| Growing
Climbing plants
Fast growers for
quick cover - Clematis
Montana is the fastest growing of all the clematis and also one of
the easiest to grow. In
perfect conditions it can grow to a height of 12m (40ft). If
it is cut back by about one third after the first flowering this
will encourage vigorous growth. Montana prefers alkaline
soil and the roots and main stem need protecting from direct sunlight.
Virginia creeper is a hardy climber with
warm red foliage in Autumn. Ideally
it should be given a horizontal support. Honeysuckle comes is several varieties which are vigorous and
hardy, with strongly scented flowers ranging in colour from pale
creamy white to bright orange red. They prefer a lightly shaded
spot, well drained soil and plenty of compost. Russian Vine is probably the fastest wall cover of all, but can
easily get out of hand as it can grow 5m (16ft) in one season.
Akebia quinata is a creeper with fragrant, deep purple flowers
which will happily creep up any support on a warm, sheltered wall. It
quickly reaches a height of 4.5m (15ft) with a spread of 1.8m (6ft)
and could eventually grow as big as 6-9m (20-30ft). Annual
creepers - if you just want a splash of colour during Summer,
here are a few suggestions:- Sweet Peas are a beautiful, perfumed, dainty climber, available
in a huge range of colours. They also have the added bonus that
if the blooms are picked for indoors this encourages more flowers
to appear on the plant. They are easily grown from seed
outside, reach a height of approximately 1.8m (6ft) but do need
support. Nasturtiums do come in climbing varieties, available in yellows,
reds and oranges and are ideal to cover a hedge or left to scramble
over banks etc. They can be grown from seed outside and will spreadabout
1.8m (6ft) Black-eyed Susan is suitable for milder regions and has light
orange flowers with deep brown centres. It can be grown from
seed germinated indoors, needs a sunny sheltered spot or greenhouse
and will grow to about 1.8m-3m (6-10ft) in a season. Morning glory again is most suitable for mild areas. Available
in blues, rich scarlets and purples, easily grown from seed germinated
indoors and will grow to about 2.5-3m (8-10ft) high in a season. Plants
suitable to hide a wall - if you need to disguise a wall
or would rather look at a plant than bricks, here's come help. Firstly, decide which way the wall in question is facing as this
is imperative to know when selecting the most suitable plant. North facing walls - the ground in front of a north facing wall
will suffer from dampness and lack of sunshine. Some suitable
varieties could be Clematis hybrids, climbing Hydrangea, Ivy, winter
Jasmine or Roses (e.g. 'Gloire de Dijon', 'Mme Alfred Carrière'
and 'Mme Grégoire Staechelin'). South facing walls - as these get plenty of warmth and sunshine
dry soil could be a problem. Try Honeysuckle, Passion Flower or
annual climbers mentioned above, such as Nasturtium and Morning
Glory or Ceanothus, Mexican Orange or Myrtle which are more tender
plants. East facing walls lack sunshine and sometimes suffer from cold
winds. Flowering Quince and Forsythia should be suitable
and most Roses would be O.K. West facing walls are probably the best site of all and, therefore,
decorative shrubs and climbers such as Magnolias, Camellias, Wisteria,
Honeysuckle or Clematis Montana would be ideal | 
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