Pergola climber advice

steven.g.garner · August 2020

Hello all.

we’re on a long road to completely redesigning our garden which was neglected for years. After some basic setting out and planting, I’ve started to build a screen / pergola / structure ‘thingy’ to help divide the garden, add privacy from onlookers, abs to keep me busy!

what would you recommend growing around this? The view is to use slats to ‘close’ the back panel, then start to grow up and around. I’ll also add a tiled / gravel floor at some point too, so any hints on where to place climbers would be really helpful.

strelitzia32 · August 2020

What direction does it face (or rather, where does the sun hit it)? Looks like a big tree and building behind, so your choice will depend somewhat on whether it's a sunny or shady spot, and your soil. You may want to put some wire or structure across the top as well.

There are lots of fantastic choices depending on conditions...

Fairygirl · August 2020

Clematis for me - hundreds to choose from whether sunny, shady, dry or damp

Depending on what you choose [size etc] I'd plant between the posts. You have two gaps on the shed side, and one on the other, so three plants in total, and that would give you some scope for times of flowering etc.
They would easily cover the sides, and roof if you want that. You'll still need to put in some horizontals, whether that's trellis, slats or wires, for them to grow onto. Battens would be perfect, but it also depends on how enclosed you want it to be.

People tend to plant at the posts which causes two main problems. The concrete from the posts, and the difficulty of getting climbers spreading across the space. If you just want them climbing the posts, then you would still plant them a reasonable distance from the posts to allow for the concrete.

steven.g.garner · August 2020

@Fairygirl thank you! I actually took some previous advice re: clematis and it worked out perfectly! It’s a bit of a complicated one with sunlight, we are south west facing but have so many trees and objects causing shade. Basically it’ll get a bit of sun away from the fence in the morning, a shady afternoon, then some sun coming behind early evening.

i am adding battens across the whole back, we’re really overlooked so the idea is to hide away in there! I can add some wires too. I’ll also be putting some cross beams at the top bit.

Fire · August 2020

This is a bit of a tangential question - but how long do pergolas last before they get wonky or collapse, if treated yearly with preservative? Years? Decades?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/73/dt23o1eswz1y.jpg

Fairygirl · August 2020

I did a screen with vertical battens to give privacy @steven.g.garner.
It provides a support for clematis, and it backs my tiny pond. I added the two 'boxes' so that I could have other planting as well. This is the most recent pic from a a few weeks ago

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/qv/e58davzsbcgw.jpg

strelitzia32 · August 2020

Fire said:

This is a bit of a tangential question - but how long do pergolas last before they get wonky or collapse, if treated yearly with preservative? Years? Decades?

It depends on the materials used, and the general conditions / location. Appreciate that doesn't help much! If it's made from treated timber, and it's not massively exposed, it will last 15+ years. If you look after it, repair and seal it, it'll last longer.

If it's made of wood and sunk directly into the ground, and you have a wet environment, it'll definitely rot quicker.

Mock Tudor on houses usually lasts about 15 years before rotting and needing repair, if left untouched (I.e not sanded down and redone every 5 to 7 years). But it really does depend on material and finish.

Pergola climber advice

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