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Begonia Bumper Pack 21 tubers - 7 of each
- £11.99
Fuchsia Giants Collection A 5 young plants
- £5
Geranium Colour Carnival F2 Hybrid Mixture 42 plug plants
- £6.99
Impatiens (Busy Lizzie) Accent Mixed F1 120 miniplugs + 20 Free
- £10.99
Lily 100 Days Collection 10 bulbs - 1 of each variety
- £9.99
Petunia Orchid Picotee Mixed F1 100 miniplugs + 10 FREE
- £12.49
Verbena F1 Quartz Mixed 84 plug plants
- £13.99
Live Plants
Flower Seed
Vegetable Seed
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Climbing Plants
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Climbers are incredibly versatile plants. They tend to grow fairly quickly
and do their stuff at about our head height. This means that we
don't have to bend over to appreciate them fully.
Unlike other plants that are at our head height such
as small trees and large shrubs, they don't take up a huge amount of
space.
Some of favourite plants are climbers. From the delicately
beautiful and wonderfully scented flowers of sweet peas to the great
masses of flowers on Rosa "Kiftsgate" and giant dinner-plate
sized leaves of the aptly named "Crimson Glory Vine" Vitis coignetiae
when in its autumnal glory.
Climbers just seem to be more "planty" than most plants. If you
think about a lush verdant scene, it usually includes vines and climbers
coming down from above. Jungles and lush conservatories look as verdant
as they do because of all the climbers growing up and hanging down.
 Climbers
don't need to put as much energy or effort into support as other types
of plants. Why make big woody stems and trunks if you can lean on another
plant (or trellis / wall / pergola etc.) that has already done it for
you.
This means that they can grow that much more quickly,
produce more leaves more quickly and produce and keep producing flowers
and fruit. As a bonus, all this happens just about where our major sense
organs happen to be.
Climbers can be used in so many different ways.
if you have a garden, then you can grow climbers, the trick is in choosing
the right ones and growing them in the right way, in particular with
the right kind of support. They are easy to manipulate into doing what
we want them to do and go where we want them to go. Because they need
a support and can't grow without the support, they tend to be very obedient
in the respect.
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Support
Without something to climb up, a climber becomes a flopper. This may
not always be a bad thing as some climbers, ivy in particular are versatile
enough to form very effective ground cover.
Walls and fences are the obvious place to grow climbers but even
better is some kind of three dimensional structure such as a pergola,
obelisk, arch or even a tree. Many climbers are the cultivated descendents
of wild ancestors that grew either in or on the edge of woodland. They
are adapted therefore to grow in three dimensions through trees or shrubs,
usually with their roots shaded and moist and their heads in the sun.
A tall structure in the garden with a climber growing up
it is a quick and easy way to give some instant height without the risk
that goes along with creating height with a large tree or shrub - ie
out of control growth.
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Quality
climbers to grow
Climbers are my favourite plants and I find it
very difficult not to recommend loads of them, I've been very strict with myself
and so here are some of the best. Some popular favourites, some less well known
- and I didn't even start to look at jasmines or roses.....
Annuals from seed
Perennial Bobby Dazzlers
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Clematis, large flowered.
A huge choice of named varieties are
available in a myriad of shades of blue through purple to red. Great
velvety petals of flowers frequently 4-6" across. Flower in late spring
and often with a second, smaller showing in the autumn. C. x jackmannii,
blue / purple large flowers - best grown semi-informally rather than
confined to a 2-dimensional trellis or wall.
see Clematis group 2 |
Buy large flowered Clematis
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Clematis tangutica
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C
 Similar
in growth habit to C. montana, but flowering in late summer and autumn
with small bell-shaped 4 - petalled flowers in all shades of yellow
from pale to deep and through to orange depending on variety. Some of
the loveliest yellows available are found here. Foliage finely dissected
and fern-like, can have a glaucous tinge in some types. Many available
varieties
"Bill McKenzie" probably the best.
Buy Clematis tangutica seeds
How to plant climbers and place support wires.
