Name: The Plant Company
Address: 284 Meeanee Road, Meeanee, Napier, 4112, New Zealand
Telephone: 0800 843 752
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climbing plants for arches

Transform your garden into an enchanting sanctuary with climbing plants for arches. Whether you’re looking to create a lush entranceway, a vibrant focal point, or a private retreat beneath a canopy of blooms and foliage, choosing the right climbing plants for arches is key. With their ability to add vertical beauty, soften hard structures, and offer scent or seasonal interest, climbing plants can make any archway a showstopper. In New Zealand, there are a wide variety of climbers to suit every garden style, from sun-loving tropicals to elegant shade-tolerant varieties.

Clematis montana 'Rubens'

Clematis montana ‘Rubens’ is a vigorous and stunning deciduous climber known for its profusion of soft pink, vanilla-scented flowers in spring. The blooms contrast beautifully with the bronze-tinged foliage, creating an impressive display on fences, pergolas, and trellises. Perfect for covering large areas quickly, ‘Rubens’ thrives in most NZ gardens and rewards with low maintenance and long-lasting beauty. It’s a classic choice for adding romance, colour, and fragrance to outdoor spaces.

Buy Clematis montana 'Rubens'

From $37.19

Suited to regions: All regions

Plant type: Climbers

Height: 3.00 m

Spread: 3.00 m

Flowering time: Spring, Summer

Tolerances: Coastal, Hardy

Garden uses: Arches, Living areas, Parks, Specimen

Garden styles: Backyard, City & Courtyard, Coastal, Frontyard, Japanese, Modern

Bougainvillea 'Purple Patch'

Bougainvillea ‘Purple Patch’ is a dazzling climbing plant that delivers an abundance of rich purple bracts through the warmer months. Perfect for brightening fences, pergolas, and garden walls, it brings tropical vibrancy and structure to New Zealand gardens. This hardy and low-maintenance variety thrives in full sun and provides months of eye-catching colour, making it a standout choice for sunny outdoor spaces.

Buy Bougainvillea 'Purple Patch'

From $30.29

Suited to regions: Subtropical, Temperate

Plant type: Climbers

Height: 2.00 m

Spread: 2.00 m

Flowering time: Spring, Summer

Tolerances: Coastal, Hardy

Garden uses: Arches, Containers, Living areas, Pool areas

Garden styles: Backyard, City & Courtyard, Coastal, Frontyard, Japanese, Modern

Best Climbing Plants for Arches in New Zealand

Selecting climbing plants for arches depends on your style, sunlight, and how much maintenance you prefer. Here are a few exceptional choices:

Vibrant and Tropical Arch Climbers

For a splash of colour and a touch of the tropics, Bougainvillea 'Pedro' is hard to beat. This hardy, drought-tolerant beauty flourishes in full sun, covering arches quickly with dazzling magenta bracts that bloom for months.

Another showstopper, Mandevilla 'Red Riding Hood', delivers striking red trumpet flowers and glossy foliage. It loves warm, sheltered spots and can flower from spring well into autumn, making it perfect for a standout display on garden arches.

Unique New Zealand Natives

If you’re after something distinctly Kiwi, Tecomanthe speciosa is a rare native climber featuring lush leaves and dramatic, bell-shaped pale blooms. It thrives in semi-shade and is perfect for covering arches in sheltered courtyards or subtropical plantings.

Elegant Shade-Loving Climbers

For archways in part or full shade, Hydrangea petiolaris is an excellent choice. This self-clinging hydrangea produces masses of snow-white lacecap flowers in early summer and develops bronze autumn foliage, creating multi-season interest without demanding much attention.

Exotic Indoor Options

Fancy bringing your arches indoors or to a conservatory? Rhaphidophora decursiva is an architectural beauty with dramatic, deeply-lobed leaves. When given a sturdy frame, this climber can add a lush, tropical ambiance to interior archways or garden rooms.

How to Train Climbing Plants for Arches

Plant your climbers at the base of your arch, giving them plenty of room to grow. Gently tie new shoots to the arch structure as they appear, spreading stems evenly to encourage good coverage. Most climbing plants for arches thrive when their roots are kept cool and moist, so consider mulching and watering regularly during dry spells.

Why Choose Climbing Plants for Arches

Climbing plants not only bring vertical interest and beauty to outdoor spaces but also attract pollinators, create privacy, and help break up strong winds. By choosing the right climbing plants for arches—whether tropical, native, evergreen, or floriferous—you can create a living framework that matures beautifully for years to come.

Explore our full range of Rhaphidophora decursiva, Bougainvillea 'Pedro', Mandevilla 'Red Riding Hood', Hydrangea petiolaris, and Tecomanthe speciosa to find the perfect climber for your garden arch. Dive into a world of colour, foliage, and form with the best climbing plants for arches in New Zealand.

Contact us

Whether you need assistance finding the plant you’re looking for or you simply want to know more about who we are and what we do, we invite you to get in touch with us today. A member of The Plant Company team will get back in touch as soon as possible.

climbing plants for arches

Clematis montana 'Rubens'

Bougainvillea 'Purple Patch'

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