Every fence, wall, obelisk or tree has potential to add so much to your
If you have a big or long sunny wall to cover, this glorious climber might fit the bill very well. Beautifully-scented rosy-lilac flowers appear in great clusters in late spring and early summer. A climber of real class that looks incredible in full bloom!
- Sweet pervasive flower-scent
- Attractive pinnate foliage that emerges a lovely bronze colour
- Long-lived and vigorous
- Needs twice-yearly pruning for the best flowers and to control vigour
- Its woody growth is tough and could damage gutters, and downpipes
- Hardy to H5, but spring frosts can cause the flower buds to drop
Star jasmine is a wonderful evergreen climber that carries hundreds of small fragrant white flowers in the height of summer. We think its common name is most apt - the effect is like a clouds of stars! It's fine with most soils as long as they are well-drained
- Fabulous fragrance in summer
- Evergreen but the glossy dark green foliage will turn russet in autumn
- Masses of flowers especially if given tomato fertiliser regularly during the summer
- Frost-hardy but unlikely to survive very cold winters unless protected
- Can be susceptible to aphids, spider mites and scale insects
- Might be invasive when happy and overwhelm other plants
This striking tree (can reach 12m) is a long way from the familiar spring Magnolias. Its big glossy leaves with their rust-brown undersides are fabulous in themselves and then in the summer, they are studded with huge waxy white flowers exuding a delicious honeyed-lemon scent. It can be trained against a big sunny wall to make a wonderful evergreen feature.
- Large very fragrant waxy creamy white flowers
- Tolerant of acid, alkaline or neutral soils
- Superb foliage all year round
- Slow-growing but eventually need lots of space
- Forms a dense canopy casting deep shade over plants beneath
- Can withstand temperatures down to -10C, but young plants need frost protection
This honeysuckle pumps out the most exquisite fragrance throughout the summer. We love how the white flowers fade to cream, attracting masses of bees and moths, and looking perfect in cottage garden settings.
- Easy to grow in fertile soil
- Excellent for pollinating insects in summer, followed by red berries for wild birds
- Very hardy and tolerant of a wide range of soil types
- Can grow vigorously and messily if not regularly pruned after flowering
- Might suffer aphid attacks and powdery mildew
- Root rot could be a problem in wet soils
This is a gorgeous version of the common summer jasmine which has even more fragrance and larger flowers. Plant it in a dry spot against a sunny wall next to path, and the perfume will scent the summer air as you pass by.
- Starry cream flowers in summer
- Semi-evergreen foliage
- Can be planted in a large pot and trained up a trellis
- Semi-hardy and needs a warm sheltered spot or winter protection
- Overwatering will cause yellowing leaves and mushy stems
- Can get overgrown if not pruned to shape at the end of the summer
Do you fancy a bright tall splash of lime green amongst your summer flowers and shrubs? This plant will do it for you. Its golden leaves look like the sun is shining on them even on a dull day! It's fast-growing with twining stems but dies back to the ground each winter.
- Hardy herbaceous climber that's easy to grow
- Brightest leaf colour when it's growing in full sun
- Attractive hop fruits in autumn for indoor decoration
- Can be over-vigorous in the right conditions and crowd out other plants
- Twining stems are strong and need a sturdy support
- The dead stems need to be cut back to the ground in winter or early spring before new growth begins at the base
Clematis viticella is a late-flowering variety of this very popular species of climbers. Hardy and deciduous, it bears absolutely masses of single bell-shaped flowers for weeks and weeks. There are lots of beautiful varieties to choose from, but the simple C. viticella species has a charm of its own.
- Long-lasting colour
- Vigorous but non-clinging tendrils which will not damage walls
- Straightforward hard pruning in spring
- New shoots can fall victim to aphids and molluscs
- Flowers poorly on thin dry soil
- Will only carry flowers at the top if poorly pruned
What a wonderful large climber this is for early summer! A very vigorous scrambler that is studded all over with sparkling white single flowers. It's the very plant you need to turn a blank wall into a living curtain of flowers, deciduous foliage and wildlife.
- Fabulous display of large white flowers in late spring/early summer
- Hardy and okay for exposed positions
- Can be trimmed back after flowering to keep it in check
- Prefers its roots to be shaded with pebbles or tiles if possible
- Can suffer from root problems such as honey fungus or Phytophthora, especially in soggy soil
- Prefers alkaline or neutral soil
This is a truly sumptuous old-fashioned climbing rose with very double deep rose-pink flowers which come in flushes throughout the summer. The scent is to die for. It's been around since the 1880's and has been awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit - for very good reason!
- Utterly fabulous perfume
- Rich long-lasting colour
- Flowers best on older wood so only light pruning needed
- The big double flowers can 'ball' in wet weather
- Less disease-resistance than many modern varieties
- Very prickly stems
Here we have a vigorous ornamental climber that you grow for its foliage rather than its flowers or fruit. The leaves start a sort of dusky-plum and slowly turn rich purple and even crimson as they start to fall. Stunning, especially if you can position it so that the sun shines through the foliage.
- Lushly-coloured foliage throughout the summer and early autumn
- Very hardy to H5
- Easy to grow in alkaline or neutral soils
- Grows poorly in wet soils
- The small purple fruits are edible but not palatable
- Needs regular winter-pruning for the best show of foliage
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