Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Growing clematis / climbers over summerhouse felt roof?

ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
in Problem solving
Hi, we have a new summerhouse and I've now got the pleasure of 'dressing' it but I have a concern. A few years back I had a lovely montana happily scrambling over a large shed. It was stunning in flower and got huge within three or four years. However I very sadly had to kill it as every autumn it trapped huge quantities of leaves between itself and the shed roof. They were impossible to get out and made the whole roof so wet. I did think of some sort of hinged trellis on the roof so I could swing it off every year to clean underneath it, but that did seem a bit extreme!! How do any of you deal with this sort of problem? The new summerhouse has a felt roof and I don't want the same thing to happen.   
«1

Posts

  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    What about a group 3 clematis that gets cut back every spring? It won't give you all year round coverage but it allows all maintenance needed.
  • ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
    Thank you - I think I probably left one very important piece of information out of my original post - that I can't have wisteria anywhere else because there's concrete right up to the walls of my house, so I wanted to grow that over the summerhouse! 
  • the tidy gardenerthe tidy gardener Posts: 591
    I had the same problem!I'm afraid the montana even tho it scrambles and looks lovely it very quickly takes over.and will again and again.if anyone can suggest anything else I'd like to know too!!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I'm really not sure why people plant montana clematis unless they have a huge space for it to cover and don't mind it only being in flower about 3 weeks in spring.   Great if you have a huge wall or a boring conifer or 3 to cover but not a shed.

    A group 2 or 3 clematis, carefully chosen not to exceed the height and width limits of the shed will be a much better option and can be cut back every spring, given a good feed and then quietly trained across the shed as it grows.   Lots of options for flower colour and form too.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
    Oh but it was glorious when it was in flower! And it was a big shed, 12 x 8 and then a huge log store tacked on the side, so it was a massive roof to cover. It was just that I hadn't considered the leaves and damp getting trapped underneath it. 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    edited September 2020
    Montanas can easily get to 10 metres high and wide so a 12 x 8' shed is a bit small.

    Have a look a this site's search page - http://clematisontheweb.org/new-clemlistsearch.cfm - and enter Group 3  in the appropriate box and a size to cover your shed then check out all the answers for colour and note how much longer they will be in flower.  Months, not weeks.

    It's an academic website so no selling.  Having identified the ones you like best you need to see what's available in your local GC or nursery or else check out online nurseries such as Hawthorne's, Thorncroft, Taylor's, Priorswood.... 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    Clematis terniflora will grow this big in one season, just coming into flower now and scented.

  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    I must admit I am confused. The title of the thread talks about clematis, but in one of your posts you say you want to grow wisteria? I know there are many people on here who are experts in growing both wisteria and clematis, so might be worth clarifying?
  • ThankthecatThankthecat Posts: 421
    Well that was daft of me wasn't it? I suppose the answer is I'd like to grow wisteria, but as I've had a previous bad experience with a permanent climber on a shed roof (the clematis) that got bunged in the title too! 
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Easily done!  :) You might want to start a new thread explicitly about wisteria, so you get the advice you need, rather than clematis suggestions you don't!
Sign In or Register to comment.