Climbing plat recommendations

[John Rumm]

Since spring is nearly here, I could do with getting something planted in the raised beds I built when I stuck the patio back together last year:

I would be interested in some planting recommendations...

There is a bit of ivy left on one side that will probably get to the trellis before long - but I don't want that to get too carried away. I would rather have something a bit less "dense". Also better if the root systems are not not too destructive, or far reaching (the beds are about

5m form the house - but are partly filled with masonry rubble).

Honeysuckle, clematis, wisteria?

A splash of colour would be nice, something that can be pruned back fairly hard so that it does not get out of control. Might be good to go for a mix of species that don't all flower at the same time each year to get a longer spell of something nice to look at.

[RJH]

I'm far from an expert, but my experience is that jasmine will thrive in partial sun - in 4 years it's gone from a twig bought from Aldi to full flowering bushes 3m high, and 3m in both directions. I've just cut it right back, and expect it to go rampant all over again. In flower most of the year.

Similar experience with wisteria, and over 7 or so years has become very established, 5m along a trellis. No flowers yet, and I gather the roots can be very invasive (unlike jasmine, which I think is relatively benign).

Wisteria loses its leaves over the winter, but the jasmine seems to be a good recreation area for birds - they seem to enjoy the cover, and I found an empty nest in amongst the recent prune.

[Roger Mills]

I would avoid wisteria like the plague. Whilst it looks lovely when in flower, it very soon gets thick and woody, spreads like wildfire and becomes unmanageable. Triffids would be better!

[Chris J Dixon]

There is lots of choice in climbers, but a possible problem with arranging different flowering times is that if they all grow and intermingle, their different pruning requirements will make it tricky to maintain.

Chris

[The Natural Philosopher]

Some of the climbing roses are really spectacular...just to add to the above list

[Martin Brown]

Honeysuckle and clematis will reward you with flowers and perfume early on. You have to wait for wisteria. Depending on the aspect hydrangea petiolaris might be worth a try big blooms in June and quite attractive if a bit slow growing. Passiflora is worth a punt if you are down south.

Annuals like sweet pea is a nice interim fix or even runner beans!

If you are prepared to tie it in then you can grow almost anything against a wall or trellis with sufficient effort. Apples, pears, figs and peaches for instance. Figs might well like the worst builders rubble part but would probably still need further root restriction.

[Spike]

The golden rule about wisteria is to buy a plant with flowers on, otherwise you can easily wait for years for one to bloom.

[John Rumm]

Yup, "low maintenance" and "fit and forget" are terms that appeal to me gardening wise :-)

(I don't mind hacking bits off from time to time, but I am not about to uproot things and winter them in the greenhouse!)

[Robin]

The only maintenance our 2 jasmines get is from the lawn mower ;).

One of them - a cutting from t'other - is on a North facing fence which just seems to have encouraged it to reach for the sky.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Clematis are nice for this. Will flower twice a year on a good one. But can look a bit scruffy in the winter.

Ivy looks nice - but gets everywhere.

[John Rumm]

Yup, my kind of gardening! If I can set about it with a power tool, then I can cope with it!

[Andrew]

Pashion Flower ?. You get wonderful flowers and then useful fruit/seed pods for cooking.

Choose carefully. The one I had was too rampant and within 3 years it was making a beeline for the eaves and soffits.

The local family of wrens moved in and made a nest inside the jungle of stems.

[Andrew]

Don't have a rose then, the thorns are a nuisance when you do have to cut it back and there are few varieties that don't get black spot, mildew and other diseases.

[Vir Campestris]

uk.rec.gardening or free.uk.gardening?