Wanted- trellis climber for shady fence.

[erebus]

I want to put a climber in that will grow against a north facing 6' wooden fence. In high summer, only about 6" at the base gets no direct sun, so anything established could have leaves out in the sunlight, iyswim.

Currently a Clematis isn't thriving there, but a climbing hydrangea is, though not with much vigour.

What would you recommend? Virginia creeper? Honeysuckle?

tia

We had a clematis for a north facing very little direct sun (late evening only) it's coming up again already this year so it must be reasonably happy. I'll have a look for the variety (it was recommended by the garden centre) and come back. (oh and it has lots of small purple flowers so pretty in summer).

Thanks, I'd appreciate that as really I would like a clematis but I thought I was on a hiding to nothing!

I'd go for Ivy as a base, it's evergreen and grows anywhere, and then pop some different varieties of clematis with it to add interest during the spring, summer and autumn months. Clematis enjoy light shade, especially the roots, there are a multitude of colours to choose from, here's a link: www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/climbers/plcid.15/vid.167/
It's an excellent online nursery, their plants always arrive healthy and thrive once planted. Good luck! x

I'm not so sure about ivy. I planted two on the fence when it was new, to hide the awful orange colour, but it's now a nuisance. It's reached the top of the fence and got very vigorous and it crowds out the clematis, which are hardly visible. I've now sawn through the main stems of the ivy hoping to kill it.

Virginia creeper might also be too vigorous for a 6" fence, but there's Chinese Virginia creeper which is a better-looking plant and not so rampant. There are some more suggestions on the Royal Horticultural Society website.