How to Pick the Best Climbing Plants for Your Garden
Climbing plants are perfect for brightening up bare walls and fences or hiding unsightly ones!
Climbing plants not only add vertical interest to areas of the house or garden but they can also help hide an unsightly wall or fence. Climbing plants are also great for attracting wildlife, offering shelter, food and nesting habitats. Here are some suggestions for the best climbers to add to your garden, for every season, plus useful tips on how to care for them.
Choose climbing plants for shady areas
Want to hide an ugly building or have a north-facing wall? Then choose Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris. Although it can be a bit slow to get going, it does become quite vigorous, and is a great for growing in inhospitable areas as it clings to walls and fences by its aerial roots. In the summer, this plant produces masses of scented lacy white blooms, which contrast beautifully with the dark green heart-shaped foliage. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, and the colour will help enhance a dark corner. Plant in moist but well drained soil and prune if you wish after flowering.
Other good self-climbing plants for shady areas include Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’, Euonymus ‘Emerald n Gold’, Hedera helix ‘Oro di Bogliasco’, Garrya elliptica, Lonicera japonica, Akebia quinata and Pyracnatha ‘Orange Glow’.
Another good plant is Parthenocissus tricuspidata or Boston ivy, a vigorous climber that needs lots of space. It does well in semi-shade on a north- or east-facing wall and the large leaves turn a wonderful shade of red to purple in autumn. It’s also an important habitat for birds and insects.
Considering a hedge? Here’s why you should plant one
Want to hide an ugly building or have a north-facing wall? Then choose Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris. Although it can be a bit slow to get going, it does become quite vigorous, and is a great for growing in inhospitable areas as it clings to walls and fences by its aerial roots. In the summer, this plant produces masses of scented lacy white blooms, which contrast beautifully with the dark green heart-shaped foliage. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, and the colour will help enhance a dark corner. Plant in moist but well drained soil and prune if you wish after flowering.
Other good self-climbing plants for shady areas include Euonymus fortunei ‘Silver Queen’, Euonymus ‘Emerald n Gold’, Hedera helix ‘Oro di Bogliasco’, Garrya elliptica, Lonicera japonica, Akebia quinata and Pyracnatha ‘Orange Glow’.
Another good plant is Parthenocissus tricuspidata or Boston ivy, a vigorous climber that needs lots of space. It does well in semi-shade on a north- or east-facing wall and the large leaves turn a wonderful shade of red to purple in autumn. It’s also an important habitat for birds and insects.
Considering a hedge? Here’s why you should plant one
Create a ‘frame’ with roses
Growing roses up an arbour or arch has always been popular with gardeners, especially the more fragrant varieties. Roses grown this way will frame a seat, create a focal point or act as a divider into another area of the garden. Try to avoid very thorny varieties if you’re walking under an arch or arbour, unless you like cuts and grazes!
If you’re growing roses up a wall or fence and want to have the best chance of flowering all the way along the stems, train them horizontally so the sap is slowed down, which encourages the production of flowers rather than the plant putting all its energy into extending its growth.
There are two groups of climbing roses: ramblers and climbers. Ramblers will flower for a period of around four to six weeks in the summer and produce a mass of clusters of small flowers that are highly scented. Good varieties include ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’, ‘Rambling Rector’, ‘Phyllis Bide’, ‘Felicite Perpetue’, and ‘Francis E. Lester’. Some varieties like ‘Kiftsgate’ are very vigorous, so beware unless you want to cover your whole house!
Climbers on the whole have larger individual flowers and many will repeat flower over a long season. Varieties include ‘New Dawn’, ‘Albertine’, ‘Mortimer Sackler’, ‘Wollerton Old Hall’, ‘The Generous Gardener’ and ‘Shropshire Lass’.
Climbers form their flowers on new wood that grows in the spring before flowering, whereas ramblers flower on the growth that took place in the previous spring and summer. Ramblers should be pruned in summer immediately after they have flowered, but the best time to prune climbers is in late autumn, although it can be safely done as late as April.
