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Beautiful new trellising so would like something dainty growing there

32 replies

EllenParsnips · 08/10/2015 12:27

Hello
~We've just had a beautiful hardwood trellis installed (so don't want to hide it all). What can I grow that wouldn't take over the trellis? We just want something to soften it - not hide it.

Complete novice here

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aircooled · 08/10/2015 14:09

Is it against a wall, acting like a fence or perhaps an archway? Sun or shade? We always like a photo if you can manage one!

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EllenParsnips · 08/10/2015 14:20

It's acting as a little fence, it's 5ft tall and it's facing east. I don't know how to do photos here - sorry.

I don't want anything to take over the trellis like lots of climbers do.

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PeaceOfWildThings · 08/10/2015 14:22

I got a few cheap Jasmine plants from supermarkets about 2 years ago. They flower dufferent colours and at different times of the year. They are doing well, all 3 of them!

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aircooled · 08/10/2015 14:36

Clematis would be an obvious choice - the macropetala and alpina types flower early in spring and are pruned after flowering so you can keep them under control. The viticella types flower for ages in summer, you can tidy them up in the autumn then cut them down to 30cm early in the year so again they won't take over. As Peace says, some of the less rampant jasmines would look lovely too.

Morning Glory (Ipomoea) is an annual with blue or purple flowers and gives a lot of colour without much foliage. Mainly in the morning though!

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EllenParsnips · 09/10/2015 10:55

Thank you for all your suggestions, I didn't know where to start looking.

Has anyone planted this www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/clematis-napaulensis/classid.2000013334/ It says it flowers through the winter time which would be great as i'd love a bit of colour then. Would this be suitable?

Could I plant it now?

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PeaceOfWildThings · 09/10/2015 12:17

That's really pretty. Have not had the pleasure. Let us know how you get on if you do get it.

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shovetheholly · 10/10/2015 15:25

I love the flowers on that clematis - but have a look at the habit (which is a bit untidy) and the fact that it's leaf-free in summer (bizarrely!) and leaves rather ugly bare stems. You'll need to grow it with something else - ideally deciduous - and that may hide quite a lot of your trellis!

An alternative would be something like clematis cirrhosa, which is pretty and a bit more well-behaved!

Akebia quintata might be something to consider too! Or a rose that doesn't mind a bit of shade.

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funnyperson · 10/10/2015 22:02

How long is this trellis? Are you going to plant one plant or lots?

A climbing rose and clematis combo is nice eg new dawn and etoille violette

Or clematis wisley cream (spring) princess diana clematis (summer) and tangutica (autumn).

The better designers either plant the same colour through the seasons or choose succession to reflect the way colours change in the garden through the seasons

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aircooled · 11/10/2015 10:40

Beware akebia. I have one that behaved itself for a couple of years, twining through the trellis sides of a covered garden seat then when my back was turned it was off - up into the beech hedge and now into a whitebeam tree, completely failing to drape itself over the roof of the seat as planned. Lovely plant but might become too rampant for your trellis.

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shovetheholly · 12/10/2015 09:08

aircooled - You are the akebia whisperer! I used to have one that I just could NOT get to do that! It grew very little, and sulked a lot. I guess it just wasn't in quite the right place (possibly too shaded). Yours sounds lovely, if vigorous!

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aircooled · 12/10/2015 13:04

shove, the problem is that I can't see and enjoy it now! That section of hedge needs a good prune so the akebia will have to be pullled out - hopefullly it will come back down to earth but I fear it will be off again in search of the sun.

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EllenParsnips · 12/10/2015 13:26

Thanks for all your suggestions. I have had a look at photos of the napaulensis that I liked and you are right, it does look untidy in the summer. Would look lovely in our back garden.

Because it's a posh bit of trellising (!) out the front I would like something dainty so probably not the akebia.

Funnyperson - the trellis is probably only 2.5 metres long and 5ft tall, so there's not much of it.

I think I'd like only one plant because I do want the trellis to be seen (can you tell...I'm quite proud of it!)

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shovetheholly · 12/10/2015 15:24

What kind of a 'look' are you going for, Ellen? I think I'd suggest very different things for a modern/contemporary garden to a traditional country cottage style garden!

