Show us your climbers

Please show us what climbers you are growing, and tell us a bit about them if you can. I made three, 5 feet tall, wigwams with three canes each this year to grow these. All three are tender perennials, and new to me.


Thunbergia elata (Black Eyed Susan). Seed from Angelina (). Does anyone know if there is any merit in overwintering any of these three as opposed to growing them fresh from seed again next year?


Ipomea (Morning Glory). This is a glorious red variety from Angelina's seed (). The flowers are most unlike the normal Ipomea - really quite ragged.


Rhodochiton atrosanguineum (Purple Bell Vine). This is a strange one. The flower starts off as a tiny purple bell - which is made up of bracts. The bell just continues to increase in size over a period of weeks, until the almost black corolla (ie petals) appear. This gives it the appearance of being very long flowering.

 

All very pleasing PeterS, thank you for starting this new thread.I love all of them,
Jenny namaste

 

Peter I have grown Thunbergia for several years now , it is a lovely 3 - 4 foot climber. Photo below is from last year , these are Thunbergia Salmon shades , and Blushing. I also grew Rhodochiton , very pleased with it . One I gave to my friend is still blooming !
This year I have had a terrible time lost 2 batches of Thunbergia . Mina Lobata failed as well. Sweet peas don't ask ! The only one I am pleased with is a Golden Hop that I got last Autumn it is 6ft tall now with stunning green leaves. I dont have a full photo of it at the moment but the one below shows the green colour and the hops are just forming ! It should look good in a couple of years I hope when it fills out.

 

Peter, how do you think that ragged Ipomea would do here in the heat? I would love to try it from either you or Angelina.

 

Very nice Peter and Harry.

Rhodochiton is worth overwintering if you can it grows stronger the following year I find.
You can also take tip cuttings.

 

Harry - thats a very good looking Thunbergia.

Victoria - I will keep my eyes open for some seeds. I presume it would like your climate. I have always heard it said that it like heat and grows well in the south of England but not the north. So I am delighted that it is flowering now for me.

All of them have reached the top of my canes at five feet, and Rhodichiton needs an extra one or two feet that I don't have.

As an experiment I will certainly try to keep them all overwinter - as well as keeping any seed I find. I kept them inside for a bit earlier in the year - but in a summerhouse where the light was poor. They are all outside now.

Other climbers have not been so successful. Campsis radicans has a lot of foliage, but has got RSM from having been kept in the greenhouse. I think I will cut it right back. I think Pete was saying its a strong grower. Canarina canariensis was sown late and is healthy but very small. Pandorea (thanks Victoria) was sown earlier, its healthy but also small. On another forum, Charlie Pridham of http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk/index.htm said its unlikely to flower outside a greenhouse - so that's where it is. Podranea (nearly thanks Victoria ) unfortunately failed to germinate. My Bomarea is in its second year but is not doing anything.

However - joy of joys - one Gloriosa tuber has done well and now appears to have a flower bud.

 

I too have Rhodochiton Peter. Can be overwintered frost free in the garage if you want, but as I find it really easy to grow from the seed that I collect I tend to treat it as an annual. Curiously, I find that the seed that I collect germinate more reliably than bought seed.

Any excuse to show off my Bomarea hirtella!


It's growing in the greenhouse and is doing rather well (in my eyes at least) for a plant that is just over a year'ish old. Hopefully it will have built up the cluster of tubers this year enough to be divided next spring.

Also in the greenhouse is my Pandorea jasminoides (which has pleased me by blooming), Passiflora alata (which is not blooming) and a Gloriosa rothschildianna which is just about to bloom.

I have a couple of Vigna caracalla - one in the greenhouse and one outdoors. Neither looks like blooming yet again.

From seed this year I have Aconitum hemsleyanum and Kennedia rubicunda.

One of my favourite (and most reliable and hardy) climbers is Eccromocarpus scaber............


The one at my old house was blooming into November last year, and back in bloom on the fifth of April this year, remaining evergreen throughout the winter. Easy from seed and bees love it. Best of all, it is totally pest free!

One of my other faves is Sollya heterophylla...............




