Most gardens have some sort of climbing plant. Choosing the right one for the site can often be a bit daunting. The first thing to think about when choosing a plant is to look at the way in which the plant actually climbs.

There are three ways that plants climb.

Some have aerial roots that cling to a structure, such as ivy or the climbing hydrangea. These are very efficient at attaching themselves onto walls. They therefore can be a bit of a nuisance if they are attatched to the pebbledash at the front of the house when it comes to painting.

The second method is twining, such as clematis; these twist their leaf stems around a support to hold themselves up. If these are on a house wall then some form of support is needed. This can be very useful if the plant is grown on a trellis attached to the wall, as it can be unfastened and the plant laid on the floor if the wall needs a lick of paint.

The third category is the climbers that scramble. Plants such as honeysuckle and rambling roses fall into this category. They have no means of support except to push their long branches through a host plant or tree or trellis. They can be used to great effect when grown in a mixed hedge.

There are other plants that like the protection of a wall and can be trained against it. The pyracantha is a good example and with its long spikes it makes a good line of defense under windows. Then there’s a couple of ceanothus that are evergreen and grow well around here, they can be used effectively to cover unsightly bare patches on walls. There’s also cotoneaster, viburnum and escallonia to consider.

Some climbers would be a bit out of place growing on the walls of the house. The Virginia creeper for example would grow so fast that it will cover your doors and windows in the time it takes you to do the weekly shop. It’s a brilliant plant for covering sheds and telegraph poles. This climber is deciduous though and most of the fastest growing plants do tend to loose their leaves in winter.

Style

The look of a house can be greatly improved by a climber. Take care to choose one that will thrive. Firstly check to see which direction your house is pointing, this will influence the choice of plant that can be used. Secondly decide on the scale of the support.

If you have bold features on the house then thick trellis could be used with a large leaved plant such as a Virginia creeper. You might decide to go for some thing a bit more delicate and use wire supported by vine eyes. These are small ringlets that the wire passes through.. They do need a bit of D.I.Y knowledge and a big drill to fix them to the wall.

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