Climbing Plants Canberra

Bring a brilliant splash of color to your late winter garden with the classic 'Happy Wanderer', one of Australia’s most beloved and reliable native climbers. A vigorous and fast-growing evergreen, it is famous for smothering fences, pergolas, and retaining walls with lush foliage and a spectacular display of deep purple, pea-like flowers just as the winter garden needs color most. While it is a fantastic twining climber that easily covers unsightly structures, it can also be left to scramble across banks and garden beds as a dense, weed-suppressing groundcover. Exceptionally tough and well-adapted to the local climate, this is a must-have for a low-maintenance, high-impact display.

• Mature Size: Climbs or spreads up to 2–3m+ (depending on the support structure)

• Foliage: Evergreen with rich, dark green, leathery leaves

• Flowers: A prolific, show-stopping mass of deep purple pea flowers from late winter through spring

• Growth Habit: Vigorous twining climber or scrambling groundcover; requires a trellis, wire, or fence for vertical climbing

• Position: Thrives in full sun to part shade; requires well-drained soil

• Soil: Well-drained soil. On heavy Canberra clay, dig in gypsum clay breaker before planting. In pots, use Native Osmocote Potting Mix.

• Feeding: Osmocote Native in spring, or Neutrog Bush Tucker as a liquid feed. Seasol at planting helps it settle in.

• Climate & Water: Drought and frost tolerant once established (protect young plants from heavy frosts); low water needs overall, but requires regular watering during its establishment phase

• Maintenance: Low care; prune back after flowering to control its vigorous spread, remove tangled growth, and encourage fresh, dense foliage

• Ideal For: Covering fences, trellises, and pergolas, cascading over retaining walls, or planting as a hardy groundcover in native and water-wise gardens

This tidy, twining evergreen makes a versatile groundcover or trained climber, with small glossy dark green leaves and clusters of small white, fragrant flowers. Slower growing and more cold-hardy than the common star jasmine, it copes well with Canberra's frosty winters once established.

• Mature size: Approx. 15-30cm H x 2-4m W as groundcover (to 4.5-6m if trained as a climber)
• Foliage: Small, glossy dark green leaves; evergreen
• Flowers: Small white, fragrant blooms
• Growth habit: Slow-growing twining climber or trailing groundcover
• Position: Full sun to part shade
• Climate: Frost hardy to around -5°C
• Water needs: Regular water while establishing; moderate once established
• Soil: Well-drained soil improved with compost. Break up heavy Canberra clay with gypsum clay breaker. In pots, use Osmocote Premium Potting Mix.
• Feeding: Osmocote All Purpose in spring, or Yates Dynamic Lifter for an organic feed. Seasol at planting and through summer helps with heat stress.
• Maintenance: Low; prune to keep neat, train onto a trellis or archway if climbing
• Ideal for: Groundcover, borders, trellises, archways, underplanting

Star Jasmine is a much-loved evergreen climber with glossy, dark green leaves. Through late spring and summer it's covered in masses of white, star-shaped flowers with a sweet, heady fragrance. It's perfect for softening fences, walls and pergolas, or it can be trimmed into a low groundcover on banks. Once established, it copes with Canberra's frosts and dry spells, and its leaves often take on lovely bronze-red tones in winter.

• Mature size: 3–6m tall x 2–3m wide when trained on a support (can be kept much smaller with pruning)

• Foliage: Glossy, oval, dark green leaves; evergreen, often bronze-tinged in winter

• Flowers: Highly fragrant white star-shaped flowers in late spring and summer

• Growth habit: Twining climber or spreading groundcover; moderate growth rate

• Position: Full sun to part shade (best flowering in sun), in well-drained soil

• Climate: Tolerates moderate frost once established (protect young plants in their first winter); drought tolerant once established

• Water needs: Regular while establishing, then low to moderate

• Soil: Well-drained soil improved with compost. Break up heavy Canberra clay with gypsum clay breaker. In pots, use Osmocote Premium Potting Mix.

• Feeding: Osmocote All Purpose in spring, or Yates Dynamic Lifter for an organic feed. Seasol at planting and through summer helps with heat stress.

• Maintenance: Low; trim after flowering to keep it tidy and dense

• Ideal for: Covering fences, walls and pergolas, screening, groundcover on slopes and pots with a trellis