CLiMBiNG PLANTS - Garden Artistry

design ideas
1. Dipladenia (Mandevilla sp.).
6. Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) festooning a pergola in
November, Christchurch Botanic Gardens.
Climbing plants
Dianne Bellamy considers the beauty and
usefulness of climbing plants.
Photography: Garden Artistry
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Weekend Gardener
2. Flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta).
M
Y abiding childhood memory, as a five-year-old in
Auckland, is of the lack of fences between properties. I
loved the freedom of being able to run to neighbour’s
homes in a continuous, enormous, safe backyard. Moving to a new
home in Christchurch I was so disappointed to discover everyone
had high wooden fences bordering their homes. Now high fences
are everywhere, even on front boundaries. Climbing plants are
an ideal way to camouflage any plain fence, while adding a lovely
vertical element to your garden, which also has the potential to
provide shade and privacy. Climbers are especially useful in narrow
spaces where the boundary is very close to the house.
Climbers, which are not self-clinging, attach by way of twining
stems or specialised fine tendrils so they need trellis, tensioned wire
or a mesh frame to support them. They are easier than self-clinging
climbers to control and less likely to encourage rot in timber fences.
Grown on a trellis, climbers can quickly screen ugly sheds and
compost or rubbish bins. Trained, on a tepee-shaped supporting
frame, they can form a very attractive vertical feature in a border
of low growing plants. Deciduous vines grown over a pergola,
like ornamental grape (Vitus vinifera), are ideal to shade a patio. In
winter, sun penetrates their leafless branches.
Self-clinging climbers will attach to any surface with tiny aerial
rootlets. Evergreen creeping fig (Ficus pumila), the deciduous Virginia
creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and Boston ivy (Parthenocissus
4. Mexican blood flower (Distictus buccinatoria).
tricuspidata) look beautiful cloaking the walls of large traditional
homes but they damage painted window frames, can penetrate
wall and roof spaces and harbour wild life you may not want to
invade your house. They are better grown on stone or concrete
walls separate from the house or on treated, wooden, pole retaining
walls. Pulling their live foliage off brick or masonry will damage the
wall. Kill the branches first by cutting them from the main stem and
wait until they are very dry before attempting removal. Do not grow
self-clinging plants on wooden fences as dampness retained under
their foliage will encourage rot.
Climbers are not low maintenance plants. They require regular
trimming (hedge clippers are ideal) to encourage dense foliage.
A heavy prune after spring or summer flowering and if necessary
another trim in very early spring, before flower buds have formed,
should keep them under control. Many climbers tend to run straggly
growth up a fence and grow prolifically at the top. After planting,
encourage dense growth by fanning out the new stems across the
wall, pulling some down to grow horizontally (this also encourages
flowering). Trim them as they climb to encourage branching. Most
climbers are sun lovers so, if your fence is well shaded, check your
new plant will tolerate shade. There are many beautiful climbing
plants available; all valued for their dense attractive foliage and
some for glorious, colourful flowers.
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7. Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans).
3. Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) trained on diagonal tensioned
wire with trellis extending fence height, designed by Jane Jones, Melbourne
Garden Designfest 2012.
Some of my favourite
climbing plants
Subtropical climbers: evergreen luxuriant foliage – prized for their
beautiful flowers (frost tender).
• Mandevilla (Mandevilla sp.) (see photo 1) beautiful scented white,
pink or red varieties, very frost tender, needs partial shade.
• Sandpaper vine (Petrea volubilis), masses of purple flowers on
long arching racemes, easily controlled with an occasional prune.
• Flame vine (Pyrostegia venusta) (see photo 2 ) cascades of bright
orange tubular flowers, winter flowering, very vigorous, needs
trimming after flowering and again in early autumn.
• Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) ( see photo 3) small
white flowers, scented, prefers full sun, easily controlled by
trimming in autumn after flowering.
• Mexican blood flower (Distictis buccinatoria) (see photo 4) rich red,
large trumpet shaped flowers, blooms in summer and autumn.