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EllenParsnips · 12/10/2015 17:20

Shovetheholly - it's definitely a contemporary look that we are aiming for. I should have said that at the beginning. It's 1960s house that we've just finished renovating, hence the posh trellising. I need to get this right :)

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shovetheholly · 13/10/2015 08:17

Ooooh, it sounds lovely!

I'm on Pinterest, looking at 'contemporary garden screen' and it's surprising how few climbers there are - I've not noticed this before! I guess if you think about it, the danger is that you either get a complete coverage (which is not what you want) or a kind of weedy looking bit of greenery that doesn't do much in design terms other than detract from the clean lines you've so painstakingly created.

The classic thing to do seems to be to put something in a pot in front instead - the obvious choice being a coloured-cane bamboo.

A more adventurous choice might be something like a cloud-pruned conifer, which would just sing in front of a very geometric screen (this is a look you seen in Japanese gardens).

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EllenParsnips · 13/10/2015 11:41

If you put contemporary climbers into Google you get something completely different!

I like this look but (I think it is a Jasmine) which (I suppose) will get much bigger. I like the sparse-ness of this one now. Perhaps you are right and I need to forget climber and put something more architectural at the foot of the trellis.

www.bilpack.com/garden-design-ideas-with-wood-deck-and-pool/modern-wooden-fence-with-climbing-flower-plant-feat-white-pebbles-decor-with-metal-bench-in-modern-garden-design/

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EllenParsnips · 13/10/2015 11:47

I have a small area at the foot of the trellis - 300cm by 600cm which I could plant in what do you think about these? www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/155/i-Acanthus-mollis-i/Details?returnurl=%2Fplants%2Fperennials%3Faliaspath%3D%252fplants%252fperennials

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RoganJosh · 13/10/2015 11:53

Are you somewhere really mild? That Nepalese clematis is only h3 hardiness if you look on the the site.
H3 is explained here
www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/publications/magazines/the-garden/2013-issues/february/How-hardy-are-my-plants

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shovetheholly · 13/10/2015 11:53

I think that might be a trachylospermum jasminoides. They are nice plants, and they can be brought to behave - I've seen them trained up frames into shapes. I have one growing up a cone in my garden. It's not a bad bet as it's evergreen too.

Now I love me an acanthus. they are big ole beasts, and fierce with it, but they look grand. The only thing is, they go into a total collapse situation over winter, so would leave you with a distinctly bare patch. So you might want to pair them with something else to give you structure the rest of the year.

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EllenParsnips · 13/10/2015 12:18
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shovetheholly · 13/10/2015 12:26

Eremurus! Those are one thing I would love to grow, but they really like light, fierce drainage, and a bit of heat - so my north-facing garden is a no-no. (I grow ligularia instead, which likes damp and has a similar habit, but slightly longer-lasting foliage). Eremurus are a (disturbingly spider-shaped) bulb and they will grow, put out leaves and flowers and die back to nothing in no time at all - a shorter time even than the acanthus. Like a natural firework! They come in other strong colours too.

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EllenParsnips · 13/10/2015 13:00

oh Ligularia looks lovely too. Think I've got the look I'm after but whichever one I choose what would you put in beside them to keep interest all year? It is a small space 300 x 600 (we split a paving stone to allow this area for planting)

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shovetheholly · 13/10/2015 13:44

Hang on, before I write loads of suggestions - have I got your measurements right? 300cm x 600cm is 3 metres x 6 metres, right? Which is a big ole herbaceous perennial border kind of a space. Yet what you say about splitting a paving stone would seem to fit with a much smaller space, 30 cm x 60 cm for instance?

(Either that, or you have bloody huge paving stones!! Grin)

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shovetheholly · 13/10/2015 13:46

Also, what conditions do you have because this will make a huge difference! I wouldn't want to grow ligularia anywhere that wasn't really quite damp all year round - and I wouldn't want to grow eremurus anywhere that didn't get a bit baked.

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EllenParsnips · 13/10/2015 13:55

oops I really should stick to feet and inches shouldn't I. Sounds like we live in a castle. The correct size is 30cm x 60cm (so I could easily keep that damp all year round). THE trellis is facing east so will be bakeish at some time of some days.

I've just found Phormium platt's black which looks lovely for inbetween (but of course I am clueless as this thread proves)

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