Drought Tolerant Vines

Growing Drought Tolerant Vines For Hot Gardens

Bougainvillea Flowers

You may be living in a region or climate which gets extremely hot, faced with this challenge, however, your goal is to plant that garden which you have always dreamed of but with the heat waves which makes it almost unbearable you are not sure if installing a garden may be a wise thing to do.

The good news is though your climate gets really hot you can still install that garden with the help of plants that can withstand the heat, plants such as drought-tolerant vines makes this all possible. There are many of these vine types with which you can choose from that will work wonders.

What I love about the use of vines in a garden or landscaping setting is the way in which they run (grow) along with the many flower bloom they produce. One such vine which we will look at more in-depth is the bougainvillea with its many colors of dark pink, purple, orange, white, etc.. which can bring that much-needed flavor giving that tropical feel and appearance in a garden paradise.

My experience with these garden beauties

For years I’ve always been impressed and blow away by the bougainvillea plant which gives that, WOW, working on many garden and landscaping projects over the years. As a foreman working on an estate a few years ago, my duty was to oversee the entire landscape and gardens which were a huge task but my team and I which was a small crew keep the grounds looking really great.

On these properties were beds of bougainvilleas which the homeowners enjoyed, these bougainvillea vines were just beautiful as they aligned the walls of lush green grass with beautiful flowers as they grew alongside the carport this was so awesome especially when they were groomed painted with beautiful flowers.

What I love about these garden beauties is they’re not fussy and will bloom under the most extreme conditions (hot weather). My favorites are the ones that are in the photo above, these variegated bougainvilleas give you the best of both worlds. Not only do they flower but the leaves are so beautiful with a splash or mixture of both green and yellow.

11 Drought Tolerant Vines for your hot garden

Below we will be discussing a group of vines that can withstand the extreme heat but yet give such beautiful blooms.

Bougainvilleas

1. As discussed earlier the bougainvillea is a hardy vine that can withstand heat. These vines can survive on very little water. What also amazes me about the bougainvillea is that these garden beauties will bloom even if they are not being fertilized. For the bougainvillea vine to run or climb will have to be secured to a trellis or some other support with garden tie straps.

Creeping Figs

2. Another plant that is worth mentioning is the creeping fig, I have always been impressed with these garden beauties because of how they climb I have seen many homes that were covered with these fig vines that looked so neat. The leaves of the creeping fig vines are green and tiny, though the creeping fig is a slow grower it is worth the wait. It is also a common thing to see them planted along walls and other hard surfaces where they will climb. This evergreen can survive on medium amounts of water.

Pink Trumpet Vines

3. This garden beauty can withstand the heat and can survive on moderate water, though a slow grower the pink trumpet vine will give that much-needed flavor but as it matures the rate by which this vine grows speeds up. The pink trumpet vine must be attached or tied to an arbor or trellis to climb and to show off its beauty.

Honeysuckle

4. The honeysuckle is one of my favorite vines, this shrubby vine is an evergreen that has made a name for itself gracing many garden and landscape areas. When first installed these garden beauties require constant water but once established water moderately. Attach or tie your honeysuckle to a support structure where they can climb, you will love the flower bloom which is so stunning.

Cat’s claw vine

5. The cat’s claw vine produces a large yellow trumpet-like flower that is truly amazing, these vines can thrive in partial shade and loves to be watered moderately. This semi-evergreen has small hooks that resemble a cat’s claw that is used to attach to fences, walls, and other hard surfaces which helps them to climb. After the bloom period has passed cut your cat’s clawback.

Mexican Flame Vine

6. The Mexican flame vine is a great vine to add to your garden to attract wildlife (Butterflies). This garden beauty produces orange-red flowers that form in a cluster. The Mexican flame vine is resistant to disease and pests also can survive on very water.

Grapes

7. This is a great one because when growing grapes or the grapevine you’re growing an edible plant that will provide you with nice delicious fruits. These are great drought-tolerant vines that can be planted near your arbor.

Algerian Ivy

8. The Algerian ivy is a fast grower and excellent climbing vine that also can withstand the drought. The leaves of the Algerian ivy come in different shades of green. Once this garden beauty is established it can survive on very little water.

Desert Snapdragon

9. The desert snapdragon is a small herbaceous vine that is great for hanging baskets as well as growing on a trellis. This vine climbs or attaches itself by means of its tendrils. Water your desert snapdragon regular to produce flower bloom, once established can survive without fertilization.

Boston Ivy

10. The Boston ivy is a semi-evergreen that has beautiful colorful fall foliage, however, the Boston ivy needs soil that is well-drained. Install Boston ivy near fences, walls, and posts. Ensure you are watering regularly to keep your ivy plant growing healthy.

Crossvine

11. The crossvine is an evergreen which requires little watering. This vine once installed will attract wildlife such as bees and hummingbirds, and will bloom well in the full sunlight. The crossvine makes a great climber and will bring that much-needed flavor to your garden and landscape areas.

There are more that can be added to this list,  there are so many which can be used in your hot garden. Drought tolerant vines, in my opinion, are easy to grow and maintain the garden pest problems are like zero in other words you don’t have to sweat it. So after you have read about these eleven amazing vines what are your thoughts, do you think these are the plants for you?

The final word

These drought-tolerant vines are great for a hot garden which will bring that much-needed flavor and the best part is they are low maintenance saving you time and money so why not consider these plant types for your hot garden. No matter the climate condition these vines will go to work for you helping to make your dream garden a reality.

About the author

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Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.

7 thoughts on “Drought Tolerant Vines”

  1. This is a dream come through to many gardener that wish to have something in their garden even during hot climate. Thanks for this lists and am very sure it will be of great help while looking for what to plant under hot climate. But there is no picture to identify all these plants name. Am only familiar with grape. I like grape, so it will be a superb choice consider growing grape in my garden.

    Reply
    • Hello so happy to help, just take a trip to your garden center for them to advise you of which vines that grow in your zone that you can use which are drought tolerant. Have a good day.

      Reply
  2. We live in a very hot and dry climate, so this post was great and relevant for me to read.

    We have bougainvillea in our garden and what a pleasure of a plant. It always looks good and takes it takes very little to care for it. I haven’t got very green fingers, so I like easy to grow plants that don’t require a lot of attention.

    I Googled pink trumpet vines as I hadn’t heard of this plant before and of course, it was really pretty and should complement our bougainvillea really well. I think I am also going to try some honeysuckle, as I like that and never realized it was so easy to grow. I will attach to our bland-looking garden wall.

    Reply
    • Hello, Michel so happy to meet you and I am so glad to help. Wishing you all the best with your garden project. All the best to you and have a good day.

      Reply
  3. Hi Norman,

    Thanks for that great article on successfully growing drought resistant vines. This indeed could be a solution to those people who live in hot climates and would like to keep lush gardens at the same time whether in our out of the favourable seasons. Like these bougainvillea vines would be a beautiful drought resistant option very enthusiastic landscaper should recommend.

    Your landscaping experience spanning many years is quite helpful to us, bro. You have great hacks to otherwise tough nuts to crack. 

    As always, keep encouraging us to adopt the back to Eden lifestyle for longevity and quality of life.

    .

    Boniface from AndroidBix 

    Reply
    • Hello so happy to meet you and thanks a million for your kind words you have made my day. Wishing you the best of success and have a good day.

      Reply

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