Climbers
High Fliers
Climbers are wonderfully versatile plants and flowers. Not only are they lovely to look at but their height adds interest and depth to a garden. They're also pretty handy when it comes to a spot of camouflage!
Climbing plants are one of the most prized weapons in any gardener's arsenal. Their accelerated growth rate means they are the perfect choice for covering any embarrassing eyesores in the garden in a flash and are also a brilliant means of disguising sheds and other outbuildings.
But climbers shouldn't only be considered as camouflage: many varieties are also beautiful plants and flowers in their own right and can create a fantastic sense of ambiance. Rambling roses instil a sense of country garden idyll into the most urban of outdoor spaces, while vines and honeysuckle can make you feel as if you've been miraculously transported to the Med.
So inject some charm, romance and exotica into your garden with the help of these four guides to planting and nurturing stratospheric plants!
See our Cottage Garden feature for a traditional garden style featuring climbers. And for advice and information on some favourite climbers see: Jasmine (Jasminum Officinale), Passion Flower (Passiflora), Honeysuckle (Lonicera X Tellmanniana) and Clematis (Clematis 'Wada's Primrose').
Championing the woefully neglected climbing plant, Barbara Abbs looks at how to use climbers throughout the garden, not just to cover up the less pleasant areas of it.
With an emphasis on design, Abbs shows how to create ambience with climbers, making them a focal point in their own right as well as using them as an attractive distraction from unsightly features. Climbers are also great for privacy and advice is given on how to create your own sanctuary from the outside world.
Suggestions are also included on how to use climbers practically and grow fruit and vegetables on them - you can even try your hand at establishing your own vineyard! And for those with limited space, indoor climbers are also featured.
A fantastic all-round introduction to climbing plants and their myriad uses, this is a book which has something for every level of gardener.
Buy this book from Amazon.
Focussing primarily on one of the most utilised climbing plants - clematis - John Feltwell shows how to make the most of these incredibly industrious and versatile plants.
Giving vital information on characteristics such as height, hardiness and requisite moisture and sunlight levels, he differentiates between climbers, which often tend to be grouped together under one umbrella, so as to show which type of plant best suits the idiosyncrasies of your garden.
Hints on how best to train these plants so that they don't get out of control - you don't want a Day of the Triffids on your hands! - are thoughtfully given throughout. Particularly handy is the plant care advice given, with pointers on soil types, positioning, pest and disease control included.
Succinct, to the point and well presented, this book isn't just a must for clematis fans, but for those who want an exhaustive insight into the minutiae of climbing plants in general.
Buy this book from Amazon.
Add a hint of the exotic to your garden with ferns and palms, two of the most tropical of climbing plants. In this slim but comprehensive guide, Alan Toogood suggests ways in which you can make utilise ferns and palms to create an impressive central display, add shade (not something we need too much of in this country!) or brighten up dull areas of the garden.
Like its author, this book is Toogood to be true!
Buy this book from Amazon.
In this reasonably priced reference book, Richard Bird looks at different climbers, such as roses, honeysuckle and clematis, and establishes where best they can work in specific gardens.
From ambitious projects such as building a pergola to using plants to cover trellis, there are suggestions which are achievable by every level of gardener, novice to expert.
Buy this book from Amazon.
But climbers shouldn't only be considered as camouflage: many varieties are also beautiful plants and flowers in their own right and can create a fantastic sense of ambiance. Rambling roses instil a sense of country garden idyll into the most urban of outdoor spaces, while vines and honeysuckle can make you feel as if you've been miraculously transported to the Med.
So inject some charm, romance and exotica into your garden with the help of these four guides to planting and nurturing stratospheric plants!
See our Cottage Garden feature for a traditional garden style featuring climbers. And for advice and information on some favourite climbers see: Jasmine (Jasminum Officinale), Passion Flower (Passiflora), Honeysuckle (Lonicera X Tellmanniana) and Clematis (Clematis 'Wada's Primrose').
Choosing and Using Climbing Plants: Enhance Your Garden With Climbers
By Barbara Abbs (New Holland, RRP £14.99)Championing the woefully neglected climbing plant, Barbara Abbs looks at how to use climbers throughout the garden, not just to cover up the less pleasant areas of it.
With an emphasis on design, Abbs shows how to create ambience with climbers, making them a focal point in their own right as well as using them as an attractive distraction from unsightly features. Climbers are also great for privacy and advice is given on how to create your own sanctuary from the outside world.
Suggestions are also included on how to use climbers practically and grow fruit and vegetables on them - you can even try your hand at establishing your own vineyard! And for those with limited space, indoor climbers are also featured.
A fantastic all-round introduction to climbing plants and their myriad uses, this is a book which has something for every level of gardener.
Buy this book from Amazon.
Practical Gardener: Clematis and Climbers
By John Feltwell (Collins, RRP £6.99)Focussing primarily on one of the most utilised climbing plants - clematis - John Feltwell shows how to make the most of these incredibly industrious and versatile plants.
Giving vital information on characteristics such as height, hardiness and requisite moisture and sunlight levels, he differentiates between climbers, which often tend to be grouped together under one umbrella, so as to show which type of plant best suits the idiosyncrasies of your garden.
Hints on how best to train these plants so that they don't get out of control - you don't want a Day of the Triffids on your hands! - are thoughtfully given throughout. Particularly handy is the plant care advice given, with pointers on soil types, positioning, pest and disease control included.
Succinct, to the point and well presented, this book isn't just a must for clematis fans, but for those who want an exhaustive insight into the minutiae of climbing plants in general.
Buy this book from Amazon.
Gardener's Guides: Ferns, Palms and Climbers
By Alan Toogood (Murdoch, RRP £4.99)Add a hint of the exotic to your garden with ferns and palms, two of the most tropical of climbing plants. In this slim but comprehensive guide, Alan Toogood suggests ways in which you can make utilise ferns and palms to create an impressive central display, add shade (not something we need too much of in this country!) or brighten up dull areas of the garden.
Like its author, this book is Toogood to be true!
Buy this book from Amazon.
A Guide to Growing Glorious Climbers
By Richard Bird (Lorenz Books, £7.95)In this reasonably priced reference book, Richard Bird looks at different climbers, such as roses, honeysuckle and clematis, and establishes where best they can work in specific gardens.
From ambitious projects such as building a pergola to using plants to cover trellis, there are suggestions which are achievable by every level of gardener, novice to expert.
Buy this book from Amazon.
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