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Climber Suggestions and Advice

smileja85BHxUmG0Fsmileja85BHxUmG0F Posts: 8
in Plants

Looking for some input on some climbing plants I'm hoping to put in this coming Spring. Just had the front landscaped and have a couple sites I want to add some climbers to for more interest. Trying to line up my plans so I know what needs doing when (also might buy the planters in Dec/Jan sales if I know how big they need to be).

North-East UK. The front has been recently repointed. Gable was repointed in cement before we owned the house. I'm hoping the brickwork is fine for climbers and won't cause too much damage.

Overall, if possible I'm going to try to match up flowering periods / overlap them so I have one season of impressive display rather than spread out across the year. 

A. North-Facing gable end wall. Gets some Westerly sun at the end of the day. I'm looking at placing two planters between the two floor lights (3.5m distance). Like the idea of evergreen coverage on this wall. Obvious choices would be Ivy (Hedera helix ‘Glacier’ or Hedera helix ‘Goldheart’) but my current favourite is a climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea seemannii) that I think is more interesting. I've read it needs wind protection - is that just while it's juvenile or does it mean it won't work here? Are there any other measures I could take to protect it from the wind? Would the Honeysuckle (below) help to protect it at all? I've seen Pileostegia viburnoides can be exposed but is slower growing.

I've also been looking at growing climbers together...I was thinking Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum ‘Serotina’). Should I wait a year or more for the Hydrangea to establish before planting or can they grow together?

Suggestions for A: ideally have one evergreen minimum and some interest (flowers/scents)(e.g. Ivy + Hydrangea anomala petiolaris?). Preferably self-climbers. 

B. East-Facing gets dappled morning sun from large trees out front, plus a little unobstructed midday sun. My current thoughts here are a climbing Rose /Clematis combination. With this site being smaller would you suggest separate pots next to each other rather than one planter? Current frontrunner is Rosa 'Madame Alfred Carrière'

Suggestions for B: any really. Ones that are happy pot grown and will reach impressive heights on the house? Ideally self-climbers.

  1. How big should the pots/planters be if I want the climbers to grow up the wall as best possible? 
  2. Would you plant both plants at the same time or give one a season/year/two etc to establish?
  3. Any climber suggestions / ones to avoid etc?
  4. Will these options self-climb or will I need to install trellis / mesh?
  5. Would any plants listed be planted now or are all of them to be planted in Spring (or later)? 

Sorry for the long winded post. It's a big decision / long project. I want to get it right. 

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

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Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited December 2023
    @smileja85BHxUmG0F Ivy marks a wall where it fixes and it is almost impossible to remove these marks. So if you sell and a buyer wants it removed there will be marks. The same applies if you let it get too high and you need to clear it, again marks.
    It can take a couple of years for Ivy to put down roots and it won't try and climb until it has settled. If Lime mortar was used best to avoid all climbers.
    A in your photo looks too narrow to plant? You need to plant at least 18 inches away from a wall. 
    Rain shadow is also a consideration with climbers, it wiil be many years before any climber establishes.
    Hydranga Seemannii is more tender and will still be when mature below -5c it wiil be damaged in my experience.
    Just a few thought I am sure you will get plenty of help. Welcome and as you say a long project.

    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • smileja85BHxUmG0Fsmileja85BHxUmG0F Posts: 8
    @GardenerSuze thanks for your response. Yeah tbh Ivy isn't my first pick anyway. I know there are concerns for the brickwork which I'll have to decide on. I realise the spaces are tight but I'd even be happy with them reaching half / quarter of the wall if that's all they can achieve in a pot (at least it will be better than nothing).

    Think you're probably right about Seemannii - I have a star jasmine in the garden that struggled with frosts its first year. I think Pileostegia Viburnoides will probably work better if taking even longer to get going. 

    The front face was repointed in lime mortar this May. Would you say any climber will destroy that straight away or can I plant something more manageable and stay on top of it?
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited December 2023
    @smileja85BHxUmG0F I have never heard of Pileostegia Viburnoides, new to me. My first thought, is it hardy which it seems to be. The fact that it is evergreen could mean it is susceptable to damage from cold winds. Does anyone grow this climber?

    One thing I missed from your original post, all these climbing plants are to go into planters. Many climbers need a large deep root run in order for them to thrive. Any plant that is placed in a planter for more than two or three years will probably need the compost removing and a fresh start. The medium becomes spent.

