Evergreen climber (Star Jasmine or Honeysuckle Henryi)

Hi,

I want to plant an evergreen climber on the right side of this arch. I would like to screen that back area as much as possible, so it doesn't have to be restricted 100% to the arch in a super tidy fashion.



After researching it, I warmed up to the idea of a star jasmine. But then I consulted with our dark overlord, AI (ChatGPT), who suggested to also consider Honeysuckle Henryi (and Clematis Armandii, but I don't like that one).

Honeysuckle is more hardy and my garden does get pretty strong winds. I live in a seaside town in the North East of England. That spot is a bit more sheltered (and is in full sun) but during a cold spell the star jasmine might still need a bit of protection, which I would rather avoid (trying to secure fleece during windy conditions is not fun).

On the other hand, I recently got rid of a Japanese Honeysuckle, planted in a difficult shaded spot, because of constant powdery mildew issues. The new spot is a lot sunnier and apparently Henryi is much better for disease resistance than the Japanese one, but it's a concern.

Regarding the look of each plant, I actually prefer the honeysuckle but I wonder if the star jasmine, with its dark green foliage, might provide better contrast. For wildlife, it appears that honeysuckle is better. Right now I'm leaning towards the honeysuckle.

What do you think? Do you have experience of these climbers? I have seen some mentions of honeysuckle henryi but I don't recall any of star jasmine.

Thank you.

 

I have henryi and it's a very easy plant to grow but it can get big if you let it. Ours grows in deep shade and has thick stems but it basically gets no attention. It is amazing for wildlife and gets nice coppery leaves if you go for copper beauty, like I did.
I grow a lot of honeysuckles and I've never seen any mildew on this variety but do get it on others nearby. It isn't 100% evergreen if we get a cold winter.

The jasmine option would probably work as well. I don't know how far north they happily survive but they seem reliably hardy here, have good autumn colour and few problems.

 

Thank you @Thevictorian That's very helpful.

The normal Honeysuckle Henryi has a hardiness rating of H5. The Copper Beauty variant and Star Jasmine get H4, which is still fully hardy. But Star Jasmine is slightly less tolerant of cold winds, so the honeysuckle probably still wins, especially considering the value for wildlife.

 

I thought I had decided on the honeysuckle but I went to two garden centres and they didn't have it. The second one did have several star jasmines, including this beautiful "star of Tuscany" which was reduced from £17.99 to £6...

 

I'm assuming those Jasmines are hardy enough where you live @CostasK ?
The H4 rating isn't always ideal here where I am, for example, because other factors also come into play as well as just the temp - ground conditions [soil temp is lower than air temp, especially through winter] so that can be just enough to tip some plants over the edge, and wet cold is a big factor because plants find that harder to deal with than dry cold, especially when it's long term.

The honeysuckle is plenty hardy enough for most areas though. A pity you couldn't get one, but I hope your jasmine does well for you.

 

Hi @fairygirl

It's borderline. The temperatures are slightly milder than the general area (County Durham) due to being close to the sea. The lowest temperature I can remember is - 7C. On the other hand, wind more of a concern here. With the star jasmine being between a tall Cytisus and a sorbus and in front of a tall fence, it should have some protection from wind. I also plan to create a wind barrier when it gets below freezing point, using two trellises (on either side of the plant) or the left side of the arch and the sorbus and fleece around them. I also plan to mulch heavily in late Autumn to protect the root.

What I hadn't realised when I purchased is that, while the normal variant of star jasmine was already borderline hardy, the "star of Tuscany" one is marginally more tender (down to - 8 C instead of - 10 C).

Overall, it's definitely going to be an experiment, especially with it being so young rather than already established. I am hoping that with a thick layer of mulch, the plant will survive. What is more questionable is whether it will be able to keep its foliage or have to regrow from the base in Spring.