Growing roses up an arbour or arch has always been popular with gardeners, especially the more fragrant varieties. Roses grown this way will frame a seat, create a focal point or act as a divider into another area of the garden. Try to avoid very thorny varieties if you’re walking under an arch or arbour, unless you like cuts and grazes!
If you’re growing roses up a wall or fence and want to have the best chance of flowering all the way along the stems, train them horizontally so the sap is slowed down, which encourages the production of flowers rather than the plant putting all its energy into extending its growth.
There are two groups of climbing roses: ramblers and climbers. Ramblers will flower for a period of around four to six weeks in the summer and produce a mass of clusters of small flowers that are highly scented. Good varieties include ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’, ‘Rambling Rector’, ‘Phyllis Bide’, ‘Felicite Perpetue’, and ‘Francis E. Lester’. Some varieties like ‘Kiftsgate’ are very vigorous, so beware unless you want to cover your whole house!
Climbers on the whole have larger individual flowers and many will repeat flower over a long season. Varieties include ‘New Dawn’, ‘Albertine’, ‘Mortimer Sackler’, ‘Wollerton Old Hall’, ‘The Generous Gardener’ and ‘Shropshire Lass’.
Climbers form their flowers on new wood that grows in the spring before flowering, whereas ramblers flower on the growth that took place in the previous spring and summer. Ramblers should be pruned in summer immediately after they have flowered, but the best time to prune climbers is in late autumn, although it can be safely done as late as April.
Try vigorous wisteria
Wisteria is a typical cottage-style garden plant with lovely scented flowers in shades of white, blue, purple and pink. The most common varieties in the UK are Wisteria floribunda, W. sinensis and W. brachybotrys.
They look fantastic on their own up the front of a house, over a pergola, grown into an umbrella shape and even in a container. Wisteria will also grow successfully up a dead tree, twining its stems around the branches. This plant is vigorous though, and all varieties can grow up to 9m in trees and spread up to 18m across a wall. That said, be aware that it can take a couple of years or more for a young plant to flower. When buying a new young plant, make sure it has been grown from a cutting or been grafted, as seed-raised wisterias will not flower reliably.
People are often confused about when and how to prune wisteria. The rule of thumb is to prune twice a year for more flowers. If you remove the whippy green shoots to five or six leaves in July or August, this will allow better air circulation to the plant and more sunlight, which encourages better ripening of wood and bud formation. In January or February, during the dormant stage, cut back the same growths to two to three buds, so that they can form better without being obscured by leaves.
Wisteria is a typical cottage-style garden plant with lovely scented flowers in shades of white, blue, purple and pink. The most common varieties in the UK are Wisteria floribunda, W. sinensis and W. brachybotrys.
They look fantastic on their own up the front of a house, over a pergola, grown into an umbrella shape and even in a container. Wisteria will also grow successfully up a dead tree, twining its stems around the branches. This plant is vigorous though, and all varieties can grow up to 9m in trees and spread up to 18m across a wall. That said, be aware that it can take a couple of years or more for a young plant to flower. When buying a new young plant, make sure it has been grown from a cutting or been grafted, as seed-raised wisterias will not flower reliably.
People are often confused about when and how to prune wisteria. The rule of thumb is to prune twice a year for more flowers. If you remove the whippy green shoots to five or six leaves in July or August, this will allow better air circulation to the plant and more sunlight, which encourages better ripening of wood and bud formation. In January or February, during the dormant stage, cut back the same growths to two to three buds, so that they can form better without being obscured by leaves.
Train your fruit trees
It’s not just flowering plants that look good grown over a pergola or arbour. Fruit can look just as attractive and be very productive too, especially when trained.
Not only do you get lovely blossom growing on fruit trees this way, but also an abundance of edible fruits to enjoy. That’s because training fruit to grow this way slows down the flow of sap, which slows and toughens the growth. As this fully ripened wood produces more flower buds than the softer growth you get on untrained trees, you should also have a bigger crop.
