Climbers - Clematis - Źródło Dobrych Pnączy

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Climbers

Growing climbers

Apart from clematis, there exists a large group of climbing vines worth popularising. Climbers take up little space in the garden all the while giving a spectacular display owing to the mass of greenery they produce: Silvervine Fleeceflower (Fallopia), Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia), Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus), Trumpet Creeper (Campsis), Vitis, Parthenocissus, Monks Hood Vine (Ampelopsis), Actinidia, beautiful flowers: Wisteria, Trumpet Creeper (Campsis), Honeysuckle (Lonicera) and ornamental fruit: Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus), Nightshade (Solanum), Ampelopsis, as well as edible fruit: Actinidia, Magnolia Vine (Schisandra) and Akebia. The majority of climbers climb by twining spirally round the support, while others, owing to the presence aerial rootlets e.g. Ivies (Hedera), Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris), Trumpet Vine (Campsis), Japanese Hydrangea Vine (Schizophragma hydrangeoides) and Wintercreeper Euonymus (Euonymus fortunei), or adhesive tendril tips, e.g. Japanese Creeper (Parthenocissus), are self-clinging and can scale a flat wall, without added support.

Climbers are particularly useful for covering outer walls of buildings. Apart from their decorative aspect, they also act as insulation during winter, and retain a pleasant coolness inside the house during hot summer days. They also help keep the walls dry by shielding them from the rain, and draining excess water away from the foundations. Creepers are best suited to this end, but you can equally well use ivies or Trumpet Vine, or any other climber on condition that a suitable support is provided.

Climbers can cover unsightly buildings, sheds, warehouses, rubbish sheds, etc. hiding them quickly from view. If you want to have the effect in just one year, you should try Silvervine Fleeceflower (Fallopia aubertii), Hop (Humulus), on clematis belonging to the Tangutica Group e.g. 'Bill MacKenzie' or ‘Lambton Park’ or alternatively, Clematis'Paul Farges' of the Vitalba Group. If you can wait 2-3 years, you can use any climbing vine described in this section.

Climbers can grow up various kinds of fences (np. siatki) (e.g. wire meshes). They will not only provide decoration, but will also screen us from nosy people's eyes and protect us against winter and dust. The following plants are excellent for this purpose: Common Ivy (Hedera helix), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera acuminata), clematis of the Atragene Group (especially 'Pamela Jackman'), the Tangutica Group (especially 'Lambton Park'), the Viticella Group (especially 'Etoile Violette' and 'Polish Spirit') and the Vitalba Group (especially 'Paul Farges'), Monks Hood Vine (Ampelopsis aconitifolia), Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata).

The majority of climbers don’t require any special soil conditions, but since they produce a large mass of greenery, they don’t like very dry and poor soils. Heat-loving species, such as actinidias (Actinidia), wisterias (Wisteria) and trumpet creepers (Campsis), prefer warm, sheltered and sunny sites, while Common Ivy (Hedera), Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris), Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia), Schizophragma (Schizophragma), Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei), Akebia (Akebia), Hop (Humulus) and some honeysuckles (Lonicera) will feel better in a cooler, shaded and moist site.

When planting climbers dig a hole of 50x50x50 cm and fill it with fertile soil. Depending on the species, put the plant 0-10 cm deeper than it used to grow in a pot, at least 30-50 cm away from the wall and 50-100 cm away from the trees. Well chosen and correctly planted climbers can grow for many years, decorating your garden all year round and providing excellent shelter for birds.

Hydrangea - hortensia

Climbing Hydrangea is native to Far East and is one of the most original and valuable climbing plants. It is closely related to Schizophragma hydrangeoides – Japanese Hydrangea, and they both belong to the Hydrangeaceae family.

 

 

White flowers, produced in flat corymbs at the turn of June and July are its main attraction. It also has interesting ovate green leaves on long petioles. The leaves turn yellow in autumn.
It climbs by means of adventitious rootlets. Its slightly twining stems look very attractive in winter, covered with red-brown or vermillion-brown, peeling bark. The plant is slow to get going and it produces little new growth in the first two, three years, but once it's well established, it will start growing vigorously, producing even up to 1 m of new growth a year and attains the final height of 10-20 m.

  • 'Mirranda' – a new valuable cultivar with yellow-margined leaves. Very useful for creating colourful combinations.
     
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris

Requirements
Hydrangea thrives in a sheltered position, in half-shade or even complete shade, and in humus-rich, moist but not waterlogged soil. It doesn’t cope well with drought. It prefers acid soil, but tolerates slightly alkaline soil. Its full hardiness makes it highly popular in many countries, especially with a harsher climate (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany). It’s often used as a hardy alternative to ivy that tends to freeze during severe winters. Well tolerant of pruning though it doesn’t have any special pruning requirements.
 

Application
It's suitable for covering arbours, pergolas, trellises and arches. Ideal for growing up trees, pylons, columns and walls with a porous surface. You should remember, however, that adventitious rootlets are too weak to attach a mature plant securely to a smooth surface, especially with a strong wind. Therefore, if you plan to grow your Hydrangea next to the wall, it’s better to provide the plant with additional support, like metal rods or strips of wood. It may also grow without any support at all, as a picturesque groundcover plant in shaded areas.

 

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