10 Australian natives to cover fences and structures without damage

Exotic wisteria is one of the most requested plants in Australian garden centres and one of the most regretted. It produces woody stems as thick as a wrist that can lift roof tiles, crack pergola joints and throttle timber posts. Once established, it is almost impossible to remove without dismantling the structure it has consumed.

The good news is that the same result is achievable with Australian native species that climb through lighter mechanisms, respond to pruning well and support local wildlife in the process.

Here are ten natives suited specifically to covering structures, organised by the type of structure they suit best and the maintenance each one requires.

Why wisteria damages structures

Exotic wisteria damages structures because its stems actively tighten as they thicken, generating enormous lateral pressure on joints, rafters and posts. This is known as contractile twining. 

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For pergolas

Pergolas require a climber that can reach several metres, produce enough coverage to create shade and be maintained at a manageable weight. The three species below achieve the wisteria-like overhead display without the destructive woody growth.

Plant 01Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides)

Temperate to subtropical · Eastern Australia · Pergolas, trellises, fences

Bower vine is the most reliable native climber for pergola coverage across a wide range of climates. It produces pink trumpet-shaped flowers with a darker throat over a long season from spring through summer, against glossy foliage that provides overhead shade. It twines by stem rather than by the heavy contraction and its stems remain fairly slender. It is manageable with loppers or a pruning saw.

The tubular flowers attract honeyeaters and native bees throughout the flowering period. Prune by up to one-third immediately after the main flush of flowering using sharp bypass secateurs for stems up to 1.5cm. Annual pruning is what keeps bower vine manageable.

Plant 02Native wisteria (Austrocallerya megasperma)

Subtropical to warm temperate · North-eastern NSW, south-east Queensland · Pergolas, robust fences

This is the true native equivalent of exotic wisteria. It is genuinely spectacular in flower and unlike exotic wisteria it does not drop its leaves in winter, meaning it provides year-round coverage. Previously known as Millettia megasperma and now also listed as Austrocallerya megasperma.

Murray Fagg, CC BY 3.0 AU, via Wikimedia Commons

This is a genuinely vigorous plant that can reach 20m in ideal conditions. It needs a sturdy pergola as lightweight timber structures will not support it at maturity. It also takes patience, sometimes several years before flowering begins. The reward is one of the most beautiful flowering displays of any Australian climber. Prune hard with loppers after flowering each year to maintain size.

Pruning is imperative

Every climber in this list is manageable with annual pruning. The right tools make the difference between a 20-minute seasonal task and a full day's renovation work. Use sharp bypass secateurs for stems up to 1.5cm diameter, loppers for stems up to 4cm and a pruning saw for anything thicker. Always make cuts just above a leaf node or outward-facing bud, and always prune immediately after the main flowering period ends. See our native plant pruning guide for more detail.

Plant 03Fraser Island creeper (Tecomanthe hillii)

Subtropical · Queensland, northern NSW · Pergolas, robust overhead structures

Fraser Island creeper is one of the most visually dramatic native climbers available for subtropical gardens. It produces large, creamy-white to pale pink tubular flowers in dense clusters directly from the stems and older wood. The flowers are large and attractive en masse to rival any exotic climber.

It requires a sturdy support and full sun to part shade. It does not produce destructive woody growth, but its stems are robust and it benefits from annual shaping with loppers after the main flowering period to prevent it from becoming unwieldy. It attracts birds and large native bees to its flowers.

For fences

Fences present different requirements to pergolas. A lighter climbing mechanism is usually preferable and the plants need to work well within the two-dimensional plane of a fence rather than spreading overhead.

Plant 04Purple coral pea (Hardenbergia comptoniana)

Temperate to Mediterranean · Western Australia · Wire fences, timber trellises

The WA purple coral pea is distinct from the more widely known Hardenbergia violacea and worth seeking out specifically for fence coverage in temperate and Mediterranean-climate gardens. It produces purple pea flowers in late winter and spring on a light, twining climber that handles poor sandy soils, coastal exposure and dry summers. 

Michael Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The twining stems are slender enough that they cause no damage to fencing and can be removed cleanly if needed. It grows naturally in the southwest of WA and performs well in South Australian, Victorian and NSW gardens with good drainage and full sun. Trim lightly with sharp secateurs after flowering to keep growth dense and tidy. The early-season flowers are an important nectar source for honeyeaters.

Plant 05Love creeper (Comesperma volubile)

Temperate · Eastern and southern Australia · Wire fences, light trellises

Love creeper is one of the most delicate and beautiful of all Australian native climbers. It is a slender twiner producing bright blue to mauve flowers over a long season through late winter and spring. It is the only member of the milkwort family that climbs. The stems are fine enough that they cause no structural pressure on anything they grow through.

It suits light wire fences and is particularly effective allowed to scramble through other low shrubs as it does naturally in heathland. It prefers well-drained, nutrient-poor sandy or gravelly soil and resents fertiliser or rich compost. Plant it with a slim trowel directly into lean soil, water through establishment and then largely leave it alone.

Plant 06Black coral pea (Kennedia nigricans)

Temperate to Mediterranean · Western Australia · Fences, trellises, embankments

Black coral pea has one of the most unusual flowers of any Australian climber. They are velvety blackish-purple to maroon with a bright yellow patch at the base, produced from winter through to summer. There is almost nothing else in the native flora that looks like it. It is a vigorous twining climber from the southwest of WA, covering up to 6m in diameter and handles sandy soils, coastal exposure, drought and moderate frost.

Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The stems twine loosely rather than contracting and the plant can be cut back hard with loppers after flowering to keep it within bounds. It performs well in eastern Australian gardens with good drainage and full sun and is widely available. The flowers attract honeyeaters and native bees through the cooler months when other climbers are dormant.

Plant 07Beach bean (Canavalia rosea)

Tropical to warm temperate coastal · Coastal gardens nationwide · Low fences, banks, coastal structures

Beach bean is the toughest fence-covering plant in this list for coastal positions. It scrambles rather than twines, producing large, three-leaflet leaves and vivid pink to mauve pea flowers over an extended period. It is genuinely indifferent to salt spray, sandy soil, coastal wind and high summer heat. Along the coastal dune line and in beachside gardens it has almost no competition as a fence-covering plant.

Allthingsnative, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It does not damage fences as the stems drape through and over wire rather than gripping and tightening. It is fast-covering but easy to pull back with hedging shears or secateurs in late summer once flowering finishes. The seeds are not edible and are mildly toxic if consumed in quantity.

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For walls and difficult positions

Masonry walls, rendered surfaces and shaded fence lines present different challenges. The three species below handle surfaces that twiners cannot grip, or conditions that most climbers find too difficult.

Plant 08Needle berry (Rhaphidophora australasica)

Tropical to subtropical · Queensland, northern NSW · Masonry walls, shaded structures

Needle berry is a rainforest climber that attaches to surfaces using aerial rootlets, the same mechanism as ivy. The rootlets grip timber and masonry without penetrating or widening cracks and can be removed cleanly if the plant is cut back. The large, glossy, deeply lobed leaves provide a bold tropical foliage effect on walls and shaded structures that no other native climber matches.

Zoltán Stekkelpak, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

It requires genuine tropical or subtropical conditions and a shaded or semi-shaded position. Left without guidance it will self-direct and can become uneven. Annual removal of any stems growing away from the surface keeps it manageable. Do not allow it to spread into the canopy of nearby trees — it is manageable on a wall but will become a problem in established trees if left unchecked.

Plant 09Pepper vine (Piper hederaceum)

Subtropical to tropical · Eastern Australia · Shaded fences, walls, damp positions

Pepper vine is a native climber for deep shade, damp soil, sheltered walls and the base of moist fences in subtropical and tropical gardens. It produces large, heart-shaped glossy leaves and climbs using a combination of twining stems and occasional aerial rootlets, making it adaptable to both wire structures and smooth wall surfaces. In rainforest margins it creates dense, lush ground-to-canopy coverage on whatever it finds to climb.

Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In garden use it is best treated as a shaded wall plant or fence cover in moist, sheltered positions. Trim with secateurs to keep it within the desired area as it will spread laterally if left untrimmed. It is genuinely useful in positions where humidity and shade make other climbers fail.

Plant 10Guinea vine (Cissus hypoglauca)

Temperate to subtropical · Eastern Australia · Fences, pergolas, shaded walls

Guinea vine is one of the most versatile and underused native climbers for difficult positions. A tendril climber with five-leaflet compound leaves, it handles dry shade, coastal exposure, clay soil and root competition from established trees with equal ease. The tendrils grip wire and timber without generating structural pressure, and the plant can be removed cleanly at any time by cutting the main stem.

Margaret Donald from Sydney, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In late summer it produces small flowers followed by dark purple berries that are taken by birds. It is the right choice for a difficult dry shade position where it will establish from very little. Prune hard every two to three years with loppers to rejuvenate and keep growth fresh.

Establishing any climber

Every climber in this list needs consistent watering during its first two summers to establish a deep root system. A terracotta olla buried beside the root zone delivers slow, deep moisture without surface evaporation and is one of the most effective establishment tools available. Apply a 7–10cm layer of coarse mulch around the base to retain moisture and moderate soil temperature. See our guide on why native plants fail in the first year for more on establishment.

At a glance

• 01Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides)
  Temperate to subtropical · Pergolas
• 02Native wisteria (Austrocallerya megasperma)
  Subtropical to warm temperate · Heavy pergolas only
• 03Fraser Island creeper (Tecomanthe hillii)
  Subtropical · Sturdy pergolas and arbours
• 04Purple coral pea (Hardenbergia comptoniana)
  Temperate to Mediterranean · Wire fences and trellises
• 05Love creeper (Comesperma volubile)
  Temperate · Light wire fences
• 06Black coral pea (Kennedia nigricans)
  Temperate to Mediterranean · Fences, trellises, embankments
• 07Beach bean (Canavalia rosea)
  Coastal gardens nationwide · Low fences and banks
• 08Needle berry (Rhaphidophora australasica)
  Tropical to subtropical · Masonry walls and shaded structures
• 09Pepper vine (Piper hederaceum)
  Subtropical to tropical · Shaded fences and damp walls
• 10Guinea vine (Cissus hypoglauca)
  Temperate to subtropical · Fences, pergolas, dry shade

For a broader selection of Australian native climbers including species suited to informal garden use, see our guide to 12 underused Australian native vines and climbing plants. For guidance on seasonal maintenance of a native garden including climbers, our climate zone maintenance guide covers what each season requires.

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