Fruit trees also do very well grown against a wall or fence, as a fan or espalier grown as a cordon, which is a tree with a basic single main trunk where the fruit is formed on spurs or side shoots close to the main branch; it’s also sometimes known as a maiden or minarette tree. Fruit trees can also be grown as step-overs (a horizontal, low-growing cordon you can literally step over).
To grow apples or pears over a pergola, plant a cordon version of the tree. Remember the rootstock onto which the cultivar is grafted is important as this will determine the ultimate height and vigour of the tree.
For smaller arches, and if you’ve chosen an apple arch, go for semi dwarfing rootstock M26 and if you have more space choose rootstock MM106.
Fruit trees planted on arches need to be grown in sunlight with good air circulation around the trees. These trees will only require pruning (once established) annually in late summer. Prune the side laterals to around 5-7cm. When you first plant your young trees, cut back the side shoots to three buds or four inches, but leave the leader and other shorter side shoots unpruned. Encourage the lower buds to break by shortening the leader by one third of its height each winter until it reaches your desired height.
If you plan to plant fruit trees against a wall, they will need regular pruning as the charm of the tree relies on its formality.
It’s not just flowering plants that look good grown over a pergola or arbour. Fruit can look just as attractive and be very productive too, especially when trained.
Not only do you get lovely blossom growing on fruit trees this way, but also an abundance of edible fruits to enjoy. That’s because training fruit to grow this way slows down the flow of sap, which slows and toughens the growth. As this fully ripened wood produces more flower buds than the softer growth you get on untrained trees, you should also have a bigger crop.
Fruit trees also do very well grown against a wall or fence, as a fan or espalier grown as a cordon, which is a tree with a basic single main trunk where the fruit is formed on spurs or side shoots close to the main branch; it’s also sometimes known as a maiden or minarette tree. Fruit trees can also be grown as step-overs (a horizontal, low-growing cordon you can literally step over).
To grow apples or pears over a pergola, plant a cordon version of the tree. Remember the rootstock onto which the cultivar is grafted is important as this will determine the ultimate height and vigour of the tree.
For smaller arches, and if you’ve chosen an apple arch, go for semi dwarfing rootstock M26 and if you have more space choose rootstock MM106.
Fruit trees planted on arches need to be grown in sunlight with good air circulation around the trees. These trees will only require pruning (once established) annually in late summer. Prune the side laterals to around 5-7cm. When you first plant your young trees, cut back the side shoots to three buds or four inches, but leave the leader and other shorter side shoots unpruned. Encourage the lower buds to break by shortening the leader by one third of its height each winter until it reaches your desired height.
If you plan to plant fruit trees against a wall, they will need regular pruning as the charm of the tree relies on its formality.
Pick an interesting support
We forget that climbing plants are the original ‘living green wall’, but we could also say that many of the structures and supports we use for climbing plants can be seen as outdoor art in their own right. Many plants that have been trained into different shapes are a form of living architecture.
Plant supports can be made out of wood or metal, made in any shape or form, painted in all different shades and colours and even come from discarded household objects, such as bed frames, chairs and old doors. Make sure any support, traditional or recycled, won’t fall over in strong winds or when you lean on it to prune. Some climbers become brutes, so make sure your understand the growth habit before choosing an appropriate structure.
We forget that climbing plants are the original ‘living green wall’, but we could also say that many of the structures and supports we use for climbing plants can be seen as outdoor art in their own right. Many plants that have been trained into different shapes are a form of living architecture.
Plant supports can be made out of wood or metal, made in any shape or form, painted in all different shades and colours and even come from discarded household objects, such as bed frames, chairs and old doors. Make sure any support, traditional or recycled, won’t fall over in strong winds or when you lean on it to prune. Some climbers become brutes, so make sure your understand the growth habit before choosing an appropriate structure.
