Climbing plants and wall shrubs green up our house walls, garden boundaries and upright structures to envelop our gardens (and us) in plants. Most take up little ground space in proportion to their top growth, so deliver a big bang for one’s buck too.
I would argue that the smaller a garden is, the more important climbers become — in tiny gardens and courtyards they tend to be the first thing you notice at eye level when you enter. They also come into play when viewed through a window, and act as a backdrop to any plants in front.
In larger gardens they soften the boundaries and help to lose them visually. Climbing plants and wall shrubs can also help to hide a multitude of sins. If you have an attractive boundary (such as a characterful old brick wall or a slatted timber fence), leave some areas exposed, but perhaps break it up a little because a garden is where man-made architecture and nature meet. A balanced combination often creates the most successful of spaces.
There are almost unlimited deciduous climbers to choose from (especially with the huge range of climbing and rambling roses), but throughout winter we rely on evergreens. There aren’t masses of evergreen climbers, but when you add wall shrubs (those that can be pruned and trained against a vertical) there’s a decent palette to choose from.
Think strategically and consider key views from inside throughout winter. Perhaps green up corners of boundaries to hide them. In some gardens the simple repetition of the same climber (possibly trained into a series of tidy shapes) adds a sense of formality and simple rhythm, only fully revealed in winter when others drop their leaves. The shiny leaves of a well-placed plant can shimmer in the low winter sun, bouncing light into a house or lifting a shady spot.
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Climbers and wall shrubs may need support. Some will cling to a surface, while others prefer to grab on to wires. Plants with tendrils (such as clematis) favour a mesh to scramble up for a more even spread. Brick or block-rendered walls significantly dry out the soil beneath, so prepare the planting hole well with plenty of moisture retentive organic matter. With new fences aim to plant in the gaps between the posts to avoid the concrete footings at the base.
Some climbers can be grown in large containers, placed as an afterthought to green up a boundary, but all prefer their roots to be down into the ground so with paved areas consider lifting a slab or two, digging out the sub-base and backfilling with decent soil.
Joe’s top wall shrubs and evergreen climbers
Holboellia latifolia (sausage vine)
First-rate climber with scented green-white flowers in spring. Neatly clothed to the ground with ovate mid-green leaves. Requires a protected spot, flowers best in full sun and is classed as semi-evergreen, so may defoliate in a cold winter. After a long hot summer it may produce unusual purple sausage-shaped fruit. Height to 5m.
Trachelospermum jasminoides (star jasmine)
A garden designer favourite. Small glossy green leaves from top to toe (sometimes turn purple red in a cold snap in winter) and small white jasmine-scented flowers in summer. Most books say full sun, but I’ve had success with it in semi-shade. Doesn’t like drying winds. Height to 6m, but can be clipped in spring.
Pileostegia viburnoides (white climbing hydrangea)
Not to be confused with the more common deciduous climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris). A fine climber with large leathery leaves that make the ideal backdrop to the creamy white panicles. New foliage growth has a red tint. Slow-growing. Will grow in any aspect with protection from cold winds. Height and spread 3m.
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Berberidopsis corallina (coral plant)
Quite unusual and often classed as “self-clinging”, but prefers trellis or netting to scramble up to get it going. The flowers are wonderful, like coral pink berries in late summer, and the leathery foliage is evergreen. Avoid full sun, give it a little shade. Height to 5m.
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ (silk tassel bush)
A tough plant that can be trained as a large wall shrub and produces long, silky, silvery tassels in late winter. Not only bombproof and evergreen, it creates interest at a tricky time of the year. Once established, prune it back every year and train it in after flowering in spring. Height and spread 4m.
Lapageria rosea (Chilean bellflower)
Exotic and requires specific conditions. Moist humus-rich acidic soil, partially shaded, and is only hardy to about minus 5C. If you have the spot it’ll reward you with downward-facing, pink-red trumpet-shaped flowers in summer. Its evergreen foliage is dark green and leathery. Height to 4m.
Fatshedera lizei (tree ivy)
This is a cross between a fatsia and ivy, so it has large, glossy, deeply cut foliage, but a climbing upright habit. Excellent for contemporary spaces and very shady spots. Needs some support to get above 1.5m, but can reach 2m, with an equivalent spread.
Clematis armandii ‘Apple Blossom’
A vigorous, exotic climber with long, glossy leaves and deliciously fragrant vanilla-scented pink-white flowers in early spring. It can ultimately look a little messy because it tends to end up with its foliage all up top. Prune it back after flowering to contain it or, if it does get messy, give it a hard chop in spring. Height about 6m.
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Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ (honeysuckle)
An evergreen honeysuckle that produces clusters of smallish-white, fragrant flowers that turn to a deep yellow from summer into autumn. It is a good scrambler for covering large fences or any eyesores in your garden. Height 8m.
Ivy
Provides excellent winter foliage cover and is an important food source for wildlife. There are many forms to choose from, including some variegated types for shady spots, including ‘Glacier’ (creamy white margins) and ‘Sulphur Heart’ (huge yellow and green leaves). Various heights available.
