Climber for this sunny dry spot

Passionflower - flowers and fruit - but you must sort out the hole and soil quality first - that said I've seen passionflowers growing in very stony ground in London and in France so you have a chance. Bougainvillea is gorgeous but definitely not frost hardy when in the ground in the UK. I have three in large pots that weathered the very stormy winter here in Devon but I thought they were dead until six weeks ago when they woke up. Jasmine and Honeysuckle should flourish in that spot but again will need care.

Soak the ground to be able to plant anything.

My passionflower climbs all over my conifers in very dry sunny spot and goes from May to November. The fruits make great winter colour.

We have had no rain (or even cloud) here for months now, and I have lost 2 of the conifers, but the passionflower is going from strength to strength

cc

Personally I wouldn't plant a clematis here, they often like moist root runs. How about something more exotic, like Bougainvillea, Campsis or another Mediterranean plant that wouldn't need much water?
Another alternative could be an annual such as Morning Glory or Sweet Peas. There are also some perennial sweet peas which are particular favourites of mine.

Bouganvillea is not frost hardy. They are lovely, but get the hardiest one you can & make sure to put lots of winter protection round the roots and fleece round the plant for at least 2 years, & in any very cold weather, if you're planting in the ground.

Try Lonicera

Best to plant something in autumn or spring but you must improve the soil for anything to thrive. The trouble with that obelisk is that most climbers will soon outgrow it.

One idea would be to have a large pot with good compost in it, which you position in the shadiest side of your frame. Then you can choose what you put in it, to enjoy, which you can keep watered and fed, whilst you spend some time improving the soil in the bed . This would give you something to enjoy whilst you work on the area. Using clematis I used to put an early and a late one through the same frame, that way I got lovely early flowers and then the later one would have the flowers and the seedheads from the early one.

The soil in the pic is crying out for some work and nourishment in the form of organic matter. Thats your first priority. Some roses like the fun but are thirsty and Bouganvillia or Orleanda could be planted.

I would go for passion flower ,very good climber ,prolific,easy to manage.

I asked our gardening consultant. She suggested Clematis - as you've heard, but research which might be best?

Honeysuckle could do well there, and there's a thing called Virginia Creeper, BUT --- BEWARE, once in, you could be spending many happy hours trying to cut it back?!

Plumbago is a pretty plant, fine with less moisture -- BUT would need some winter protction.

And Nasturtiums too, should be fine in those conditions.

A clematis armandii will grow anywhere but keep an eye on it

@MargaretinNorthant - sorry to say I’m in the same boat! Over thirty years and that poor little border has had a succession of big pots but little actually growing in the ground. It had a few good years when I was mulching twice a year and the soil got a bit better and the worms came back but I didn’t keep up the good work unfortunately!

Thanks for all these lovely suggestions! In the end I went for clematis etoile violette as it’s supposed to be quite tough once established. Planted my three penstemon sour grapes in front of the obelisk and transplanted some pink cranesbills to put on the front row. If the plants do well I’ll post a photo end of summer. If no photo appears, just don’t ask 😅

Plumbago...very tolerant

Passion flower, climbs well.

Personally I wouldn't plant a clematis here, they often like moist root runs. How about something more exotic, like Bougainvillea, Campsis or another Mediterranean plant that wouldn't need much water?
Another alternative could be an annual such as Morning Glory or Sweet Peas. There are also some perennial sweet peas which are particular favourites of mine.

Wish
I’m planning to do the very same thing to two of my borders. The soil is terrible, very stony, and nothing has thrived in the back border save the climbing roses.
I’m planning on getting everything but the roses out, most is nearly dead because of the heat, then when it’s clear I’m mixing Farm Yard Manure ( the bagged stuff, not straight from the farm!), with a good quality all purpose compost, and shall spread it 3/4 inches thick.Then I shall wait until the weather breaks. Any plants I buy will remain in their pots in the shade until I can put them in. The back gets full sun most of the day, so I am only looking at plants that can withstand drought conditions to put in there. I’ve been here 18 years and have never got that border right!

I agree it's too hot to plant now .
I also dig a hole and fill it with water to ensure moisture.
Clematis like to be planted as deep as possible.
I'm not sure that the area you describe is that good for a hybrid clematis .

I used to dig a hole wider and deeper than needed, then water it 3 times till it stopped draining quickly and often giving it another soak at night, do this a few days running, then fill with a half and half mix of good compost, some grit and the dug out soil. Worked well for me in a hot climate.

Its not wise to plant new at the moment. If you have to, dig a hole, put in compost and water in the hole. Then add the well watered plant and add more compost and mulch. Water thoroughly. Water daily till established. A good climber for these conditions is tracheospernum, jasmine.

It isn’t recommended to plant anything in the border when the weather is so hot and dry. Before doing so, you need to add lots of topsoil, incorporated with humus rich compost. Ideally, plant after there’s been at least a week of steady rain. There are many varieties of Clematis to choose from. They like to be planted deeply, as they like their roots to be cool.