Plant for seemingly difficult conditions

[Ternary]

We have a flowerbed next to our patio that is south facing, sounds great but I've struggled to get a climber which will cover the fence to survive. I've tried these:
Clematis Armandii
Clematis cirrohosa freckles
Actinidia kolomikta

I think the issue is the lack of shelter as any wind gets tunnelled between us and next door, although it is very hot in summer. I have protected the roots from the sun, a honeysuckle nearby has never thrived although a ceanothus has been fantastic.

What could go here that would definitely do well? (not ivy!) Wisteria, Campsis, Roses, a different variety of honeysuckle? I really need something that does well as it is demoralising when thing die.

Thanks for any advice.

What about paying a bit more for a fully established large plant that can hold its own?

Confederate jasmine are my favourite climber but don't think it would like a wind tunnel.

That would be fine IJ, I've bought from Paramount plants a few times and got shrubs that are 1.5 metres. I'd love to have an evergreen climber but tried Trachelospermum jasminoides a bit further down the garden and that didn't survive either (it was over a metre when I got it).

Paramount do larger Wisteria but I really need to get something that works, we took on too much when we had work done on our garden and the amount of bare earth/fence just gets to me.

winter jasmine, clematis montana, jasmine, honeysuckle and passion flower are all quite hardy and cheap to buy. A vine might work. Try wilko for cheap plants.

What about a clematis Montana? They seem to be fine in exposed conditions.

I'm reluctant to try a montana as the other clematis plants I've tried haven't been great. Does anybody know if wisteria would work? I only see it on houses. Or would a rose be good? The RHS says Campsis needs shelter so I've ruled that out.

Wisteria is high maintenance, so I wouldn't. A climbing rose might work. Honeysuckle, passonflower, vines and the jasmines are pretty much foolproof.
You could try a clematis but keep it somewhere else in a pot until it becomes quite strong.

I'd try a clematis Montana too; they're pretty bomb-proof once they get going. Wisterias need far too much coddling...

I think Rosa Madame Alfred CArriere, which is prolific climber, is supposed to do well anywhere.

I've got a really exposed allotment and a clematis Montana has gone crazy over the shed. Its thriving. The roots are shaded mind.

Oh and the rose above is very tough. You may need to try and fo something about the wind tunnel effect.

Does it need to be a climber? A wall shrub with leathery might be tougher. Maybe some ideas here (need to scroll right down) www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=466

www.thorncroftclematis.co.uk/quick-selection-lists/windy.html

f you are looking for clematis to grow in a position that is exposed to a lot of wind, those listed below will cope the best. As well as these you can use most Hard prune clematis except the Florida group.

Clematis are fairly robust but the larger the flower the more area there is to catch the wind and the less suitable they are for growing in a windy location. Lets hope one of these clematis for windy locations will be suitable for what you need.

www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/howtogrow/3337849/On-the-spot-cold-climbers.html

Val Bourne picks out the best climbing plants for exposed positions

Every garden has cold, exposed places - a windy corner, an open archway, a wall prone to biting northerly or easterly winds. These areas won't accommodate soft, leafy climbers or wall shrubs; but deciduous, twiggy plants can survive well after their leaves have dropped. They just batten down the hatches until warmer weather arrives before starting into growth.

A rambling rose would be my go-to plant here I think. Or possibly a shrub trained upwards and sideways, something like a cotoneaster? They are as tough as old boots.

Ahem

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/747/Akebia-quinata/Details

Hard to keep a good one of these feisty fuckers down.

Not a climber but a shrub, Hypericum Hidcote is easy. Grows to about 4ft, dense foliage with lots of yellow flowers. When it's established you can plant a climber and it'll be protected by the hypericum.

Yes, white jasmine is very hardy. A large established plant will find it harder to cope, as there are more roots. Better a smaller one, with lots of watering support over the summer. It should be well established by next spring, and cope on its own. Add lots of compost or manure to the hole. Add a large plastic lemonade bottle ( cut off the bottom) , angled towards the roots, with the top just visible above the soil. Water into that, so it gets straight to the roots.

I’d try a jasmine.

Passionflower or pyracantha? Both like sun and are pretty tough (also evergreen) Bees love the flowers on pyracantha and birds eat the berries over winter
Keep any outward growth clipped to encourage it to spread across the wall. lt loves sun (you get tons more flowers and thus berries growing it in a sunny spot). Mine's growing in a very sunny spot next to my patio
You can buy them with red, orange or yellow berries. I like the orange!

My passionflower is pretty bombproof.

I understand you're suppose to plant climbers out from the wall/fence a bit (40-50cm) and angle in to avoid the very dry/ poor soil zone right by the fence.

I didn't have much success with the £1.79 passionflowers from Morrisons. I lost two. Ended up taking cuttings from a friend's plant and also buying a bigger specimen from Homebase for a different part of the garden. All of these thrived.

Star jasmine might be an option. It likes sun, is evergreen but I don't know how it feels about wind. The leaves are fairly tough.

Potato tree? (Solanum). This one’s blue, there’s a white one too - grows like mad IME & not demanding. I had it on a W-facing wall, roots close to the house, we get a lot of westerly winds & it did really well (pulled the top of the trellis off the wall in fact)

Don’t eat it though

www.rhs.org.uk/plants/97176/Solanum-crispum-Glasnevin/Details

Great thanks for all the advice. I've ruled out wisteria and will consider a montana, rose or jasmine. Is Trachelospermum jasminoides a jasmine? That didn't work out further down the garden but it really is sun baked with a lack of plants creating shade.

Thanks for the links, I have planted a Akebia quinata further down the garden where it is more sheltered so will see how that does. I really have struggled to get climbers to thrive.

I have a climbing rose in a similar situation. I would be more concerned about the soil quality/depth than the aspect. There’s really no other reason that most of the things you’ve planted shouldn’t have gone on a rampage.

You have a good point Enb76. There is paving on two sides of this bit of fence I want to fill and it is baking in summer. I do water in new plants and plant away from the fence, I guess I could put a plant a bit further along so only paving on one side. There is a clematis there (not a vigorous one like montana) but that isn't doing well either!

I thought sunny sites were supposed to be great but I have found it all tricky

Can you mulch the top with a thick layer of bark chips or similar? That might help keep the moisture in. Hopefully they won't blow away!

I'm about to use some edging (log roll in this instance) on my very dry bed. The plan is to improve the soil with compost and increase the volume then bark chip the top.

I have salvia Phylis Fancy, false indigo and California poppies in mine. The rose is Maigold which is extremely thorny - excessively so and also very vigorous and tough. I have improved the soil massively. But everything has deep roots so are not particularly reliant on surface moisture.