Opt for edible climbers
Climbers don’t just have to be ornamental, they can also be very productive and climbing crops can look great, too. Home-grown runner beans, for example Phaseolus coccineus ‘Scarlet Emperor’, which has bright scarlet flowers, are very easy to grow and produce heavy crops of long dark green pods, full of flavour. To prolong flowering, make sure you harvest the beans regularly and keep the plants well watered.
You can sow runner bean seeds directly into the soil from mid May until July, as long as you have a good support for them. Make your support by sinking inward-sloping bamboo canes or hazel rods, or grow them up a wigwam. Put two seeds in per cane, spaced at 15cm apart. Thin out after germination so that you have one strong plant per cane. Make sure the plants twine round the canes as they grow, and water regularly. This method also works well for growing sweet peas.
Climbers don’t just have to be ornamental, they can also be very productive and climbing crops can look great, too. Home-grown runner beans, for example Phaseolus coccineus ‘Scarlet Emperor’, which has bright scarlet flowers, are very easy to grow and produce heavy crops of long dark green pods, full of flavour. To prolong flowering, make sure you harvest the beans regularly and keep the plants well watered.
You can sow runner bean seeds directly into the soil from mid May until July, as long as you have a good support for them. Make your support by sinking inward-sloping bamboo canes or hazel rods, or grow them up a wigwam. Put two seeds in per cane, spaced at 15cm apart. Thin out after germination so that you have one strong plant per cane. Make sure the plants twine round the canes as they grow, and water regularly. This method also works well for growing sweet peas.
Pop a climber in a container
Lots of climbing plants do well in pots and containers. These include sweet pea, black-eyed Susan, morning glory, nasturtium, clematis, lonicera (honeysuckle), passiflora (passion flower) and rose.
With clematis, try the ‘Boulevard Collection’, which is best as these plants are more compact. Also make sure you keep the roots cool, covering the surface of the pot with stones. Roses, however, can’t be solely grown in a pot as they need a deeper root run, so you need to remove the bottom of the pot and rest it on the soil, allowing the roots to penetrate more deeply. ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ may be okay in a pot without taking the bottom out as it’s more shrubby and compact.
The best thing about growing climbers in containers is that you have control over what soil they’re grown in, which is especially useful if you have difficult soil like heavy clay or chalk, or it’s very acidic. Remember to feed your container plants and if using a multi-purpose compost, try adding water-retaining granules before planting.
Lots of climbing plants do well in pots and containers. These include sweet pea, black-eyed Susan, morning glory, nasturtium, clematis, lonicera (honeysuckle), passiflora (passion flower) and rose.
With clematis, try the ‘Boulevard Collection’, which is best as these plants are more compact. Also make sure you keep the roots cool, covering the surface of the pot with stones. Roses, however, can’t be solely grown in a pot as they need a deeper root run, so you need to remove the bottom of the pot and rest it on the soil, allowing the roots to penetrate more deeply. ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ may be okay in a pot without taking the bottom out as it’s more shrubby and compact.
The best thing about growing climbers in containers is that you have control over what soil they’re grown in, which is especially useful if you have difficult soil like heavy clay or chalk, or it’s very acidic. Remember to feed your container plants and if using a multi-purpose compost, try adding water-retaining granules before planting.
Think about wildlife
Climbing plants are great for attracting all sorts of wildlife, from insects to bees, birds to butterflies. The plants provide both much-needed shelter and food for our feathered friends. Many climbing plants will support a huge number of small insects which are wonderful for feeding small nestlings.
Growing a plant like cotoneaster up a wall will not only give you wonderful autumn colour, but it also produces masses of red berries and provides nesting and roosting sites for thrushes and blackbirds. Another good wildlife-friendly climber for a wall, although very prickly, is Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’, which provides good protection and food for birds, including finches, sparrows and starlings. Hedera helix or ivy provides great nectar for pollinators, berries and nesting for birds, and good leaves for caterpillars. Butterflies can also benefit from climbing plants for hibernation and laying eggs.
