If you’ve got an eyesore of a fence or a blank garden wall that’s begging for some life, fast-growing climbers are your best bet.
These plants don’t hang about. They’ll race up trellises, scramble over panels, and fill your garden with colour and texture in just a few months. Whether you’re after lush green coverage, bursts of blooms, or a bit of both, these climbers will get the job done in a single season. Here are some to consider to add some new life to your outdoor space.
1. Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
Sweet peas are not only quick to grow but also bring charm, colour, and a gorgeous scent. Once sown in spring, they can climb to around 6 feet or more by summer’s end, producing delicate flowers in a huge variety of colours. They’re ideal for covering trellises or wire mesh quickly.
Give them something to cling to and plant them in full sun for the best results. Deadheading regularly keeps the blooms coming, and they’ll keep flowering until the first frost. They’re an annual, but you can collect seeds and grow a fresh display every year with very little effort.
2. Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Nasturtiums are more than just cheerful gap-fillers. They’re surprisingly vigorous climbers if you give them the support they need. The trailing or climbing types can quickly scramble over fences and trellises, offering bold, fiery colours and edible leaves and flowers.
They’re incredibly low maintenance and thrive in poor soil, which actually encourages more flowers than foliage. These are ideal for adding a wild, cottage-garden feel to a tired or bare corner. Plus, they help repel certain pests, making them functional as well as decorative.
3. Morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea)
Morning glory is a fast-growing annual with trumpet-shaped flowers that open each morning, adding instant charm to dull spaces. Once established, it races up strings, trellises, or wire fencing, easily reaching 8–10 feet tall in just one season.
They love a sunny, sheltered spot and benefit from regular watering. The deep blues, purples, and pinks look especially striking against plain fences, and they’ll happily reseed themselves for next year if conditions are right. Just watch they don’t spread where they’re not wanted because they’re enthusiastic growers.
4. Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus)
If you want fast coverage and a harvest to go with it, runner beans are hard to beat. Their bright red flowers and lush green leaves can easily cloak a fence or frame, reaching heights of 8 feet or more in no time at all.
They’re perfect for edible gardens or anyone who likes the idea of combining looks with productivity. Start them off after the last frost and keep them well-watered, and they’ll reward you with both shade and supper by midsummer. Bonus: bees love the flowers too.
5. Black-eyed Susan vine (Thunbergia alata)
With its distinctive orange or yellow blooms and dark central eye, this vine adds serious impact to any garden fence. It’s a tender perennial in warm climates but grown as an annual in the UK, and it grows quickly enough to be worth it.
Give it a sunny spot and some decent support, and it’ll reward you with fast-growing vines and a season-long flower show. It’s ideal for containers, too, which makes it great if your fence needs softening, but your soil isn’t ideal for planting directly.
6. Clematis ‘Montana’
While many clematis take their time, Clematis ‘Montana’ is the exception. It’s one of the fastest-growing varieties and can reach impressive heights in just a few months, smothering fences in a mass of soft pink or white flowers in spring and early summer.
It prefers a sunny to partially shaded spot with its roots shaded and its top in the sun. Once it gets going, it’s almost unstoppable—just be prepared to give it a tidy once the flowering’s done. It’s technically a perennial but can give fence-covering results in its first year if planted early.
7. Climbing nasturtium ‘Moonlight’
A twist on the classic nasturtium, ‘Moonlight’ has a paler, creamy yellow flower and an even stronger climbing habit. It’s a fantastic pick if you want something slightly softer in colour, but still with the same easy-growing personality and fence-cloaking ability.
This variety loves poor soil, doesn’t need feeding, and will keep flowering for months if you keep picking off the dead blooms. It’s great for vertical colour and requires very little in the way of fuss or maintenance. Perfect for lazy but impactful gardening.
8. Climbing French beans
Like runner beans, French beans shoot up rapidly and provide a dense, leafy screen in just a few weeks. While the flowers are less showy, they still bring subtle beauty and a reliable crop through summer. Some varieties come with purple or bi-coloured pods too.
They’re best grown with support; bamboo wigwams, trellises, or string against a fence will all work. With regular picking, they’ll keep producing through summer and into early autumn. It’s a practical way to make an ugly fence work for you and your dinner plate.
9. Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus)
This fast-growing annual vine isn’t just quick, it’s aggressive. It can reach up to 20 feet in one season and will happily cloak an entire fence with its bold, lobed leaves. While it doesn’t flower much, the foliage alone makes a big impact.
It’s great for filling gaps fast, especially in urban gardens where privacy is needed quickly. Just keep an eye on it, as it can get unruly. Unlike perennial hops, this version doesn’t come back the next year unless it reseeds, which makes it easier to control.
10. Canary creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum)
Canary creeper is a lesser-known cousin of the nasturtium, with delicate fern-like leaves and bright yellow flowers shaped like tiny birds in flight. It’s a fast, light climber that creates a lovely airy curtain of greenery and blooms over any structure.
Best grown in full sun, it thrives in containers or directly in the ground, and scrambles quickly over trellises or fences. It’s a great choice for smaller gardens where heavier climbers might feel too bulky. Keep it watered in dry spells and it’ll thrive all season.
11. Cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens)
This striking annual vine gets its name from its unusual bell-shaped flowers that look like a teacup sitting on a saucer. It’s fast, dramatic, and ideal for those who want something a little different. It’ll easily reach 10 feet or more in one summer.
It starts off slow but quickly accelerates once the warm weather hits. Give it full sun, a sheltered spot, and something sturdy to climb, and you’ll be rewarded with deep purple or white flowers that attract pollinators and curious glances alike.
12. Climbing roses (fast-starting varieties)
While most roses take their time, some climbing varieties, like ‘Rambling Rector’ or ‘Kew Rambler,’ can shoot up quickly if planted in spring and given good support. You might not get total coverage in the first year, but you’ll see significant progress by autumn.
They offer beauty, fragrance, and even some shade once established. Make sure they’re tied in regularly as they grow, and give them a good mulch and feed to encourage lush growth. With a strong start, they can become showstoppers by year two, and still soften a fence nicely in year one.
13. Passion flower (Passiflora caerulea)
Passion flowers are exotic-looking and fast-growing, especially in mild parts of the UK. While not all varieties thrive outdoors year-round, Passiflora caerulea can do very well in a sunny, sheltered garden and shoot up rapidly in its first season.
The intricate flowers are a real conversation piece, and the vine’s strong tendrils cling readily to trellises or wires. In warmer summers, you might even get fruit. It’s a great pick if you want something that feels a bit tropical without needing to go abroad.
14. Annual hops (Humulus lupulus ‘Sunbeam’)
This golden-leafed hop variety grows fast and brings a luminous glow to your garden. Though often grown as a perennial, it can be treated like an annual for quick fence coverage. The chartreuse foliage stands out and pairs well with darker backgrounds.
It’ll easily cover a trellis or arch in one season and adds a softer, looser look compared to denser climbers. In late summer, hop-like flowers form and can even be dried for decoration. It’s ideal for creating a lush, cottagey screen in record time.