What should I grow up my pergola?

[kitsmummy]

Hello all, we've just built a lovely pergola at the bottom of our garden. It's getting a patio base and will have seating under it. I want to grow stuff up it to look pretty and to give a bit of shade (it gets a lot of sun).

I bought two clematis montana but now I think they might be a bit too rampant for it, I don't want it to look just like a huge clematis bush iykwim?

Presumably I should plant something at each of the four corners shouldn't I? rather than just two of them? I love roses so wonder if a rambling rose would work nicely?

For info, there will be two massive flower beds each side of the pergola (kind of curving out from it) and I'm going to fill these with predominantly green shrubs and trees, eg not really any flowers (apart from some foxgloves) as I don't have the time for the upkeep of flower filled borders, and will probably fill the gaps with bark to keep weeds down.

I'm wondering if I'd be best sticking to white flowers so I've got a fairly natural effect but I do also love the old fashioned look of yellow roses (and pink ones too actually ), but I want it to look cohesive, not like I just planted loads of different coloured climbers.

Thoughts please?! thanks

My mate has a pergola with a climbing rose and it looks great, except for in winter when it's just brown sticks, but that's true of most flowering climbers.

I'm thinking rose is looking like the way to go, but would you put four roses all the same, rather than mixing say two white and two yellow?

You can also combine roses with clematis. If you do, choose clematis from group 3 as they get cut back low, much easier from a maintenance point of view. As for climbing roses, they are best trained so they wind around the pillars rather than straight up, this will give masses of flowers.

Thank you bienchen. How will I know if it's a group 3 clematis (oddly enough they've just been talking about this on Gardeners World. I managed to take in some of it despite swooning at Monty Don )? Will it just say so on the label?

It may say so on the label or if it doesn't it the label will give you the name and then you can google to check the group. Or you can ask me to recommend a cultivar once you have decided on your rose. Ideally you have the flower at the same time or at least overlap some of the flowering time. I would also consider the size of the rose & clematis flowers to ensure they are in proportion/suit each other.

How about the rose 'James Galway climbing'? Its supposed to be great for pergolas and is almost thornless so if you are sitting near it less chance of scratching!

The RHS site has lots of info on clematis and tells you which group.

With roses you need to be sure that you get repeat flowering othewise you might get one with a short flowering season.

thanks everyone, I've actually just ordered four Iceberg climing roses from J Parkers website which will grow big enough and are repeat flowering and I think I'll also get a couple of clematis to intertwine with them too. (off to research group 3s now)

For a bit of green in winter, you could try adding a wisteria.

Wisterias are deciduous around here but pyracantha are evergreen and have berries for autumn. But I recommend them more for a flat expanse such as a wall or fence. They can be rtained into stunning features.