Climbers — 25 plants, center-to-center spacing
Plant Spacing Mature size USDA zones Sun
AllamandaAllamanda cathartica 4 ft1.2 m 12 ft tall, 4 ft wide 10–11 Full Sun
Black-Eyed Susan VineThunbergia alata 2 ft60 cm 8 ft tall, 3 ft wide 3–11 Full Sun
Boston IvyParthenocissus tricuspidata 5 ft1.5 m 40 ft tall, 10 ft wide 4–8 Full Sun
BougainvilleaBougainvillea spp. 6 ft1.8 m 30 ft tall, 10 ft wide 9–11 Full Sun
Cantaloupe VineCucumis melo 3 ft90 cm 1.5 ft tall, 6 ft wide 3–11 Full Sun
Carolina JessamineGelsemium sempervirens 5 ft1.5 m 20 ft tall, 3 ft wide 7–10 Full Sun
Chocolate VineAkebia quinata 6 ft1.8 m 30 ft tall, 10 ft wide 4–9 Partial Sun
ClematisClematis spp. 4 ft1.2 m 10 ft tall, 4 ft wide 4–9 Full Sun
Climbing HydrangeaHydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris 6 ft1.8 m 40 ft tall, 6 ft wide 4–8 Partial Shade
Climbing RoseRosa spp. 5 ft1.5 m 10 ft tall, 5 ft wide 5–9 Full Sun
Common JasmineJasminum officinale 5 ft1.5 m 15 ft tall, 5 ft wide 7–10 Full Sun
Creeping FigFicus pumila 3 ft90 cm 15 ft tall, 3 ft wide 8–11 Partial Shade
CrossvineBignonia capreolata 5 ft1.5 m 30 ft tall, 5 ft wide 6–9 Full Sun
Dutchman's PipeAristolochia macrophylla 8 ft2.4 m 25 ft tall, 10 ft wide 4–8 Partial Sun
HoneysuckleLonicera spp. 6 ft1.8 m 15 ft tall, 6 ft wide 4–9 Full Sun
HopsHumulus lupulus 4 ft1.2 m 20 ft tall, 3 ft wide 3–8 Full Sun
MandevillaMandevilla spp. 3 ft90 cm 10 ft tall, 3 ft wide 9–11 Full Sun
Passion FlowerPassiflora incarnata 4 ft1.2 m 25 ft tall, 6 ft wide 5–9 Full Sun
Potato VineSolanum laxum 4 ft1.2 m 25 ft tall, 4 ft wide 8–11 Full Sun
Silver Lace VineFallopia baldschuanica 8 ft2.4 m 25 ft tall, 10 ft wide 4–8 Full Sun
Snail VineCochliasanthus caracalla 4 ft1.2 m 20 ft tall, 6 ft wide 9–11 Full Sun
Star JasmineTrachelospermum jasminoides 4 ft1.2 m 15 ft tall, 5 ft wide 8–10 Full Sun
Trumpet VineCampsis radicans 8 ft2.4 m 35 ft tall, 10 ft wide 4–9 Full Sun
Virginia CreeperParthenocissus quinquefolia 5 ft1.5 m 40 ft tall, 10 ft wide 3–9 Full Sun
WisteriaWisteria spp. 8 ft2.4 m 25 ft tall, 10 ft wide 5–9 Full Sun

Spacing is center to center — measure between planting holes, not between the edges of the plants. Mature size and hardiness ranges are catalog values and shift with cultivar and local conditions.

How to use this chart

Vine spacing is a length along a fence, trellis, or wire, not an area in a bed. The question it answers is how many plants it takes to cover a given run of support, and the answer follows from how far each plant spreads laterally once it reaches the top.

Vigour varies more within this category than in any other. A clematis and a wisteria are both vines, and one of them will cover 40 ft of pergola and lift the roof off it. Match the plant's mature size to what the structure can actually carry before worrying about the spacing between plants.

Self-clinging climbers — Boston ivy, English ivy, climbing hydrangea — attach directly to masonry with rootlets or adhesive pads and are best kept off wood siding, painted surfaces, and anything with a mortar joint you care about, whatever the spacing.

Spacing charts by category