Gardener issue resulted in this issue

evg · July 2021

Hi

I had paid a local gardener to stone this area and asked about getting flower bearing plants that went up against this wall and would climb up. I'm hopeless at this stuff, but wanted to compliment my lilly plant and provide some more flowers for the bees. I was assured they would just climb up the wall as is. The gardener in question had viewed this area before writing a quote for me.

I guess what I'm trying to ask for is what can I do about this? Clearly they won't climb up the wall and right sided plant doesn't even bare flowers lol, utter disaster. If I got a trellis in there, they would still grow to the side, wouldn't they? Is there any fix for this? it's a 3 sided walled in area, afternoon and evening sun

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/rb/91mf2b5qhu8i.jpg

B3 · July 2021

You definitely need something for those plants to grow up. There's nothing for them to grab ahold of.

Fairygirl · July 2021

What's the one on the right? Is it a Jasmine? If so, that could get enormous.
The clematis [left] will need trellis or horizontal wires , but that one alone will probably cover the width of the wall, assuming it has the right care, so I'd be looking at moving one of them somewhere else.

Not all climbers flower at the same time, so don't assume that one won't flower - it may flower in spring for example. Plants of any kind also take a while to establish and then flower. It can take 2 or 3 years for them to reach maturity, depending on the age when planted, and the type of plant.

Bijdezee · July 2021

Stones are not good for plants to be in. Not plants like clematis, which like a cool root run, will need to be fed etc and the stones get hot in the sun 🙁
The plant on the right is a passion flower and will flower next year. Probably getting its roots down first.

Only some climbers are self clinging, ivy and Virginia creeper as examples. Others may be classed as climbers but they need something to climb up, like trellis or netting and even then they need to be tied in. The 'Gardener' should have suggested trellis at least.

A Campsis plant might work there, they tend to attach to a wall themselves but do need help at first.

evg · July 2021

I'll try and explain in more detail, currently all communication to the gardener is being ignored lol

This work was carried out in 28th May 2020, so I would have thought if the right side plant would flower then I would have had something by now? It did almost die in the winter after we had -14 for 3 days though

They said both of those plants were Clematis and would climb up the wall without supports because of the knobbly finish to the wall. I just checked the quote and it clearly says 2 Clematis

I had a car crash in August 2020 so by that time the problems were not apparent, and I was obviously relying on what the professional gardener had said and that the work done would be up to par. My health was such that I couldn't even think of anything other than trying to get through all the health issues until earlier this year

I'll see if I can get a tall stake like bamboo or something and run some string across to the vertical drain pipe at multiple levels, how close and how many should I do? The reason I paid someone to do all this is because I'm really hopeless at this sort of stuff

I'm unsure how this will stop the plants from climbing along the floor as the sun creeps around front to back of the photo so I presume they sense the sun in front of them and grow that direction, the right sided one is a tangled mess which has grown around itself in circles.

To top all of this off the Lilly (to the left) almost died just before my accident in 2020 during the heat wave as all the stems snapped at the base, this hadn't happened before during hotter weather and so in December/January I found out what caused it. It was where the black weed sheet they had laid was not tucked into the ground but actually left with a lip about 8 inches high rising up the base of the plant, you couldn't tell as it was covered up by the plant and I had no reason to check. I got this seen to by a friend who tucked it into the ground and as a result the Lilly plant is how it should have been last year. Heres how large it can get, forgot to take a photo during its flowering stage, the amount of comments I've had about it the last 5 years is crazy, its truly its own little eco system, have a resident Wren that likes to go inside it to catch the spiders

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/u7/v1x2m7j50dss.jpg

evg · July 2021

Bijdezee said:

Stones are not good for plants to be in. Not plants like clematis, which like a cool root run, will need to be fed etc and the stones get hot in the sun 🙁
The plant on the right is a passion flower and will flower next year. Probably getting its roots down first.

Only some climbers are self clinging, ivy and Virginia creeper as examples. Others may be classed as climbers but they need something to climb up, like trellis or netting and even then they need to be tied in. The 'Gardener' should have suggested trellis at least.

A Campsis plant might work there, they tend to attach to a wall themselves but do need help at first.

I just wanted to address this specifically, the area will be much cooler with those white stones there reflecting heat, I've had it at over 50c as its a tiny area with 3 high walls, as soon as the sun comes around it's like a greenhouse there and the warmth gets trapped, it can be like a sauna when opening the front door there.

Fairygirl · July 2021

Sorry - but a cane is no use. It simply isn't sturdy enough. Clematis - and most climbers - become very heavy as they mature. You need proper supports.
I'm sorry you've had health problems too. That really isn't helpful for you at all, and you've clearly been taken advantage of. A 'proper' gardener would have known that both those climbers in that small space were unsuitable, and that they'd need proper supports in place. Frankly- they've done a sh*t job. The fact that they're not responding to you speaks volumes.

The gravel itself isn't necessarily a major problem, as long as there's enough space round the base to feed with a liquid feed, but ideally, you want to be able to add compost etc to feed the soil and keep it healthy.

I think @Bijdezee might be right with passion flower, but it's not something I'm familiar with, because I dislike the flowers on them. If it is - they get very big too. There's also some confusion with certain clematis because the flowers look similar to passion flowers. [Florida varieties] so that could be the reason for them saying they're both clematis. Again - a proper gardener should know that. There was a thread recently with that very problem. Not all clematis need sun either - many grow in full shade - but if that is a passion flower, then yes, it will want a fair bit of sun. Clematis aren't affected by very low temps, so that all adds up if it suffered in winter.
Is there anywhere else you could move that plant to? Perhaps your friend, who helped previously, could help with that?

*Astrantia* · July 2021

Are they a qualified gardener or a landscaper/builder?

Fairygirl · July 2021

I think you're spot on there @astrantia45. Not gardeners

Busy-Lizzie · July 2021

You could really do with a handyman to attach either wires or a trellis to that wall for the plants to grow up. I think the person who did your work is maybe capable of doing some garden building work, but they don't know anything about plants.

I agree with @Bijdezee that the right hand plant looks like a Passionflower, but I don't agree with the suggestion of a campsis. Campsis can damage buildings. I had one at my last house and its roots spread and damaged the pipe from the downstairs toilet and it sent up suckers through the terrace.

B3 · July 2021

I saw one eating a bush shelter a couple of years ago. I wouldn't recommend it either.

Gardener issue resulted in this issue

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