Climbing Plant Guide

For those of us who have little room for hundreds of flower beds climbers can be a great way to get a colour into the garden. All climbers use vines to grow upwards when there is something of enough strength to support them.  The reason that these plants use vines is that in the wild they are engaged in a race to reach the best sunlight as quickly as possible – in most cases this means they are racing the highest point the can possibly get to.

These plants are useful in the garden because they grow quickly and they offer themselves as a way of covering unsightly walls or fences. There are several things you need to keep in mind when considering planting some climbing plants in your garden.

Training

While climbers are generally easy to grow there is sometimes a need to “train,” them into growing the way you want – just because you think the trellis brought from the garden centre is the perfect thing for it to climb doesn’t mean it does!

Before you attempt to train your climber you need to work out what kind of climber it is. Some use adhesive in the form of roots shooting out from the vine, these are generally very good at climbing flat surfaces. The other form of climbing plant climbs by wrapping itself (or separate tendrils which extend from the main vine) around the posts or trellis – these create a kind of lattice which allows the plant to climb higher. With the heavier vines there maybe be a need to train them onto a strong structure which can hold their weight.

The actual training is simple, but it does require perseverance. Simply tie on the vine to the trellis or post you wish it to start climbing until it does so. This may be easier said than done, especially if there is a more obvious path for it to take. Re-attaching the vine until it follows your desired path may take some time but the result is worth it.

Climber Choices

For those that want a plant which grows quickly and offers fast cover for walls and fences then there are several options.

Clematis’ in general are quick, but of special note is the Clematis Montana which can grow extremely fast and large. With these it is best to cut back about a third or so after the first flowers appear as this will encourage strong growth.

Honeysuckle is another firm favourite – these climbers are strong and resilient to most weather conditions. They offer fragrant flowers in a variety of colours. Give them some shade in a well drained area and you should see them flourish.

While this isn’t one for most, a Russian Vine is worth noting simply for its impossible speed of growth – it is certainly more than a handful, growing up to 16 feet in a single season!

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should be enough to get you thinking about the possibilities climbers bring to a garden.