Keen to attract more wildlife? See how to create a haven in your garden
Climbing plants are great for attracting all sorts of wildlife, from insects to bees, birds to butterflies. The plants provide both much-needed shelter and food for our feathered friends. Many climbing plants will support a huge number of small insects which are wonderful for feeding small nestlings.
Growing a plant like cotoneaster up a wall will not only give you wonderful autumn colour, but it also produces masses of red berries and provides nesting and roosting sites for thrushes and blackbirds. Another good wildlife-friendly climber for a wall, although very prickly, is Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’, which provides good protection and food for birds, including finches, sparrows and starlings. Hedera helix or ivy provides great nectar for pollinators, berries and nesting for birds, and good leaves for caterpillars. Butterflies can also benefit from climbing plants for hibernation and laying eggs.
Keen to attract more wildlife? See how to create a haven in your garden
Enhance a winter garden
When the days are long and dark and you need a bit of colour in the garden, choose some winter-flowering climbers to cheer you up. Jasmine nudiflorum, as shown above, is lightly scented with vibrant yellow blooms. However, until it flowers in February, it can look a bit crabby with ungainly arching stems. The plant doesn’t twine round naturally, so make sure you tie in the long stems and train them against a trellis on a wall or over an arch.
Trachelospernum jasminoides has evergreen foliage and heavily scented white flowers, which bloom later in the year, but the glossy dark green foliage will often turn a deep red in winter, making a sad wall look very colourful. The stems are self-clinging but beware of the white sap when pruning as it can burn the skin.
A lovely winter climber, Clematis urophylla ‘Winter Beauty’ (Group 1), will flower from December to March and has pretty, nodding, white fluted blooms with dark green evergreen foliage. It’s best grown on a warm, sheltered wall in good free-draining soil.
Need some garden inspiration? Browse these photos on Houzz
Do you have climbers in your garden? Tell us about them or where you’d grow them if you did in the Comments below.
When the days are long and dark and you need a bit of colour in the garden, choose some winter-flowering climbers to cheer you up. Jasmine nudiflorum, as shown above, is lightly scented with vibrant yellow blooms. However, until it flowers in February, it can look a bit crabby with ungainly arching stems. The plant doesn’t twine round naturally, so make sure you tie in the long stems and train them against a trellis on a wall or over an arch.
Trachelospernum jasminoides has evergreen foliage and heavily scented white flowers, which bloom later in the year, but the glossy dark green foliage will often turn a deep red in winter, making a sad wall look very colourful. The stems are self-clinging but beware of the white sap when pruning as it can burn the skin.
A lovely winter climber, Clematis urophylla ‘Winter Beauty’ (Group 1), will flower from December to March and has pretty, nodding, white fluted blooms with dark green evergreen foliage. It’s best grown on a warm, sheltered wall in good free-draining soil.
Need some garden inspiration? Browse these photos on Houzz
Do you have climbers in your garden? Tell us about them or where you’d grow them if you did in the Comments below.
Due to the versatility of clematis – it can be grown in a container, up a tree, up a wall, left to scramble horizontally along a wall or fence, or left to climb over a pergola – it’s a hugely popular climber. Types of clematis range from climbers, shrubs and perennials, and they all belong to three different pruning groups based on flowering times.
All clematis need support to climb as they have twisting leaf stalks that need something to cling to. It’s important to keep the base of the plant and roots in the shade and cool, so when you spot a clematis planted somewhere, you will often see bits of broken tile or pebbles at its base.
Clematis need to be planted in moisture-retentive but free-draining soil. Check your variety before planting as some, such as the larger flowered varieties, do better planted more deeply to prevent ‘clematis wilt’ and to produce flowering shoots from lower down the stems.
Pruning of clematis is done to ensure good strong growth and flowering, and to prevent a tangled mess of stems. It should also prevent plants from only having only a top show of flowers. Different varieties require pruning at different times of the year.