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Honeysuckles.
 Recommended,
Lonicera halliana and Lonicera henryi which
are both evergreen.
Buy Lonicera halliana |
Buy Lonicera henryi |
Lonicera - Winter Honeysuckle
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Parthenocissus
tricuspidata - Boston ivy.
 Probably
the most popular self-clinger whose homeland is actually Japan. It clings
very closely to its support and, once established, is extremely vigorous.
Its autumn colouring is a knockout brilliant magenta. The leaves have
a shiny gloss. Considered by some to be rather coarse, if this includes
you, then go for the next plant.
Buy Boston ivy
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Parthenocissus
quinquefolia - Virginia creeper.
 A
looser clinger than Boston ivy and may bulge out a little from a wall.
Its foliage is palmate, divided into five leaflets, and the autumn colour
is a warm red, taken on fairly early - marvellous with the creamy plumes
of a tall pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana, grown in front of it.
Buy Parthenocissus quinquefolia
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Parthenocissus
henryana
 Similar
to Virginia creeper is Parthenocissus henryana, but of more restrained
habit, with smaller leaves, is: grown on a shady wall, it develops conspicuous
paler bands along the main veins. Self-clinging.
Buy Parthenocissus henryana
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Rosa filipes "Kiftsgate"
 Ok
I admit it, I like big plants more than small ones. Rosa "Kiftsgate"
is a rambling rose that always wanted to be a tree. You need space for
this one and a large support. A large mature tree will do nicely, I've
also seen them doing well grown along a long post and rail fence where
the length of run has made up for lack of altitude. A wonderful plant,
hardy and vigorous with an indecent quantity of large sprays of white
scented flowers. A good intruder barrier too, the thorns were rejected
by the people who invented barbed wire because they were too brutal
(I just made that bit up - but I wouldn't try and climb through it,
no matter how drunk). - Scrambler
- backwards pointing thorns, need tying in at first.
Buy Rosa filipes "Kiftsgate"
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Wisteria
 Arguably
the finest of all climbers (no argument as far as I'm concerned). A
member of the pea family with great trailing racemes of vivid blue or
purple flowers in late spring (white ones are available, though I tend
to regard them in the same category as red Delphiniums - why?). They
can be quite slow to flower and it's the grafted named varieties that
perform best, so dig deep in your pocket when going to buy one. Get
a good cultivar and as large as you can afford. They need regular pruning
of new growth to keep them flowering rather than just producing leaf.
- Twiner.
Buy Wisteria |
Wisteria sinensis
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Vitis coignetiae
- Crimson glory vine.
 One
of my favourite climbers this one, large bright green heavily textured
leaves up to 12" across whose autumn colours earn it its common name.
A vigorous and large plant that will grow to 50ft if given space in
a mature tree, alternatively grow it up and over a pergola to give summer
shade and autumn fireworks.
Buy Vitis coignetiae |
Buy Vitis coignetiae 2
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Various
shades or red, yellow and orange. Easy and reliable, dwarf varieties
are available which are good in hanging baskets (though I'm
at a loss as to why they'd be sown anywhere else). Big seeds
and quick germination with lots of large showy flowers make
them good for children to sow. Prone to being eaten by cabbage
white caterpillars - though when that happens I tell myself
I'm now growing butterflies instead of flowers.
Wonderful
bright blue trumpet shaped flowers all summer long that keep
on coming as long as you dead-head every day, feed and water
well.
Traditionally these should be sown on St.Patrick's day, March
the 17th. If you don't have room in the garden to put them in
the ground, grow them as I do, in a large container about 45cm
in all dimensions using a wigwam of canes within this to support
the plants once they begin to grow. Can also be sown in pots
with some protection in the autumn, or even straight into the
ground in autumn, just remember where you put them and keep
the area weed free.
Spring
flowering clematis, fast growing and rather large, need a good
big support, will happily scramble through a tree or informal
hedge. Usually come in varieties of pale pink though white ones
available too. Twiner with leaf tendrils.