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.

Moonseed is a little known but very valuable and undemanding hardy climber with slender twining semi-woody stems. The name comes from the shape of the seed, which resembles a crescent moon.

Menispermum davuricum - fruits and leaves in autumn - photo Sz. Marczynski

The plants of the genus attain the height of 3 - 5 m. Tiling leaves are their main attraction. They are bisexual and in June-July bear inconspicuous, green yellow flowers, gathered in terminal clusters. Female plants, if grown in the vicinity of the male plants, set interesting, violet-black, small, round fruits, gathered in loose clusters. The berries are poisonous.

There are known two species of the genus: Common Moonsed (Menispermum canadense) and Asian moonseed (Menispermum davuricum).

Asian moonseed (Menispermum davuricum) is more valuable and attractive. It has striking, large (10 - 20 cm in diameter), tiling leaves that are heart-shaped, rounded at the tip and have 3 - 5 barely discernible lobes, which can sometimes give the impression that the leaves have a form of a pentagon. The upper side is dark green and glossy with clearly visible veining, the underside blue-green. The leaves turn bright yellow in autumn. Asian Moonseed is native to eastern Siberia, Japan and China, where it typically occurs in muddy soil along stream banks and in thickets.

Common Moonseed (Menispermum canadense) is native to north-eastern part of America. The leaves are oval to heart-shaped, with 3 - 7 angular lobes that are pointed at the tips. They are deep green on the upper side, with a lighter hue on the underside, and turn yellow in autumn.

Culture.
No special pruning is required, but as it's difficult to cut dead stems from the tangle of the shoots, it's advisable to cut back the whole plant at the ground level every 2 - 3 years or after a particularly harsh winter.

Requirements.
Moonseeds are generally healthy and only sporadically attacked by diseases or pests. They have no special requirements and will grow well even in not very rich and moderately moist soil, but prefer sunny sites. They are generally frost-hardy (zones 5B-9), but in very severe winters the stems may freeze back to the ground. This doesn't pose a problem, however, as the plant will shoot vigorously the following spring.

Application.
Moonseeds can climb up a fence, various types of meshes or trellises, creating an excellent screen or a monochrome background for other plants with brightly coloured flowers. They are suitable for covering noise barriers, arbours, pergolas, gates and will do an excellent job covering unsightly constructions or buildings. They look charming overgrowing small trees. Since they propagate by root stolons, they shouldn't be planted in close proximity to perennial beds or other small plants.