• Bougainvillea – thorny, very vigorous, colours range from white
to pink, orange, red and magenta floral bracts e.g. Bougainvillea
‘Scarlet O’Hara’ has brilliant red bracts throughout summer, prune
hard in spring.
• Purple coral pea (Hardenbergia violacea) purple flowers late
winter , early spring.
• Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) vigorous, fragrant
yellow flowers in spring and summer.
• Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides) vigorous, white to pink
flowered varieties, flowers winter to early summer.
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Weekend Gardener
5. Large flowered clematis (Clematis sp.) Chelsea Flower Show 2009.
8. Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) disguising the concrete wall
supporting the clothesline, Rex and Sue Beale’s garden, Bethlehem, Tauranga
Garden and ArtFest 2010.
Climbers which tolerate cooler
climates: frost tolerant
(Will grow in warm areas as well)
• Large flowered clematis – (Clematis sp.) (see photo 5) an
incredible range of beautiful, large flowered clematis hybrids
and species are available in shades of white to pink, red and
purple, ‘feet in the shade and head in the sun’ (use rocks or a
very thick layer of mulch to shade roots) – get expert advice
on planting and pruning
• Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda and Wisteria sinensis varieties)
(see photo 6) vigorous, hardy, deciduous, beautiful
white or mauve flowers in hanging clusters (racemes) in
spring, especially effective grown over a pergola – a high
maintenance plant which requires very regular, rigorous
pruning to control growth and encourage flowering. (It is
best to seek expert advice on the ideal technique.)
• Trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) (see photo 7) deciduous,
red-orange flowers late summer to autumn, very vigorous
• Silver Vein Creeper (Parthenocissus henryana) hardy
deciduous variegated creeper grown for its glorious autumn
colour – more easily controlled than its cousin Boston ivy
(Parthenocissus tricuspidata) (see photo 8) – prune in winter
• Creeping fig (Ficus pumila) evergreen, prized for the dense
growth habit of its juvenile form. Once established tends to
produce woody adult growth with much larger leaves – this
can be discouraged by close pruning. (Ficus pumila ‘Minima’ is
a cultivar said to retain its juvenile form longer).
• Ornamental grape (Vitus ‘Alocante Bouchet’) vigorous, no
edible fruit but glorious autumn colour.
9. Tecomanthe (Tecomanthe speciosa) Auckland Botanic Gardens.
Native climbers
(evergreen)
• Tecomanthe (Tecomanthe speciosa) (see photo 9) creamy
white flowers, very vigorous, beautiful glossy large leaves.
(Native of Three Kings Islands, not frost tolerant).
• Native clematis (Clematis paniculata) small white flowers in
spring and summer, evergreen, shade roots, needs consistent
moisture.
• Maidenhair vine (Muehlenbeckia complexa) small leaves
and thin twining stems create interesting texture, flowers
insignificant, needs to be hard clipped to keep under control.
• Native jasmine (Parsonsia heterophylla) small cream fragrant
flowers, spring to summer.
• Scarlet rata (Metrosideros carminea) red flowers in spring –
climbs by clinging to any rough surface – prefers a cool moist
situation in semi shade – slow growing.
• White rata (Metrosideros perforata) white flowers in spring –
tolerates deep shade.
10. Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) supported by vertical
tensioned wire.
Galvanised or stainless steel wires fixed vertically, horizontally,
or diagonally with tensioning screws across a fence, at 40-50cm
intervals, make very neat supports for climbing plants (see
photo 10). You can also stretch large gauge wire mesh between
fence posts. A cheap option is to use reinforcing steel mesh. If
you don’t like the rusty look you can purchase galvanised square
welded mesh. Wooden trellis can be fixed to a fence to provide
support. Climbing plants can create privacy by growing them
on framed wire mesh or trellis extended above the standard
fence height (see photo 11 & 3).’
Next time you gaze at your boring fence imagine a glorious
curtain of green foliage adorned with beautiful flowers. It will
cheer you up.
11. Framed wire mesh, extending above fence, allowing star jasmine to create
a privacy screen, designer Rick Eckersley, Melbourne Garden Designfest 2012.
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