If it doesn't work out, I can replace with a honeysuckle henryi in Spring. It does sound like it would have been the wiser option, but if I have taken a chance with the star jasmine now I do like how the leaves go red when the weather changes. I realise that it's probably a sign of stress, but it's pretty



(I might have to reapply some paint to the back looking at the photo, it looks awful)

 

It's generally quite mild during winter here in Essex.
I had 3 x Star Jasmine in my garden and they all survived the Beast From the East a few years ago and the mini BFTE we had more recently.
None of them suffered any damage.
The only problem I ever had with them was drying out in summer that would cause an infestation of scale insects, but they soon recovered from them too.
A rich soil suits them very well and a thick mulch of well rotted manure in Spring provided that.
I'd just buy one 50L bag from a local garden centre which was plenty for all 3 of them.

Hope yours does well, they're magnificent plants when in full flower with an overpowering scent.

 

I like the charred look of your bamboo fence @CostasK .

 

Thanks for the information @Pete8!

@Plantminded that definitely wasn't the look I was going for, when I painted it earlier in the year But I knew that the material probably wouldn't be as good for painting as proper wood. It won't take long to repaint so I might just do it, but also when all the plants in front of it mature, it shouldn't be noticeable. The reason I painted it black was precisely so that it fades into the background.

 

I got up early this morning for a different reason and I decided to start painting before work (I work from home so thankfully there is no commute). It will look much better with the fresh coat of paint but if someone else has the brilliant idea to paint bamboo fencing, I would advise against it.. It doesn't last and even when it's freshly painted it just looks OK. Long term I will probably have to replace it with something else.

EDIT: Done! It only took about an hour, which includes time for getting paint off my face

 

I hope it survives for you @CostasK . The problem with hardiness temps, and temps generally, is that they don't paint the whole picture for plants. With clematis [the large flowered ones] I'm now only planting in containers or raised beds, preferably with plenty of other plants, because the ground is simply too wet long term here for them to thrive, if they get past the slug onslaught.
I have a fairly new one [Group 3] which I've grown on from a young plant. It's in a raised bed of it's own, against the house wall [so mainly under the eaves] and since late spring/early summer, I've also had a little bird feeder on top of the timber support I made for it, so very little rain ever gets into it. It's been in that bed since early spring, and has never been watered, apart from an early liquid feed. I had to lift another one and pot it up because it was struggling too.

Some are definitely easier than others, but the info for Group 2s and 3s is - they like plenty of water, and also buried deeper - which is another problem! I'd say - it very much depends on the type, and where the location is. We've had the hottest, driest spring on record here this year, and also much more dry weather through summer, so it just shows that you have to think about what you plant and where, and adapt as much as possible. Even then, it won't always work out.

 

Thanks @fairygirl

Interesting that you mention clematis. I actually had a clematis armandii in that area in the past (though that one is group 1 and evergreen obviously).

At the time the area was more exposed (no arch, no sorbus, the cytisus was smaller). Clematis Armandii is considered roughly as hardy as my star jasmine (and slightly more susceptible to cold wind). I would fleece it during cold spells and it did well. One year I decided not to do that. The foliage died off but then regrew from the base in Spring.

I don't think I will have the issue of wet soil in that spot - if anything, it tends to get rather dry now, because it's more sheltered from the rain and there is competition from the sorbus

 

It's always about your own conditions @CostasK . I still hear presenters on gardening shows repeat the same stuff, and generalising about all sorts of plants. You'd think they'd understand by now that we don't all live in the same area or have the same climate!
The length of time soil stays wet or dry, hot or cold, are really important when it comes to plants thriving - or even surviving.
That C. armandii is no use here where I am. Other Group 1s can manage well [depending on type] as they're tough, and flower in a different way [old wood] especially if they're nicely established and in the right spot. I have 2 early ones in this garden, and they've never been watered either apart from at original planting. Never fed either. They're in raised beds too, one of which is tiny. They tend to need much drier conditions, so we have to plant them up against walls/fences etc.

 

I know the jasmine is small at the moment but if you wanted a backup plant, they are very easy from cuttings. The main plant might need more attention this year year if we get a really cold/wet winter as it's newly planted.

 

Thanks @Thevictorian, that's good to know. Indeed, I will do my best to keep it protected