Climbing the walls!
If your garden is short on space, rammed with plants, or you simply have an unsightly vertical surface to cover, climbing plants can be used to great effect: from clothing frameworks such as pergolas and arches to hiding sheds and even neighbours!
Whether it’s as fast growing as a Triffid, a dainty floral twiner, or an evergreen clinger, I’m certain there’s a climber out there for you, it’s just a case of meeting your perfect match.
For those of you lucky enough to have a south-facing doorway, why not spoil yourself with the highly scented fragrance of Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). Not only is it evergreen, but it boasts the added benefit of a claret-red leaf colour in autumn. For those with a north-facing entrance, how about a plant combo starting with an early flowering Clematis tolerant of shade, such as ‘Frances Rivis’, followed by the stunning pink flowers of Rosa ‘Zephirine Drouhin’, perfect in shade with the added bonus of being a thornless variety.
If it’s a shady spot and a fast growing evergreen you require you really can’t beat Ivy, but I understand many people are not huge fans, so why not put in the extra effort and seek out a great alternative known as Pileostegia viburnoides. It’s a bit of a mouthful but not only is it evergreen, it will provide white flowers in summer and like Ivy is a self clinger, but nowhere near as vigorous.
As well as the other common examples, such as Wisteria (only plant this in full sun and if you are prepared to tie it in and prune it twice annually), Honeysuckle and Pyracantha (great for deterring intruders due to its woody thorns), there is a whole range of other shrubs which can be grown against a wall or fence, not forgetting trees of course, such as the beautiful trained fruit trees we often see in Victorian walled gardens.
Shrubs planted at around 30cm away from the base of the wall or fence can be manually tied in and make excellent wall cover, often with the added benefit of flowers. Photinia ‘Red Robin’ for example, or Garrya elliptica make unusual evergreen wall coverings, and look great with a second flowering climber twining through. Don’t forget the huge variety of annuals available which you can grow from seed, such as Sweet Peas, Morning Glory, or maybe try climbing French beans as an edible wall covering?
Do ensure that you provide sturdy wires for plants to travel up. The best and most cost-effective way is simply to fix vine eyes (spaced horizontally around 2m apart) to the fence or wall and vertically at 30cm intervals. Then use a taught network of galvanised wires to provide support. Be sure to tie climbers in horizontally and not vertically as most people do … this way they will look great in your garden rather than flopping over the fence and delighting your neighbour … now that really would drive me up the garden wall!
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