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Small climbing plant for pole?

kyle279kyle279 Posts: 12
in Plants
Hi,
I have this rusted metal washing line pole in my lawn which I don’t use. Instead of trying to dig it out and messing up the lawn, I thought I could maybe plant a climber at the bottom of it to cover it. I’ve seen clematis on trellis that are too small for the plant and it becomes huge at the top as it has nowhere else to climb so I’m looking for any suggestions of a smaller climber that could cover it? I have some ivy under a hedge that I could easily propagate to use here but something that flowers would be great. Does anyone know if sweet peas would hold onto this without extra trellis added to it?
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  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    You will have to mess up your lawn to plant something, if it's going to be a permanent planting, so if you've got to do that, I wonder if you might think it better to take out the pole instead?..  you would have to dig a reasonable circle around the pole, make a good planting hole, to put something in to give it a chance...and then keep the grass off the circle... all that digging and amending... ?..  

    However, it's a good pole to use, I know what I would do, but it probably wouldn't appeal to you... so have another think about your planting hole situation...
    East Anglia, England
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    Using your photo I have roughly drawn blue lines where I would cut away the grass, approximately.  I might make it a bit larger than this coming towards me... depending on what I find below, like roots from that hedge, which I would have to chop off, and some amending of the soil, I would figure out where to plant my choice of climber, depends on where the sun rises too...  something like this...  it also makes mowing and edging the grass easier, if this cut out is edged properly... 

    East Anglia, England
  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489
    The area marked out in blue, above, was the size of the concrete 'ball' round the clothes pole which I had removed by four big rugby playing lads.
    SW Scotland
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    So what would you do then Joyce?....   of course it depends on what you find down there doesn't it?... when you start to dig... there may be a big piece of concrete, a small piece, or something else... but you don't know unless you try...
    East Anglia, England
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'd just take it out. I can't honestly see how you can make that work well, unless you have another one somewhere else along the hedge - perhaps at the other end. Or another two, evenly spaced, and do that rope thing with roses that some people like.  

    Even if you made a raised bed round the bottom, to make planting easier, I think it's always going to look exactly what it is - a pole that you're trying to cover up. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    A neighbour used to attach string, peg the ends to the ground and grow green beans up it. I suppose you could do the same with sweet peas.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    Nice runner bean pole, but I'd like something more permanent as it's not a very attractive pole, but at the top there are useful hooks or whatever they are, to tie something in to, right at the top... then let it cascade...
    East Anglia, England
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Scrub it off and repaint and hang baskets from the top, use something that trails rather than climbs, would save having to dig.
  • harmonyharmony Posts: 403
    I've got virginia creeper growing up my concrete pole. It does get long tendrils that have nothing to cling to hanging down which I snip off, it looks gorgeous when it turn red and even looks interesting when the leaves have fallen. I will take a pic tomorrow for you.

  • DyersEndDyersEnd Posts: 730
    Joyce21 said:
    The area marked out in blue, above, was the size of the concrete 'ball' round the clothes pole which I had removed by four big rugby playing lads.
    Take heed of Joyce. I had my lawn dug up, levelled and reseeded this year and the guys 'excavated' 2 enormous chunks of concrete which had presumably had poles stuck in them at some point with a washing line stretched in between. The grass above them had always been very thin and poor, now I know why. 
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