Another plant that will survive happily in a frost free garage over the winter.

Lathyrus sativus azureus was a wash out this year. Bloomed well for a short period and then said "stuff it, it's too damned cold!".
Biggest failure of the year though has been my Gloriosa superba. Having told you guys how they will actually grow well outdoors all of mine succeeded in proving me wrong or got snapped by winds!

I'll include this, although it is a stretch to call it climbing in the UK - Fuchsia perscandens................


In the wild in New Zealand it is a true climbing (ie; twining) Fuchsia. I almost lost mine last winter and it is only just getting going again. Will certainly be back in the shed this winter.

 

LongK. Thank you so much for showing your plants here - I know that you have shown some of them in the Tropical section, but it seems a nice idea to collect them all together under a common heading of climbers, to give myself and others ideas.

I am really pleased that you have Pandorea flowering. Charlie Pridham grows it, in a greenhouse, but he is down in Cornwall. I did get an Eccromocarpus to flower, but I am sure it is not hardy here. They had one outside at RHS Harlow Carr (3 miles away) a couple of years ago - but it wasn't there the next year. Mine got to a fair height, but then became difficult to overwinter inside. Actually I had it trailing downwards, which wasn't very satisfactory. I might try again with my three cane wigwam, which has worked very well so far this year, and will fit in my summerhouse for the winter.

Your Vigna, climbing Aconitum and Kennedia are all new to me and I would be very interested in how they get on.

It would be lovely to have a reference section, for climbers and other groups of plants, that
A) lists different plant candidates for people to consider growing and
B) lets people add short comments, like a UK based version of "Dave's Garden". I find myself frustrated by most books and websites that give you all the facts about a plant but don't tell you if its worth growing, ie easy, practical in our climate, and impressive etc.

 

My Lathyrus sativus Azureus did exactly the same thing. Had flowers then went very leggy and green with few flowers. I have many seed pods forming though so I will keep it moist and collect loads for seed swap

 

PeterS - I really do love climbers! They produce so much from just a small patch of soil.

Surprises me. Maybe the Tresco hybrids are not hardy, but the true species has never died on me. I've grown it in either a south or west facing aspect, always against something solid (ie; fence or wall). Maybe Harlow Carr ripped theirs out as it can get rampant! I have seed if anyone is interested.

Me too! I'm pretty sure that the Kennedia seed came from Bilbo who got it to bloom. I believe that it is a spring bloomer, which could make it challenging if the winter is hard as it's not hardy.

Asarina scandens..........




Easy to grow annual. Very vigorous and blooms prolifically! Sets seed readily. Well worth growing as an alternative to Ipomea.

All the above are worth growing, but that is down to individual taste. As far as practical goes I'm beginning to think that Vigna is not, but it WILL bloom one day!
As I said earlier, the Kennedia may be a challenge if the winter is harsh.

On the subject of practicality, I almost forgot that I also have Clitoria terneata too. Grown from seed, the survivors have done poorly due to the poor summer (I hope).

 

Mine never got leggy, just decided that it could take no more and turned up its toes!!!!

 

LongK - that Asarina is stunning. I can't get over the size. Are you really saying that all that growth was produced in just one season - ie it really is an annual? How high is the fence?

Thanks for all these ideas - please do keep them coming everyone.

I always considered Clematis was the definitive way to cover fencing panels. But they have never done well for me. In fact most of mine have died over the last couple of years - perhaps they just don't like clay. The only exception is Clemetis montana - its a spectacular brute that just gets bigger and bigger, and looks good when its in flower and also when its not in flower. At one point I considered growing it up and along some fencing panels, but I think the weight would pull the panels down. However that Asarina looks ideal.

 

Exactly that - a single season! Started off indoors end of January or in February. That was a two metre fence. As I recall that was three plants in that clump.

Always find Clems too twiggy/woody. Eccromocarpus is a great way to cover a fence too.

 

I have just been having a Google of Asarina. I see that it comes in a wide range of colours and is, in fact, a tender perennial. Available from Thompson & Morgan, and very cheap - £1.49 a packet. Definately on my list for next year. - Many thanks LongK.

 

Self seeds like boogery too!