Wisteria advice - or other climber- garden centre trip today!

[Ekphrasis]

Id like to put a climber around the door of our Victorian terrace, south facing. The door is v tall as has a window above it so it would need to grow high.

paving brick ground though so I’m guessing a v big pot is best. There’s a lovely one locally but I think its roots are going into the ground beneath gravel so I’m not sure how achievable this is?

I’m not that keen on amethyst falls (i think I have one languishing in a pot bought from Sainsburies!) and I think prolific (grafted) is what may work but I’m just not sure if it’s something to commit to or not.

I love the sculpted stems of them and the bronze leaves that some have at this time of year.

Back up ideas are climbing hydrangea (might be too hot for pot south facing?) or honeysuckle. Or passion flower.

Any other ideas or advice? It’s a blank slate!

I wouldn’t go with a hydrangea in a south facing position. Do you want all year round colour, so something like a Virginia Creeper, or flowers? I like jasmine for the scent.

I think flowers but was leaning towards larger leaves tbh. Or architectural.

Is wisteria a no no? I could put it in the back yard/ garden.

We moved at the end of last year and I've now got more of an idea of what could go where.

Might go and read up on honey suckle - I had one years ago that also got quite sculptural. More native. Possibly better at growing in pot?

Shamelessly following as we are also directly south facing and our Jasmine died last year (hot spell when we were away on holiday). I’ve been waiting to see if it’ll revive itself but looks like it’s done for and now need a replacement!

I think wisteria look amazing. Go for it op.

Forgot to edit/finish “Which climber is better in a pot around a tall Victorian terrace south facing wall in north of England” in chat gtp but actually the results were clematis, wisteria or honeysuckle. 🤔

I’d plant and train a fig tree there but it would need to go in the ground for the height.

Thoughts on which one?

I’ve wanted one for YEARS. But didn’t have the right position. And we knew we’d move eventually.

I think I have what is effectively a bonsai “prolific” in a pot (found the tag when we moved - It came from the guardian over a decade ago!) and aforementioned languishing “Amethyst falls” from Sainsbury’s. Languishing as I don’t love it as much as the prolific.

Google / chat gtp and rhs point to those two. But it sounds like the Prolific will need pruning?

And how big a pot?!

Just be aware that many wisteria are real thugs. You will be regularly fishing it out of gutters and window frames. I have two, but they are planted at the far end of my long garden, nowhere near any structures. I’ve seen what my friends have to do in order to keep them in check.

That’s my concern tbh.

But, without posting a pic of my house, there’s not much for it to go into. They’re really tall victorian terraces. Quite plain fronts. I also think there would be a limiting factor on height with the pot. The seeds could spread though I suppose?

The whole front area of our house and next door is paved with privet hedge between.

There’s a house locally with several in pots in her front garden; I’m at the point of knocking on the door for advice. (I also think I briefly worked with her over 20 years ago!) Only one is trained around her window.

I’m very good at hard pruning once I’ve got a plan 😎

We have jasmine trachelospermum on a south facing wall. It has lovely evergreen foliage and scented white flowers in the summer. But it is planted in the ground, so I don't know how well they do in a pot. Could you take up a few bricks?

Sounds good! I've no idea about varieties, but I've got a 5m one in a small pot that was meant to be a bonsai. It's going to flower for the first time this year. We have a blarii rambler rose up our wall which really is a triffid.

I think clematis are much nicer than wisteria and better behaved. Go for a type iii clematis that you cut back each spring so it doesn’t get too big.

whatever climber you get, it will need a very big pot and lots of plant feed each year.

Wondered about that but dh might get twitchy!

This is very much not a maintenance free plant! They need pruning twice a year (Feb and Aug) to get flowers, and you'll need a really big pot for it to reach the top of your door.

I think your existing wisterias need a bigger pot and more love, have they flowered before? It's best to buy one in flower, some of them just don't. If I were you I'd get two large pots, put one on each side of the door, and see how you get on. Variety is a matter of personal taste.

Mine is about 20 years old (here before me) and 2m away from the house. It's up against the fence, we've put vine eyes and wires on the house and fence. It likes to curl around the neighbours' satellite dish and wires, and the other neighbours' drainpipe. It's a 3 story house so the gutters are safe... for now.

Honeysuckle will not be happy south facing.. Jasmine is a good idea.. climbing scented roses maybe.

Thank you, I’ll go and investigate those .

This is why I’m asking the question! and doing the googling.

Apart from anything, they’re all so very different! Colockwise, anti clockwise etc….

Yes, have just worked that out. Have another lovely spot for one though.

I’m not sure DH is prepared for all this …

I want to get things going though. I regret not spending some time and thought earlier on other houses to reap the rewards!

The house I mentioned has 6 different wisterias in pots; some are probably tapping into the ground though. I’ve just been on a dog walk there.

She’s also retired so lots of time to prune. Doorways and windows aren’t as high either.

Wouldn't a clematis be really unhappy with its roots in the south facing sun? I've always been told that they like cool shaded roots.

How about a rose?

I think my mind would pop if I have to start looking up roses.

I have a love hate relationship with roses. I think it’s v hard to find one that does what you want it to!

There are some gorgeous ones locally but after a while they seem to look leggy and unloved.

I wouldn’t ever bother with wisteria in a pot – it is ultimately doomed for failure, even if it chugs on for a few years, likely not flowering.

We had a honeysuckle south facing, it did very well.

Clematis is nice but such a short flowering period (as is wisteria but leaves aren’t as pretty).

Climbing roses are beautiful (we have the generous gardener, David Austin), but they are very slow to get height.

If you’re still more drawn to wisteria (and yes I would take up a few bricks), brachybotrys is a nice, heavily scented one. Flowers are more fat and less trailing.

I could take up some bricks beneath the pot perhaps? It might send down a tap root anyway.

brachybotrys has popped up on Google.

This is an option I’ve found on crocus, but I know nothing about it. https://www.crocus.co.uk/plants/_/solanum-crispum-glasnevin/classid.1720/

I think it’s brachybotrys that I like. The baby leaves are gorgeous

https://langthorns.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=23776

Compromise; grow it in a pot like a giant bonsai tree. Easier to prune