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Planting
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The
sky's the limit.
Who
says plants can’t be like people? When it comes to rising stars,
there are few prolific performers like the garden climber.
A climber exists for almost every situation to cover
anything from a humble archway to a grand pergola.
Providing you invite the right plant for the right place,
it’s possible to have fragrance and colour all year through.
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First,
decide what you want the climber to do. Need a vigorous evergreen for a
sunny trellis, then it’s time to get romantic with a Passiflora
caerulea (Passionflower). Showy blooms, followed by orange fruits after
a warm summer ensure quick colour and coverage.
For
something a little more sophisticated, the social climber
Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine) will fill the air with heady
fragrance, its glossy evergreen foliage a choice alternative to
ivy.
Climbing
roses remain the queen of the garden, the majestic blossoms of Rosa
Albertine a must have on any garden party guest list.
Of course, there will always be those who just love to cling on
by themselves, so let’s introduce Parthenocissus quinquefolia
(Virginia creeper) with its stunning autumnal fiery colours, accompanied
by Hydrangea petiolaris (climbing hydrangea), both of which will attach
themselves to most flat surfaces.
Try
to avoid wild gatecrashers like Fallopia baldschuanicum (Mile-a-minute
vine) unless you have a castle or something similarly big to cover.
For
a truly Kentish theme, try Humulus lupulus aureus (Golden hop) a
perennial climber with eye catching gold foliage which sleeps over
winter, emerging in the spring to drape bountiful colour over a sunny
archway.
Plant
climbers directly in the ground as the bigger the plant, the more water
they need to keep everything healthy over the hot summer. If planting on
a terrace, find the largest pot possible. Remember to tie in new shoots
in the directions you want them to go and before long you’ll have
living walls of colour and scent.
 BACK
to the advice point, please |
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adam s bailey
BA Hons (Garden Design), MGLD
Unit 9, Home Farm, 3 Riverside, Eynsford, Kent, DA4 0AE
Garden design in Kent • East Sussex
• Essex • South East London
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Member of
The Guild of
Landscape Designers
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