Is It Safe to Plant Climbing Vines On Your House?

Vines meander and move about freely. They also find ways to attach themselves to the one thing they can not provide on their own: support. And while vines can certainly serve a home aesthetically — making it look stately and refined or, in some cases, helping it blend into the natural landscape — that lush greenery may come with a price.

Read on to learn the implications of letting vining plants grow on your house.

Should You Grow Vines On Your House?

The short answer is no. If they’re not already there, don’t get them started. Vines are a lot of work. In most cases, you’ll find they require consistent care and pruning. Even worse, vigorous growers can run roughshod over the exterior, trapping moisture and potentially causing rot, which can result in serious damage to the structure. The most aggressive vines will make their way up to eaves and gutters, where they can also do damage.

“An established vine can result in undesirable moisture retention and buildup along the wall surface. I would never recommend vines to be used in this fashion,” says Jeffery Iles, PhD., professor and chair of Iowa State University’s Department of Horticulture and a woody plant specialist.

“It stands to reason that vining and twining plants probably don’t do masonry, siding and other types of building coverings any favors,” Iles adds. “In fact, they are quite resourceful at finding cracks and crevices to gain a foothold, but in doing so, may cause damage, especially when it comes to removing the vines.”

What If Vines Are Already on the House?

It may be best to leave them be. “Removing the vines, even if killed before removal, may cause damage to the structure they are growing on during removal,” Iles says. This is because the vines that typically grow on a house use aerial roots, or root-like structures called holdfasts, to adhere to a surface and climb without additional support. These holdfasts can damage the sides of a house if torn off. At the very least, it leaves ugly marks where the holdfasts were attached.

According to the National Gardening Association, vines can be especially problematic on stucco. “Any plant that actually attaches itself to stucco has the potential to damage the stucco,” the organization reports. “Ivy and creeping fig are especially troublesome because they attach themselves with sticky little appendages called peds. Once these peds attach themselves, they are next to impossible to remove, even if you pull down the plants.”

According to the Brick Industry Association, removing this type of vine is difficult and can damage mortar, requiring repointing or other repairs in some cases. Iowa State’s Iles adds, “I wouldn’t purchase a home covered in vines unless my building inspector assured me there had been no structural damage.”

If you’re intent on adding vines, it’s best to grow them on a structure other than the house or garage. “In my opinion, vines are better used on freestanding structures,” Iles says. Trellises, arbors, pergolas and fences are good examples. You can buy them ready-made or create a DIY version of netting, wire, PVC pipe or wood, for example. Make sure the structures are sturdy enough to support a vine, and place them far enough away from the home or garage to allow for good air circulation.

Problematic Vines to Avoid

Even with a free-standing support to safeguard your house or garage, a vine can still become a hassle. Save yourself headaches by avoiding invasive vines like Chinese wisteria (W. sinensis) or Japanese wisteria (W. floribunda), which spread quickly and aggressively. American wisteria (W. frutescens) doesn’t spread as quickly, but it can still grow up to 40 ft., so it will need substantial support and regular pruning to keep it at a manageable size.

Other troublesome vines include:

• Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
• Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
• Porcelain-berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)
• Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

Annual Vines to Consider

A good place to start is with annual vines, which have a modest reach because they live just one growing season. Annual vines grow quickly and reward homeowners with a preponderance of blooms. Use them to soften the look of a fence or wall or to create a backdrop for shorter plants. They add color, texture, height and interest to a garden — all while providing wildlife habitat and pollen source for pollinators.

Annual vines include:

• Balloon Vine (Cardiospermum halicacabum)
• Black-eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata)
• Canary Creeper (Tropaeolum peregrinum)
• Cypress Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit)
• Firecracker Vine (Ipomoea lobata)
• Moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
• Morning Glory (Ipomoea nil, I. purpurea, I. tricolor)
• Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea)

Perennial Vines to Consider

Perennial vines come back year after year, so you don’t have to start from scratch every spring. That also means they can grow larger — sometimes much larger — than annual vines. This bodes well for adding privacy, screening a view or softening the harsh look of a wall (think Wrigley Field but on a smaller scale). Still, some candidates behave better than others and will do just fine if given suitable support away from the dwelling.

Perennial vines include:

• American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)
• Clematis (Clematis spp.)
• Five-leaf Akebia (Akebia quinata)
• Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans)
• Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris)
• Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Provide the Proper Support

Here are some things you can do to keep vines on their best behavior.

• Make sure the support structure is big enough for the job. A simple $40 trellis from the garden center may support an annual vine but will quickly be overpowered by large perennial vines such as wisteria.
• Match the support with the type of vine you are growing. Some vines climb by wrapping tendrils around narrow objects as they grow so they can be trained on string or wire. Others twist their leaf stalks around a support and need a more substantial support such as a fence, deck rail or lamppost.
• Train your vines. Use wires to encourage vines to grow in a particular direction. Direct them away from gutters, wires and downspouts. Keep after them so they don’t get out of hand.

FAQs

Can vines damage metal fences?

Fast-growing, thick-stemmed woody vines like wisteria can disfigure a fence if allowed to grow to their full potential. However, most vines will not damage a metal fence.

Will vines affect the resale value of a home?

Whether vines will affect your home’s resale value depends. A well-kept vine adds to curb appeal and may attract some buyers while turning others off. One that is unruly — or worse, causing damage identified during the home inspection — could negatively impact the price of a home.

Can vines attract pests or insects to my home?

When in bloom, flowering vines attract pollinators. Other vines may shelter spiders or become nesting sites for birds and wasps.

About the Expert

Jeffery K. Iles is professor and chair of the Iowa State University Department of Horticulture. He holds a B.S. degree from Michigan State University, M.S. from Penn State University and Ph.D. from Iowa State University. Iles specializes in woody landscape plant evaluation and landscape plant establishment and maintenance. Additionally, he has won more than a dozen professional awards during his 30-year career.

Sources

• Iowa State University: Perennial Vines
• NC State Extension: Passiflora caerulea
• University of Maryland Extension: Invasive in your Woodland
• NC State Extension: Wisteria frutescens
• The Brick Industry Association: Ivy on Brickwork
• National Gardening Association: Vines to Cover Stucco Walls