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New gardener in need of some ideas to plant using guttering

asif254asif254 Posts: 3
edited April 2020 in Problem solving


Hi All,

i am thinking of using guttering along the line highlighted in the picture to possibly plant long troughs or guttering as deep as i can get and then plant some kind of climber that is evergreen preferably that will flower in summer. The wall is south east facing. Is this a good idea? I have moved to a new property for over a year and the garden is very small so im keen to use up as much of the brick wall outside space as i can. There is a garage door at the bottom hence why i dont want it to start at the bottom but keen to make the triangular part of the wall covered with some kind of climber if i can. 

Anything that is suitable in a shallow guttering type that would climb well and flower?

Many thanks and best wishes

Asif

Posts

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Climbers generally need a deep root space. Is there any way you could plant something in the ground at the side of the door, and put up wires or trellis to train it up and across?
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • asif254asif254 Posts: 3
    Thanks for the reply  Jenny,

    Yes i guess i could but just thought that would then take a few years to get to the top and spread? I thought this way i could get ahead of the game and plant it up high?? 

    Can one purchase mature climbers like Jasmine etc and trail it up at height?

    Apologies am a true novice.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Most things can be bought if you're prepared to spend enough (and hunt around for a supplier - try googling "large climbers" or something similar), but young plants often establish faster than mature ones and catch up. Watching it grow up over the years is half the fun! Either way unless you choose a self-clinger that will attach itself to the bricks, you'll need to get up there and put up some wires or trellis.
    You could perhaps put hanging baskets or wall baskets with annual flowers up at the top, but you'd need to come up with some way of watering them once or twice every day (that would be true of the guttering too).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    edited April 2020
    No climber would survive in suspended troughs at that height, as Jenny says, they need plenty of depth in the ground for their roots. For covering the space, have a look at ‘living wall’ concepts, where shallow-rooting plants are layered up a vertical surface in troughs or planting pockets. They need an inbuilt automatic watering system and the whole system will require maintenance, so consider the practicalities.

    A fast evergreen climber such as ivy or Virginia creeper could be an option, but you will need to be prepared to hack it back regularly from the guttering and ensure it didn’t spread to neighbouring buildings.

    If it were me, I would install a series of tensioned wires and grow a vigorous climbing rose up and along the, with the rose planted in the left-hand corner. Not evergreen, but how often would you be looking at the wall in winter?
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • GardenmaidenGardenmaiden Posts: 1,126
    Clematis might be good as they are quite vigorous
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