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What climbers for wooden garden seat with arch?

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  • 27-10-2018 1:49pm
    #1
    macraignil
    Registered Users Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭


    Hi. Just bought a wooden garden seat like the one in this link. I was wondering if anybody had advice on what climbers would be best to get growing on the trellis and over the arch at the top? It is to be placed to the side of a pond in this link. I can see the top of the arch from the house so something that would be colourful for a lot of the year to encourage venturing down to the pond would be great. The pond is out of view from the downstairs of the house since I planted a hedge to block the view of the bio-cycle unit/septic tank.

    A variegated ivy would be year round colour but from the varieties I know I'm not sure if it would be a very nice colour or a strong enough colour to have much of an impact. The other climbers I like are all deciduous so it would leave the arch looking a bit bare in the winter. Could I combine more than one climber successfully in this situation? Any advice much appreciated. I am going to set the legs in concrete to hopefully avoid the whole thing being blown over.


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    #2
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    Personally i'd steer clear of anything that is eventually going to swamp the arch so that rules out ivy, jasmine, solanum or honeysuckle.
    Spring flowering clematis alpina/ macropetala coupled with a couple of climbing roses for later colour would be one idea.


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    #3
    macraignil
    Registered Users Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭macraignil


    standardg60 wrote: »
    Personally i'd steer clear of anything that is eventually going to swamp the arch so that rules out ivy, jasmine, solanum or honeysuckle.
    Spring flowering clematis alpina/ macropetala coupled with a couple of climbing roses for later colour would be one idea.

    Sounds like good advice.

    Is there a particular variety of climbing rose that gives colourful rose-hips that would last into winter that you would recommend?


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    #4
    strandroad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,676 ✭✭✭strandroad


    You can find a nice evergreen clematis too, once the flowers are gone its foliage will still surround the bench. Clematis armandii is known for its lovely scent, they tend to flower early too so it's a good choice to grow through late roses.


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    #5
    beer enigma
    Registered Users Posts: 6,163 ✭✭✭beer enigma


    I have a very similar arch and planted a hardy Jasmine over mine. At the end of the year I take a good pair or shears to it and it keeps it in trim without swamping.

    https://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/plants/climbers/jasmine_clotted_cream.htm
    is the one I planted, the scent is divine


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    #6
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    macraignil wrote: »
    Sounds like good advice.

    Is there a particular variety of climbing rose that gives colourful rose-hips that would last into winter that you would recommend?

    Not particularly, bear in mind that floribunda/hybrid tea are well capable of flowering well into December if dead headed, most would have attractive hips too, so i'd just choose based on scent or colour.


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    #7
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    beer enigma wrote: »
    I have a very similar arch and planted a hardy Jasmine over mine. At the end of the year I take a good pair or shears to it and it keeps it in trim without swamping.

    https://www.sarahraven.com/flowers/plants/climbers/jasmine_clotted_cream.htm
    is the one I planted, the scent is divine

    It's all about personal choice of course, but even with annual trimming the jasmine will eventually hide the actual structure, which imo would be a pity.


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    #8
    beer enigma
    Registered Users Posts: 6,163 ✭✭✭beer enigma


    just chatting with colleagues & one suggested planting perennial sweet peas, that might work as you'd get colour and scent but a complete cut back each year & wouldn't swamp


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    #9
    macraignil
    Registered Users Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭macraignil


    Thanks for all the great suggestions above. Went to the local Co-Op garden centre today to see what was available and the climber that stood out to me was star jasmine. It has a great leaf colour at the moment and what I read online about it all seems very positive. Has anyone any experience of growing it, and any advice on looking after it? Has anybody combined it with another climber and found they got a good effect?

    Could clematis alpina and star jasmine(Trachelospermum jasminoides) work well together?


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    #10
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    Latin name please but i'll assume you're referring to Trachelospermum jasminoides which is indeed a lovely plant, it did cross my mind but it's not the hardiest plant in the world, it requires little care except a light trimming after flowering, but I have seen them die off for no particular reason bar a harsh winter.


