Climbing plants
I'd like some advise please, I need 3 climbing plants to cover the front of my house. The wall is completely north facing and I'd like evergreen plants which will flower in spring or summer. They need to climb quite high. Can anyone suggest some suitable plants please?
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
-
ElizabethB
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2105
- Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
- Location: Lafayette, LA
Squig - welcome to the forum.
DITTO RBG on location.
A word of caution - When you say climbing plants the assumption is some type of vine or something like a climbing rose. Vines are the most misbehaved plants in the garden. They require a lot of attention - pruning - to keep them off of the roof, out of the soffits and out of the soffit vents.
I have Confederate Jasmine growing on the lattice on the side of the patio. It is a sturdy construction 12' W X 8' H. 2 plants covered the entire lattice in one season. I have to prune it vigorously 2 or 3 times per year to keep it off of the patio cover, house roof and out of the soffits and soffit vents. Blooms spring and fall - small, extremely fragrant, white flowers.
Lady Bank climbing roses and Bougainvillea are popular plants for your application. You do need a sturdy support structure between the plant and the house to tie the plant on as it grows. Those options may not be suitable for your region. They do need training and pruning.
Let us know where you are.
Good luck
DITTO RBG on location.
A word of caution - When you say climbing plants the assumption is some type of vine or something like a climbing rose. Vines are the most misbehaved plants in the garden. They require a lot of attention - pruning - to keep them off of the roof, out of the soffits and out of the soffit vents.
I have Confederate Jasmine growing on the lattice on the side of the patio. It is a sturdy construction 12' W X 8' H. 2 plants covered the entire lattice in one season. I have to prune it vigorously 2 or 3 times per year to keep it off of the patio cover, house roof and out of the soffits and soffit vents. Blooms spring and fall - small, extremely fragrant, white flowers.
Lady Bank climbing roses and Bougainvillea are popular plants for your application. You do need a sturdy support structure between the plant and the house to tie the plant on as it grows. Those options may not be suitable for your region. They do need training and pruning.
Let us know where you are.
Good luck
To add to what you've already been offered. Some climbing plants have tendrils that just love to dig into the surface of what they are growing on. Some vines can damage wood siding, dig into bricks and mortar and damage the structure of the house so much so that if you tire of the look and remove the vines from your house, you will be left with a massive cosmetic problem to fix.
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
Vine suggestions:
Trumpet creeper: It prefers more sun than your north facing wall, but it grows almost everywhere, so probably would be ok. It is slow getting started, especially in shade, so wouldn't flower for a few years. Once it gets well established, it takes off and gets huge and massive and will climb as far as you like. It is covered in flowers (usually red-orange) that hummingbirds love and then seeds that finches and other birds eat all winter. However, it clings with suckers that are damaging to the house surface and it can get in to any cracks. It shouldn't be grown on the house, but on a trellis in front of the house and it will need a pretty solid structure.
The trellis suggestion applies to pretty much any vine. Vines can hold moisture and reduce air circulation and keep you from being able to get to the walls for maintenance.
Virginia creeper - not very showy flowers, but very good at coverage.
Star jasmine is covered with wonderfully fragrant little white star shaped flowers, but it is only hardy to zone 8, meaning not below 15 deg F and not staying that low for extended periods.
There is an evergreen clematis, (Clematis armandii), which is hardy to zone 7 (which I think would be much of the UK). It has big showy fragrant white flowers. Its dark green leaves droop to create a textured look, and it serves well as a screen.
Trumpet creeper: It prefers more sun than your north facing wall, but it grows almost everywhere, so probably would be ok. It is slow getting started, especially in shade, so wouldn't flower for a few years. Once it gets well established, it takes off and gets huge and massive and will climb as far as you like. It is covered in flowers (usually red-orange) that hummingbirds love and then seeds that finches and other birds eat all winter. However, it clings with suckers that are damaging to the house surface and it can get in to any cracks. It shouldn't be grown on the house, but on a trellis in front of the house and it will need a pretty solid structure.
The trellis suggestion applies to pretty much any vine. Vines can hold moisture and reduce air circulation and keep you from being able to get to the walls for maintenance.
Virginia creeper - not very showy flowers, but very good at coverage.
Star jasmine is covered with wonderfully fragrant little white star shaped flowers, but it is only hardy to zone 8, meaning not below 15 deg F and not staying that low for extended periods.
There is an evergreen clematis, (Clematis armandii), which is hardy to zone 7 (which I think would be much of the UK). It has big showy fragrant white flowers. Its dark green leaves droop to create a textured look, and it serves well as a screen.
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30551
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I don't have specific plant recommendation, but I wanted to point out that there are (I believe) four kinds of climbing types, and they need appropriate supports to climb a vertical surface. Sometimes, only one vine needs to finds a secure hold, then the rest will wrap around and hold onto each other.
(1) the vine itself winds around thin to medium thin supports. This group includes pole beans, hops, morning glories, etc.
(2) specialized tendrils grow to wrap around fine string or wire to thin string, wire, or twig like supports. This group includes peas, cucurbits (cucumbers, melons, gourds), green briars, etc. I would include clematis in this group which has specialized leaf stems that wind around to hold on.
(3) specialized suckers grow to attach onto rough and smooth surfaces. I'm a little fuzzy on which plants to include, but Virginia creeper certainly does this as do Boston ivy, poison ivy, etc.
(4) roots grow along the vine stem and from leaf nodes which are used to delve into cracks and crevices.
(1) the vine itself winds around thin to medium thin supports. This group includes pole beans, hops, morning glories, etc.
(2) specialized tendrils grow to wrap around fine string or wire to thin string, wire, or twig like supports. This group includes peas, cucurbits (cucumbers, melons, gourds), green briars, etc. I would include clematis in this group which has specialized leaf stems that wind around to hold on.
(3) specialized suckers grow to attach onto rough and smooth surfaces. I'm a little fuzzy on which plants to include, but Virginia creeper certainly does this as do Boston ivy, poison ivy, etc.
(4) roots grow along the vine stem and from leaf nodes which are used to delve into cracks and crevices.