Climbers for back of flower bed
cork gardener
Posts: 85
Hi
I'm a new member (and a new gardener) from Cork in Ireland.
I moved into a new house last year and replaced a shrub bed with a bed containing a few roses and various perennials. I was happy with how it turned out but the block wall at the back is very unsightly.
I am thinking of securing trellis along the back wall and growing climbers to hide the wall. Ideally they should be sufficiently dense to hide the wall and need minimum maintenance during the summer as its difficult to access the wall without trampling on the other plants. On the left hand side of the rear of the bed there is a Rose Abraham Derby, which i've read can be trained as a climber so i may train this up the trellis.
Any suggestions on plants to try gratefully received.
Last edited: 27 September 2017 15:52:05
Posts
Looking good there
The obvious climbers are clematis, as you can find ones suitable for every aspect and location. If you choose carefully, you can have something flowering right through the year. The Group 3s need cutting back hard at the end of the winter/early spring, so that would suit you as the perennials will still be largely dormant, and you would be able to get in there to prune. Having said that, you would plant them about eighteen inches out from the wall, so that they can benefit from moister soil, so you wouldn't have to wade in too far.
If you include an alpina or similar, that would give you folaige and earlier flowers, and they don't really need much attention other than getting stems tied in until the plant is mature. There's a few early ones which are also evergreen ,so that would give you a bit of extra cover too. I'd think they'd be fine in your loaction, although they like a bit of sun, so it depends on the aspect of your border.
I'd also be inclined to give the wall a coat of paint - perhaps a darker colour so that it recedes, and then do the trellis a contrasting colour, which will also give you some interest when the plants are dormant.
Hope that's a little help for now.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks Fairygirl
lots of food for thought there. Clematis that are pruned in Spring would suit well i think. I’ll do some research on varieties. Painting the wall is an interesting idea - hadn’t thought of that. border faces south.
thanks
I like Hydrangea petiolaris as a backdrop, and ivy - which you already have. These are self clinging so couldn't be easier to grow on a wall. I'm thinking more as a backdrop for the border, rather than adding colour in their own right (they will allow small clematis to climb them if you do want to add colour). It looks like the bed could be deeper to allow more generous planting to the front.
I had thought of ivy as well (there's a lot of ivy around the rest of the garden) but thought it might be hard to control in a flower bed (i.e. creeping out from the wall as well as up) but maybe this is not the case? It would make the whole job simpler
Ivy can be a bit of an issue in a border unless you keep on top of it.
The hydrangea may not be very happy on a south facing wall - especially with the competition from other planting there. I've had one in that aspect, but it was also the direction all the rain came from, and we had very moisture retentive soil.
You might get away with it where you live Steve - I'm assuming you get a fair bit of rain there too
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
You may be right FG. Trachelospermum would be worth the effort of providing supports, and would be quite happy there.
Yes - that might be hardy enough for Steve, Will. It isn't reliably hardy up here, so it's not something I grow.
Should have said too - it also depends how big a distance you need to cover Steve. Most climbers will make big plants, in width as well as height , so bear that in mind when you're choosing. The space showing in your pic would easily be covered by a couple of climbers. Make sure to spread new growth across your supports horizontally, and that will give you a much better display too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The pink clematis is Alionushka, a Summer flowering herbaceous variety, ideal for growing through a metal obelisk or hazel twigs, height to about 6 ft. There are many different cultivars, pinks, blues, whites which would give some good focal points in your border, let the ivy cover the wall as a backdrop.
thanks for suggestions
I'll think about whether i want the simple option of ivy or the more colourful option of a different climber
I've decided I'll go with the simpler option of the ivy (avoiding the need for supports). There is nice varigated ivy growing elsewhere in the garden and, following instructions from the web, I've taken cuttings from this and they are potted and appear to be beginning to grow (there is some small new leaves developing and what look like buds where the roots should appear).
I've read that spring is a better time to take cuttings (never done this before) but I'll try now and if they don't take I can always try again in spring. I'm wondering how to proceed if they do take. Currently the cuttings are in the house, over a heat mat, out of direct sun. If they root successfully would they be OK in a shed window, with moderate sun, and no risk of frost? Or would there be a better place to put them (another option would be a wooden mini-greenhouse I have - more light but colder (could bring them in if frost expected.
Thanks
Last edited: 13 October 2017 11:12:07