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    #11
    macraignil
    Registered Users Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭macraignil


    standardg60 wrote: »
    Latin name please but i'll assume you're referring to Trachelospermum jasminoides which is indeed a lovely plant, it did cross my mind but it's not the hardiest plant in the world, it requires little care except a light trimming after flowering, but I have seen them die off for no particular reason bar a harsh winter.

    That's the one alright. Must pick a companion for it in case it does decide to die off. I think it's worth trying anyway for the winter leaf colour. There is one side of the garden arch that will be facing South West so it will go on that side with the North east side planted with something more resilient. That whole area of the garden is on a slope so it would not be a frost pocket and I'd be hopeful the South West aspect of the trellis will give it a good chance. Also will plant the area immediately to the north with something to act as a wind break.


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    #12
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    I would certainly go with a clematis alpina/macropetala on the north side so as they love the shade and are spectacular in the spring. The climbing rose 'maigold' is also good for shade. I would also go with a rose alongside the tracho as they wouldn't compete.


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    #13
    blackbox
    Registered Users Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭blackbox


    standardg60 wrote: »
    It's all about personal choice of course, but even with annual trimming the jasmine will eventually hide the actual structure, which imo would be a pity.

    Evergreen clematis is also very fast growing once it gets started.


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    #14
    macraignil
    Registered Users Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭macraignil


    blackbox wrote: »
    Evergreen clematis is also very fast growing once it gets started.

    Bought a star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) plant to provide the evergreen foliage on the arch. The leaf colour at the moment is very nice and having another evergreen might take away from the effect. Pretty much decided on the clematis alpina for the north east facing side of the arch and this is not evergreen and could be a bit hardier than the evergreen clematis. Went to buy the clematis I was looking for and it was not available but saw some of the evergreen clematis (armandii) and the leaves looked to me like they might not be very resilient.The arch may not be sheltered enough for it to look its best so going to try another garden centre for the deciduous alpina variety next weekend.


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    #15
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    blackbox wrote: »
    Evergreen clematis is also very fast growing once it gets started.

    I agree but if you look back I didn't actually suggest it..armandii is quite vigorous.
    There is another evergreen one called cirrhosa which is more suitable for an arch but the flowers wouldn't be that eyecatching and again it's not the hardiest.


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    #16
    macraignil
    Registered Users Posts: 3,443 ✭✭✭macraignil


    Could not find any clematis alpina for sale after trying a number of garden centres and eager to get something planted with the star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) already on one side of the arch I found a climbing hydrangea in the reduced section of the last garden centre I tried. They had a wide selection of clematis cultivars but none really matched what I was looking for. The clematis alpina with early blooming small blue coloured flowers sounded ideal but I'm reluctant to get them by mail order as with plants I always want to see what I am getting before buying. Got a clematis already growing that I bought a few years back that was from a supermarket and I'm not sure the species name was noted. I think it was just sold as blue or purple flowered clematis. Got some seeds from this planted now so hoping I will get some growing in the spring and might be able to add them to the arch as well.
    Thanks again for all of the suggestions.


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    #17
    standardg60
    Registered Users Posts: 4,698 ✭✭✭standardg60


    macraignil wrote: »
    Could not find any clematis alpina for sale after trying a number of garden centres and eager to get something planted with the star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) already on one side of the arch I found a climbing hydrangea in the reduced section of the last garden centre I tried. They had a wide selection of clematis cultivars but none really matched what I was looking for. The clematis alpina with early blooming small blue coloured flowers sounded ideal but I'm reluctant to get them by mail order as with plants I always want to see what I am getting before buying. Got a clematis already growing that I bought a few years back that was from a supermarket and I'm not sure the species name was noted. I think it was just sold as blue or purple flowered clematis. Got some seeds from this planted now so hoping I will get some growing in the spring and might be able to add them to the arch as well.
    Thanks again for all of the suggestions.

    That's a pity though the hydrangea is also ideal for a north facing aspect, if a little slow to get going.


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