Climbers are shrubs which are adapted to growing up vertical structures, they add a vertical element to a garden and can be trained against a wall, fence or trellis, over arches and pergolas, through trees or used as ground cover. There are many different types of climbers from annuals, deciduous perennials and evergreens; choose one to suit your soil type, aspect and climate.
Care: Before planting dig the soil thoroughly, remove all weeds and incorporate lots of well-rotted organic matter. Add fertiliser and improve the drainage if required. Make a hole two or three times the width of the plant and deep enough to ensure the plant is deeper than it was in the pot to help avoid clematis wilt. Ensure that the hole isn’t too close to walls or fences as this can cause the plant to dry out quickly. Keep it well watered until established.
Most climbers do not require any pruning however, clematis and wisteria perform much better when strict pruning is carried out:
- Wisteria: once a framework has been established and flowering is over, cut-back the long whippy growth to about 15cm followed by a further pruning to 2-3 buds in mid-winter.
- Clematis: early large flowering species should have some of the old growth cut back after flowering. Early flowering species such as Montana and Alpina can be cut back hard every few years. Late flowering species should be pruned to 15-30cm from the ground during January/February.
Climbers in our Garden: Below is a selection of climbers we have in our garden; click the image to Buy your Own
| Clematis – Multi Blue*
|
Lonicera japonica – Halliana
|
Wisteria – Alba
|
