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Gardening

Advice needed on what to plant

(26 Posts)
sunseeker Sun 11-Aug-13 10:20:23

I have just had a car port with open sides put in. There are wires on the open sides ready for climbing plants. What do you suggest I put in. It has to be something which doesn't need a lot of taking care of, preferably evergreen, or something that turns a nice colour in the autumn.

Anne58 Sun 11-Aug-13 10:55:16

Evergreen honeysuckle?

Nonu Sun 11-Aug-13 11:06:41

Virginia Creeper ??

JessM Sun 11-Aug-13 11:19:22

Trouble with most climbing plants is that they are, by their nature, fast growers. If you want it to cover the car port within the next 3 years, then it will require a fair bit of cutting back at regular intervals once established.
Do not on any account go for wisteria or russian vine as they are both high maintenance monsters that want to take over the world. Or a clematis montana. Lovely but monstrous.
And you want it to grow up wires? Not an easy ask. Virginia Creeper for instance needs a nice rough wall to cling to, and the same goes for ivy family. Are there a couple of pillars that the plants could use to get up there?
How much earth is there and is it any good? If some good soil I would go for one of the David Austin roses that would not want to get too huge, but would give a beautiful display. Generous Gardener for instance. But it would require annual cutting back without a doubt.

whenim64 Sun 11-Aug-13 11:20:47

Wisteria to flower in June, and winter flowering jasmine to climb through it?

tanith Sun 11-Aug-13 11:21:02

Jasmine is lovely and maybe some climbing Hydrangea it has variegated leaves and large bracts of white flowers... beautiful and easy to grow

whenim64 Sun 11-Aug-13 11:23:56

Jess I have a white wisteria that is beautifully behaved, not as prolific as the blue sinensis, which grows in front of your eyes! grin

Butty Sun 11-Aug-13 11:26:16

An everygreen Honeysuckle is a fairly fast grower, but enjoys a good cut back once established. Flowers are cream/pale yellow with a delightful scent.

Nonu Sun 11-Aug-13 11:28:24

My Virginia Creeper does not need a "Nice Rough wall " to cling to it just wends it way through whatever !
Sometimes in can be rather invasive , so have to keep my beady eye on it !!

Laugh !

Tegan Sun 11-Aug-13 11:30:15

Evergreen honeysuckle sheds leaves constantly; I've got some outside the utility room door and I'm constantly sweeping it up. I made the mistake of planting it elsewhere in the garden as well [I'd meant to buy non evergreen but forgot]. It covers the garden shed, beautifully though [although I do worry about what it's roots are doing underground as it's near most of the pipes going from the house. I know it's nasty if you brush against it but I love pyracantha growing up a wall.

JessM Sun 11-Aug-13 11:54:04

Parthenocissus quinquefolia climbs by clinging on with little pads nonu - I suppose they might be able to stick to bare wires, but I would expect they need something a bit more than that to get a grip on to get started. I think it works best when it has a whole stately home to crawl over.
when that is interesting. My sister used to have a blue one that used to send tendrils several meters long into the bathroom and through the lounge window, after obscuring a lovely view.

Tegan Sun 11-Aug-13 12:04:44

What family does it belong to? It was on Gardeners World on Friday and I was surprised at the group it belonged to. Carol Klein was talking about it.. bother...

Tegan Sun 11-Aug-13 12:05:17

..peas....

Nonu Sun 11-Aug-13 12:05:25

I know full well it has little pads to cling to walls JESS, I am simply saying in my particular case it climbs through all the other plants !

Tegan Sun 11-Aug-13 12:05:46

what would I do without google...?

JessM Sun 11-Aug-13 12:17:27

Yes nonu but the OP has got a bare carport with wires...

Nelliemoser Sun 11-Aug-13 12:28:30

Do not grow Russian Vine Fallopia baldschuanica aka mile a minute. Its a nightmare.
Clematis Montana Elizabeth has wonderful vanilla smelling flowers and is very vigorous
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector/plant?plantid=481

It is a car port you will probably need a twiner rather than a sticky padded clinger. Honeysuckle is cheap and cheerful. Take a cutting with a heel, stick a bit in a jam jar and get loads of new plants. Walk about your local area and take a quick cutting from over a fence, or ask someone nicely.

Nelliemoser Sun 11-Aug-13 12:30:41

Two of us warning against Russian vine I see.

sunseeker Sun 11-Aug-13 13:08:27

Thanks for all the suggestions. There are some upright pillars and a couple of crossbars which plants could cling to. I'm not much of a gardener (in fact no gardener at all!) so all suggestions and advice gratefully received.

whenim64 Sun 11-Aug-13 13:11:23

I had a Russian Vine dug out by a tree surgeon at my last house. The roots were enormous and he had to drill and chainsaw them out. It was me that planted it five years earlier - a £5 plant in a small pot. Never again!

Anne58 Sun 11-Aug-13 13:41:32

What about a grape vine? (I bet that's what Bob Flowerdew would recommend!)

Sook Sun 11-Aug-13 14:27:46

Nellie tut, tut great minds think alike grin

Anne58 Sun 11-Aug-13 15:42:15

Or some annuals, nasturtiums, ipomoea, sweet peas?

JessM Sun 11-Aug-13 15:58:40

Yes a grape vine is a good idea. Or an evergreen clematis armandii maybe - anyone ever grown one?

Anne58 Sun 11-Aug-13 16:02:09

Not knowingly Jess blush