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Clematis / climbers planning help please

Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
in Plants
Hi all.  Probably a silly question, but if I grow climbers on a free-standing trellis (as in, no fence behind), what chance is there of the flowers actually facing my way and not towards the neighbours :) Do different climbers behave differently?
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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Depends which way the trellis faces and which side you're on.

    Generally speaking they will flower on the sunnier side of the trellis.  However, a stiff stemmed climbing rose will be easier than a clemtis to train along you side and keep most of the flowers your side.
    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
  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
    Cheers @Obelixx - food for thought.  The trellises would run NW to SE and SW to NE - I'll see if I can work out which is the sunnier side of those :) 


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The other thing to remember is that some trellis is tighter than others - ie the holes are smaller, so many flowers will stay on one side.  :)
    I have a purpose built screen [vertical battens] and have some clematis on it. Niobe is planted on the east facing side, but the stems can get through to the west facing side too. Those get very bleached by the sun, whereas the east facing ones keep their truer colour  :)

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
    Thanks @Fairygirl - bit of an art this gardening lark isn't it?  I've just realised that the sun levels/direction will vary depending on whether I plant spring or summer flowerers as well...
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Oh absolutely @Rob Lockwood - very different from decorating a room in the house- far more variables to consider  ;)
    However, when you see info on a plant and it says, for example, full sun - that's determined by summer conditions, so it's less of a factor for a winter or spring flowering climber. 
    The general aspect is probably more important to be aware of - some plants don't appreciate early sun after frost, so a west facing site can be ideal, and some don't like full on heat at the middle of the day, but like some sunshine, so an east or west facing site can be perfect. Other surrounding fences/buildings/hedging etc are all things to consider too.  Some aren't fussy at all   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Logically, the trellis that runs NW to SE would get more sun on the side facing south west because it should get some early eastern sun, then catch the sun as it moves south and then catch the last rays to the west. For the other one, SW to NE, the side facing SE should be better, sun-wise. But that doesn’t take into account your location and any surrounding structures etc which could turn all that on it’s head!

    I recently installed this free-standing trellis, but it runs North to South so sun exposure was easier to work out. Looking due south, since this photo taken it’s had some angled bracing added to the vertical posts at the hedge end:


    The East facing side. It’s sturdy and close-slatted (17mm gaps) so, as Fairygirl says, the climbing roses should be contained to their respective sides. Don’t know about sneaky young growth on a clematis tho!

    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • Cambridgerose12Cambridgerose12 Posts: 1,134
    It is perennially galling when the ungrateful things rush up to the top to produce loads of flowers for your neighbour... There's no easy solution. I find Chaenomeles trained upwards flowers even on a north side, but it's slow to develop. What I have done in my garden, where most wall space faces north, is to have things like Euonymus fortunei to provide some cover, and then plant flowering things that will peep out between its stems. Pretty much everything recommended for north walls has behaved as above. You could try the shade loving forms of honeysuckle, but these can be prone to disease in dry conditions. Climbing Hydrangea and Schizophragma are good--the latter needs a bit more space though.

    One other option is to train a flowering shrub against your shady side. Things like Viburnum will flower pretty well that way--see V. 'Mohawk' or V. plicatum (I grow V. plicatum 'Roseum'). 
  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
    Thanks @Nollie and @Cambridgerose12 - I'll have a proper read of your posts later on and have a think :)
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The trellis @Nollie shows is an example of what I was meaning @Rob Lockwood - the holes are very small, so there's less likelihood of flowers going through, although you'd get some buds poking through if circumstances allow. 
    I have some similar trellis on the fences, although mine has horizontal/vertical gaps, rather than angled like Nollie's, but the result would be the same- the bigger flowers would struggle to go through, so taking the aspect into consideration is more important.

    I don't grow roses though, mine are all clematis, so the stems do poke through more easily.   ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Rob LockwoodRob Lockwood Posts: 380
    Hi all - trellises are now up, so looking for further forum wisdom to sort the planting!  I've got some fast-growing honeysuckles to act as a backdrop to the flowery plants and hopefully direct their blooms towards me rather than the neighbours...

    I don't need much height (highest trellis is c6ft but the average is 4-5ft) but ideally need 5/6 climbers which can give me (eventually) 5m (16ft) spread either side.  Is this possible?  When RHS tell me eg a clematis has eventual height of 5m and a spread of 1m, will I be able to stretch 2 or more 5m lengths along wires to get my desired spread of 10m (32ft)? 
    Climbers I'm looking at (though not committed to) are clematis, jasmine, nudiflorum, trachelospernum, roses (rambling & climbing); also happy to look at shrubs if they do the job. 

    Thanks in advance :)
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