    There will be Clematis suitable for containers and I think others will be able to help here.
    Large climbing roses I doubt will work as they have a tap root.

    Sorry if I sound negative but you want this to work.

    Not what you want for sure but a Cotoneaster such as Coral Beauty repeated in a long trough might be an idea for under the window? There are other small shrubs you could use in the same way.You have a nice hedge near arrow A do you bring the wheelies that way. Space may be needed here.

    I am not a builder but I understand that some climbers can pull lime mortar out of a wall?

    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited December 2023
    Having been involved in the building world in the past I would advise against using any self-clinging climbers on a wall pointed with lime mortar. 

    Better to have good trellis or tensioned wires properly fixed to the walls to support clematis, roses or another climber that can be tied in to the support. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    My first thought was what a lovely property you have!  I would be wary of planting any climber that clings onto your well repointed brickwork, for the reasons that @GardenerSuze has mentioned. Any climber expected to each a reasonable height is going to need a large planter to enable the roots to establish well. A practical consideration is do you use the side path regularly for access, for example bringing in wheelie bins, bikes, etc?  A large planter there is going to limit your access. Also, a climber that isn’t self clinging is going to need support via trellises or wires which you will also need to consider. I have only ever grown climbers on a south facing house wall, including Trachelospermum and Golden hop which both did well but they were planted in the ground and with support.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • smileja85BHxUmG0Fsmileja85BHxUmG0F Posts: 8
    @GardenerSuze absolutely no worries about being critical! I need the honest advice on what's achievable for the space...no point in spending time and money for the plants to fail in a few years. 

    Hedge is Port. Laurel recently bare root planted. It's just an unused side of the property (down the line if we ever manage to save the funds it might be a useable side path to the back but as of right now its not in use as an accessway). I'll keep the hedges pruned to maintain a walkable space but I don't mind the planters blocking it some. 

    When you say deep root run do you mean height of the pot? I've read this online in a couple places and can't seem to find whether its pot depth (as in the height top to bottom) or outwards depth (as in height x width x depth)? I'd be fine with taller planters that allow longer roots down but obviously limited on depth (out from the wall).

    @Dovefromabove gable end is cement mortar but it has some wires from previous training. I can reinstall more wiring for support as it grows for sure. Front is definitely lime, looks like I need non self-climbers then with some form of hidden trellis? I had assumed the plants might use the drainpipe to climb off of but I guess that's poor preparation anyway. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @smileja85BHxUmG0F Deep root run refers to the depth that a plant needs to put down it's roots to anchor it. A rose needs a deep root run because it has a tap root that needs to go deeply into the soil to stop it falling.
    Many climbers can take years to form a strong root system before climbing as mentioned. You could have a situation where they start to 'fix' but also run out of food and nutrients. What do you do remove the plant from the wall to repot? You will be back to the start.
    If the growing medium and depth of soil are not enough for a plant it won't survive.

    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Don’t let climbers cling to a down- pipe 😱 The combination of the weight of wet foliage and a strong wind can pull down the pipe and bring the guttering with it! 😭 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • smileja85BHxUmG0Fsmileja85BHxUmG0F Posts: 8
    @Plantminded @GardenerSuze so really I need a tall planter more than anything so the taproot can establish. One immediate thought would be to put the climbers in grow pots inside the planter then after a few years I'd have the fiddly job of holding the grow pot against the wall (plant still in place / undamaged) whilst removing the planter and grow pot, to replant it in a new grow pot. I'm sure if I started the plant with some slack off the wall and a couple pairs of steady hands I could swap them over?

    What about the planter I've linked? If that entire planter was full? I could try and gently dig out used up top compost? 

    @Dovefromabove :D I promise I won't I'll sort some wiring or trellis haha it's a new downpipe too you'd think I would want to protect it!
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I have grown climbing roses in pots 60cms deep and 60cms wide at the top. They did well for the first few years but needed more feeding and watering than roses in the ground. I gave them to my daughter when I moved house for her to plant in the ground. I dug them out of the pots, winter time, which was a struggle as the roots had grown a lot. They had been in the pots for 8 years. I don't think they would have been happy in the pots much longer unless I had re-potted them into even bigger pots. The one that did best was The Pilgrim from David Austin, it was east facing, morning sun, afternoon shade. I think Mme Alfred Carrière is too big for a pot.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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