I'd like my patio to look...

Tetrapanax - very large leaves. A bit like castor oil plant but more spectacular. I just searched on line to see whether it can be container grown. Some people say no but someone else said it would be OK in a large container. You'd need to protect it in the winter.

Galen

I've got citrus trees and a couple of olives a fig and a eucalyptus on mine. Soon there will be loads of bright geraniums as well. A grape vine trained over old boat rigging gives shade and hanging baskets more colour. Pinks, lavender and my rambling rector give perfume. All I want at the moment is sun!

It looks awesome, I love it...

I'm thinking of growing a couple in a big pot on the patio to climb up trellis on the wall. Can anyone recommend a suitable clematis for pot growing?

Not sure what my new Honeysuckles are roses but I will check tonight when I get home. They do seem to be shooting up and I have started to train them along the back fence. I want them to eventually cover the fence if possible. You are right I should wait and see before I rush in and plant Clematis too.

I do have an abundance of Hydrangeas, some in large pots and some in the ground and they seem to do very well indeed putting up with the salty air and the cold wind that so often blows straight off the North Sea. My garden is very much a case of trial and error finding out what works and what doesn't.

My small garden is built on quite a steep slope so we have had to try and create two tiers (not sure if its obvious in the photos) My lawn is a few feet above the planted area and held up/back by a little wall. We did it all ourselves when we moved in as being a new build all we had was a pile of builders rubble with a sprinkling of top soil.

We had one called Niobe which twined amidst a very dark coloured honeysuckle but it didn't survive being moved unfortunately.

I've never had much success with clematis. I tried them in various places in my last garden and they failed. In this garden I have one called Piilu which seems to grow quite successfully but it is not a very vigorous climber. Just grateful that it comes up at all.

That looks healthy Nelliemoser
Do you feed it?

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My "Guernsey Cream" Clematis is looking good this year. I have been looking after it a bit more recently.
Gillybobs I do like your garden.
My garden is still WIP but I am getting there. I am just waiting for the wisteria to flower now.

Each year I think our President is defunct but it manages to climb about 2 feet, produces a flower then gets very limp and gives in.
It clings to Nellie Moser.

I think my The President is as defunct as I wish a certain other president was. Nothing for it but to plant a montana

Hope it grows well Jalima you know the old saying about clematis 'first it sleeps, then it creeps then it leaps!' So, 3 years needed.We also have a Summer flowering clematis planted with it ( well, we did have two but one died -a Comtesse de Bouchard) the one we still have is The President, a lovely large purple flower, it's early this year and the big buds are already opening slightly!

gillybob you mentioned that you needed a clematis, but it would need to compete with honeysuckle.Which honeysuckles do you have?Because for instance I have one which is so vigorous that you couldn't grow anything else with it.Why not wait and see how the three honeysuckles look in a couple of years time?

Just googled alpine clematis as I had never heard of it, and then realised that we were admiring one last week which was pouring over a fence out of someone’s garden into the lane at the back GS's school. There must have been as much of it on that side of the fence as the other! We both thought it was lovely but, sadly, it might be a bit vigorous for our garden. Having just got rid of tons of ivy and honeysuckle we are not doing vigorous anymore!

We were looking for Alpine Clematis when we bought Freda but, alas, not one to be found.

Beware of allowing clematis to climb up trees. I had to rescue my Amelanchier from a very robust Clematis Tangutica. The poor tree still lists a bit, but the Clematis had to go. I have a couple of alpine Clematis to plant out - a blue one and a white one - and the pyramids are ready for them today.

We have just bought a Freda clematis and planted it (well DH planted it) hoping it will grow over an arch and look like yours rosesarered. There are already a couple of summer flowering ones there, so we're hoping they will climb through if he didn't damage the roots

Our patio would be better if it was level - somehow the slabs seem to have found their own level (up a bit down a bit) and the man who laid some of it must have had a few ciders at lunch-time, it is on a gentle slope.

To achieve a perfect looking patio you have to make sure it is not cramped with rubbish or waste. My parents weretrying really hard to have their back yard in order but it took them a few years to clear out all of unwated things they stored there. I, on the other hand, had to make one call and get fid if rubbish at once. I worked with this company, junkandgardening.co.uk/ very happy with their work.

Goodness knows The Ile de Re has hollyhocks as its flower!! They were everywhere, and I decided to grow some, but I did neglect the poor things and they were victims to rust do I gave up.

That could be it but why is my neighbour's garden a riot of hollyhocks?

kitty it may because your soil is too acid - we get wild old mans beard by the dozens on the Downs so I think they prefer an alkaline soil. Or you may not be planting them deeply enough. At least 4 inches of stem under the soil is the way to go- it helps the plant to recover from wilt if it is unlucky enough to get it. They should also never dry out. Which is why I am watering my newly planted clematis like mad at the moment.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles to grow clematis. They all failed in our last house and I have one here which is very pretty but never makes its full height and spread despite what I do with it.

Gillybob, Vinca grows well at the sea. Pretty periwinkle colour, looks nice as ground cover or hanging pots.

Fabulous clematis roses. I can't grow them at all and they are so reminiscent of my Granny's garden when I was younger. Those and hollyhocks which I can't grow either.

I have only just (well 2 weekends ago) planted 3 honeysuckle along my back fence roses . They were recommend by the RHS for withstanding the salty air and so far they seem to have taken well. Fingers crossed. Do any of you experienced gardeners think I could criss cross these with some clematis? If so is there a particular variety I should be looking for ?

My "new build" garden is very much a work in progress as I am a relatively new gardener (keen to learn though) . I recently invested in a little lean-to greenhouse (don't have a lot of space for anything bigger) so -fingers crossed- hoping this year to produce everything from seed/ cuttings myself.

So excited for this summer. Can't wait to see what might come back as I can't remember what I planted and where?

My hydrangeas and rhododendrons seem to be doing very well so far, so the salty air must suit them just fine.

Happy days .

We have an ordinary Montana, planted on a trellis to provide a screen and it is in full flower at the moment.

DH was going to ask for recommendations for one for another arch further up the garden, Freda looks like a good choice. The summer flowering ones are much more delicate; they have started to grow and I fear this cold weather may have damaged the shoots.

Yes, it's really pretty in flower, and the leaves are an attractive red/dark green for the rest of the year.We used to have a Montana Elizabeth and that was so vigorous it was aiming to take over the world. So this one is more managable.we planted two, one at each side of the arch, then they meet in the middle.